Ice fishing shows

[wormdunker]

Has anybody heard of any up coming Ice Fishing Shows. I reentered ice fish last year after a 20yr. had a ball but caught very few fish. looking to up my game.

[bowmandan]

Dakota angler has a good show with speakers in Sioux Falls, sd the first weekend in November.

[Wgorby]

Since I doubt your willing to travel to SD...lol....D&R Sports Center in Kzoo has a show every year, usually the second weekend in Dec.  There is some factory reps there and you can generally get some pretty good deals.  Franks Great Outdoors in Linwood, MI has Shanty Days at some point late in the year....never been but I hear it's worth the drive.

The crown jewel of ice fishing shows is in St. Paul MN the first weekend in Dec....that show is on my bucket list, everybody who is anybody is at that show....think Detroit Auto Show of Ice Fishing.  Then the next best show IMO is also the second week of Dec usually in Milwaukee, WI...similar to the St. Paul show just a bit smaller from what I understand.

[3300]

try to hook up with fellow michiganders from your area and have them show you what they have learned. or while on the ice or getting ready to go on the ice ask some of the anglers some questions and see if they mind if you tag along.
there is a ton of info on here already tho, but seeing it done is a better way to learn.
 or just start asking your questions right here and right now since you started this thread. there are plenty of folks wanting to help out here.

never been to a show and don't plan on going to them. i shop online for the best deals and in the off season when the prices are not at a premium. waiting on shows will get some price break, but not as good as other times like black friday and cyber week or after season sales.

my first tip, if your looking for safety gear, go with a float suit so you can keep on keeping on.

[ifish4fishwithteeth]

Yep, Frank's is worth the drive. Great store year round.

[wormdunker]

I went to the Franks Shanty Days with a member from here had a great time. It was a last minute thing so didn't have much money but did spend all I had and with the advise of him he did hook me up with my best rod so far. The St. Paul MN show is also on my bucket list but with my health problems this and a mountain lion hunt are I may have to take off the list. As for asking questions are the new under water cameras worth the bank for the buck? I use a Lorance Gen II  7"marks tons of fish but when not biting sure would like to see what's down there.

[3300]

i have a lx9 that has a camera. i never use the camera much unless it days like you mention. it is nice to see what your missing, but not cheap and it won't make them bite. cams are a lot of fooling around to get them on your jig. the new micro cams are nice for fast deployment tho if you want to hold onto the cable to see what you wanted to see and then put it away. i watched others fish this way in already open holes. they had no sonar and only used one aqua-vu micro cam to find fish on any hole. once they found them they put away the camera and started fishing and catching fish.
we learned to start fishing near bottom any way and work your way up even when we have sonar. so those who use nothing know to do so too and those who were using a camera to spot them did the same.

if you have the spare coin and really want to know what your missing, then they are fun once your set up or if you use them to scout.
i don't think it is a better tool than sonar by any means tho. they are so limited to how far they can see and the direction or angle of view.
check the camera size and think how you would want to use one. would you want one screen or several and would you want a tiny screen or large.

that extra cable can be a problem if you start hooking up with the fish. they swim wide and can easily get caught up in your cam line. so you have to try to keep it far enough away from your sonar hole to try to avoid the problem.

and then there is the ability for them to work and how well they can work under water. light is key as it is to our own eyes. the lower the light, the less they can see. if you turn on light, plankton will fill your screen and blind you from seeing much of any thing. so natural light is preferred and that means using it in shallow water like around 15 feet or less depending on the waters clarity or if it's cloudy or not and ice thickness and snow coverage on the ice ect.

good ones start at 300$ like a marcum recon 5. the recon 5 plus has compass and water info like their cams that come with the lx9, but way smaller camera head and wire.
check some you tube videos to see how they are used and see if you think that's what you want to try to use too.

if you want to sit and fish with one, you'll want some thing to hold it and spin it, but nothing moves it up and down for you, so you have to set your depth first and move it when they move up or down to keep them in view. when you see them bite on camera, you react much faster than waiting to feel them bite and often miss the bite because you react too fast and pull it away before they close their mouth. it's a hard thing to get past, but fun trying when you do break it out to fish with too.

[wormdunker]

Thank you very informative

[midwest_rodworks]

November 3-5 is the Clear Lake Bait and Tackle ice season kick off, check out their Facebook page for more info.

[Firefightertom32]

Pro Tackle in Fort Wayne has a good show in December. Worth the trip down. Adam Bricker @ Bricker bugs always has bugs for sale down there and some of his custom rods. Giveaways, pizza and pop and always have a person there to give a demonstration. All for the price of some canned goods that they donate to a local food pantry.

[wormdunker]

Just seen Bass Pro is having a show in Dec.

[Hardwaterluver]

Franks Shanty days is December 8-10
Great store

[chilly-willy]

Some time in January is the ultime fishing show detroit .. might be worth a gander??

[BC_ICE]

The D and R Sports ice fishing in Kalamazoo,MI show is Dec. 2nd and 3rd. Also has free admission and free seminars. Not a bad little show.

[bassguro48]

ClearH2o Tackle in Edwardsburg, MI December 8-10. Free good, great deals, all the newest products for this years ice season

[Oscoda Ice]

Here you guys go. Some info on "Franks Shanty Days". See ya there!

http://www.franksgreatoutdoors.com/blog/franks-great-outdoors-shanty-days-2017/

-Kyle

[joedevera]

D&R Sports Dec 2-3
Clear Lake Bait and Tackle Dec 8-10
Franks Shanty Days Dec 8-10
Cabela's Ice Fishing Classic Dec 9-10 (All Stores)
Ultimate Fishing Show Detroit Jan 11-14
Huntin' Time Expo Grand Rapids MI Jan 26-28 (Fishing Vendors will be there)
Jay's Sporting Goods Clare MI Feb 16 (NAIFC Seminar)
Ultimate Sports Show Grand Rapids Mar 15-18