Ice defense pro

[CoachWalleye74]

Opinions on the ice defense pro? Great idea,
Alleviate annoying ice debris and freeze over in holes…$99 seems steep. I fish in a flip shack  mainly, but hole hop often also in no shack. 

[hardwater diehard]

Steep price for sure ..sure it works ..but if I am hole hopping ..either I am catching fish ..that will keep a hole open ..or I am moving on . If its brutally cold, I am in some sort of shelter .

[river_scum]

another ridiculous product for those with more money than sense.

[smitty]

For $100 I'll fill my gas tank! Ill chip the ice around the hole for free!

smitty

[Marauder2008]

Honestly, I kind of see this as just another gadget.  For people with too much money and nothing better to spend it on.  What is the problem with chipping away at the ice?  Sure, I've had holes freeze solid before, but just get a cover if you're fishing that cold, or for that long...

I also wonder if by disturbing the surface of the water, you're sending vibrations or something to the fish in the surrounding area.  I like my holes to be disturbed as little as possible.  I would think this might scare them away, like slapping the top of the water with an oar or something...

[guthook1]

Used to use a coffee can with a little sand in the bottom and a couple of lit charcoal briqittes.  Can was set in a depression adjacent to the fishing hole - kept the hole open and occasionally warmed your hands.   But that was then...who ever thought you could make a living from ice fishing stuff.

[ice dawg]

They were $79 at Running's here this fall and suddenly jumped to $99.

[OldSailor]

Used to use a coffee can with a little sand in the bottom and a couple of lit charcoal briqittes.  Can was set in a depression adjacent to the fishing hole - kept the hole open and occasionally warmed your hands.   But that was then...who ever thought you could make a living from ice fishing stuff.

I did the same thing, but had some sacrete in the bottom!

[kayl]

I picked up one to try after getting super annoyed with icing on my last trip. I know they work, I just need to see if it's worth the cost.

[dubob]

Marine Metal Bubble Box Air Pump - $18.  Work great.  We just replace the tube with some poly pipe the same size and smash the water end flat after heating with a torch and then poke 5 or 6 holes in that end with a dental pick.  They use 2 'D' cell batteries that last a very long time.