newbie here with questions

[fugly1]

Hello fellow ice fishers, as a person who has hated our extreme winters here in Manitoba and live with 30 min. to the Red river/ lake Winnipeg i figured its time to embrace the ice season so i have gone all in accumulating gear and so far i have a 8" strikemaster gas auger as well as a Fatfish 6 insulated tent as well i just ordered a hook 5 ice machine.  i still need to get a heater as well as some other items so the wifey and i can enjoy the winters here. now i have a few questions that sound silly but i cannot find the answers to. 1.  How do most guys layout there holes inside these tents? holes in the center with back to the walls or holes close to the walls and sit in the center? do  you auger holes AFTER the tent is set up? worry about the 2 stroke exhaust stink if cutting inside? do you shovel all the snow off the ice inside and i see guys using the interlocking anti fatigue matts[ awesome idea] do the sunflower style propane heaters work okay, realizing the dangers of brushing against them, i see most using the "Big Buddy" heaters.
  With the hook 5 or any transducer, how the heck do you keep it centered in the hole? as i hear guys saying it must be centered to give best results, does it need its own hole as i think that would be best but it probably needs to be right beside the hole you fish due to cone angle in water under 20ft? 
  i keep scouring  youtube to see different setups and pointers but reading the site from top to bottom i have learned a lot so far and for the first time in 58 years of living through our tough winters i can actually say i am EXCITED for the winter!!! We do fish open water and own a boat with electronics so i do have a fair bit of fishing knowledge just EXTREMELY green to ice fishing. I thank you in advance

[Wheres Walleye]

I think a lot of different ways work and it really comes down to personal preference and how you like to fish. We are allowed multiple fishing devices in my state and we use a combination of rods and tipups so I am constantly in and out of my tent. For the hole locations I prefer to cut my holes closer to the sides to make it easier to get in and out of the tent without falling over our gear. I also cut the holes before setting up the tent and I usually do not shovel the snow unless it’s really wet and slushy. For the heater I have and use both types and they have their pros and cons like you mentioned. For me it depends on how cold it is and how long I’m planning on fishing. My sunflower heater throws off more heat than my buddy heater. I have a different fish finder than the one you mentioned so I’ll defer to others on that. For mine I have fished it in the same hole and also had a separate hole. Using a second hole you don’t to worry about the fish tangling in the transducer or remembering to pull the transducer out of the hole when I have a fish on.

Another great thing to get you excited about the upcoming ice fishing season is the Ice shanty Tournament! Keep your eyes open in December for the Ice shanty Tournament sign up page and rules in the general forum. You get to see a lot of great photos and hear some great stories. The biggest thing to remember is you have to be entered before December 31st to participate. It’s also free and there’s a chance to win some really cool weekly prizes. Welcome to the Ice shanty and have a great season

[mr.clean]

Welcome to Ice Shanty and the sport of ice fishing Fugly1 .
I think it is better to drill your holes then set up the shelter . This way the fumes from auger exhaust are not trapped in the shelter also you do not run the risk of auger blades cutting shelter fabric when removing auger from a hole. Personally I like to shovel cutting away from the hole so fishing line can not get caught in frozen ice cutting and break while fighting a fish. I think placing holes by walls and fishing with back to center of shelter would work best.
I'm not familiar with the Hook 5 most ice fishing electronics (Vexilar,Marcum,Humming Bird) have a swing arm that holds the transducer in center of hole  (some have a foam float on transducer cable that centers the transducer)at desired depth there will be a rubber stopper on transducer cable that fits into a hole on swing arm. Drilling a separate hole for the hook 5 near a fishing hole will work you still may have a fish tangle you line around transducer and cable while bring it to the hole. There are plenty of videos on You Tube about ice fishing electronics I set my transducer so it is just at the bottom  edge of ice hole any higher in thicker ice will affect the readings on unit.
The Sunflower heater will work most folks use a Mr.Heater big or little buddy because they have a low oxygen level sensor which will turn off the heater helping prevent build up of carbon monoxide gas. I would also get a battery powered portable carbon monoxide sensor for your shelter the sensor could save someone's life if heater is malfunctioning.

I hope my reply is of some help. If Ice Shanty has a forum for Manitoba introduce yourself in that forum and se if other Ice Shanty members near you would be willing to meet up with you and your wife for a trip or two so you can learn the basics of ice fishing. Have a good ice fishing season. Good to have something to do besides watching Jets games during the brutal Winter days.
Steve

[hardwater diehard]

Mr heater..atop a milk crate will makes less of a mess when things start melting ...hole placement is optional/preference of the user most place them a foot off the wall opposite the entrance. ..most transducers for ice fishing have float or bracket arm that hangs the transducer in the hole ...mine with the float is always toward the rear(furthest from me) of the hole . Depends on the day and snow cover.. if I shovel out the snow sometimes its best to keep the snow coned up around the holes..some good door mats with rubber backing may be a better option for keeping your feet dry .

[eriksat1]

For me it is easiest to just drill the holes after the tent is all set up. I usually drill holes as far apart from each other as I can so holes in the 4 corners and sit more towards the middle. I clean the holes with a scoop into a bucket and use that to help seal the outside tent bottom wind flaps, the slush seals the wind out good and freezes quick and breaks loose easy when wrapping up. And I vote for buddy heater up on a bucket or milk crate also, so no puddle of water on the ice under heater. I have burnt too many holes in stuff with the sunflower type. For transducer I am usually fishing deeper water so I set transducer at the bottom of the hole with the cable right against the edge of the hole. If you do hook a nice fish pull the transducer from the hole.

[hardwater diehard]

Couple more tips

practice putting your shelter up and taking it down ...including placing it in the bag

 

place your flasher behind your hole and point your rod tip at the flasher

&index=5

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Seafoam for your auger

[Scandi]

Hi fugly,

I have a gas auger too so I drill my holes before setting up the shelter. If there's not a lot of snow you can set it up and just slide it over where you drilled. If you don't want to have to get mats, leave a few inches of snow over the ice  when you're shoveling a space to set up. If you scrape it all off then there's a ton of meltwater and things get pretty slick.

[Mr.Seaguar]

You named yourself Fugly?

[spoofhoundicefisher]

it is a better looking side of bugly!!!

[FG Steve]

Welcome!  It is a dangerous thing you are doing, you are gonna love ice fishing and wonder what took you so long.

Tips:

Modify your profile to include a location.

The search function is your friend, and you can sometimes find lots of threads related to your questions.

Get as educated as you can about ice safety and avoid the close calls and dunks some of us have experienced.

1.  How do most guys layout there holes inside these tents? holes in the center with back to the walls or holes close to the walls and sit in the center?

Can't speak for most guys, but I'm a hole-in-the-corner guy, on the corners and near the walls away from the doors in my (QF6) hub.

do  you auger holes AFTER the tent is set up? worry about the 2 stroke exhaust stink if cutting inside?

Before!  Yes to avoid exhaust.  This is one of the selling points for the guys that like electric auger setups.  Hey, I'm a Strikemaster gas guy, too.

do you shovel all the snow off the ice inside

Depends on conditions.  If you have a heavy snow layer and you clear it off you may have water on top of the ice.  I clear snow when this is not the case.

do the sunflower style propane heaters work okay, realizing the dangers of brushing against them, i see most using the "Big Buddy" heaters.

They work OK and you can burn clothing on anything, but I'm a fan of the Big Buddy.  Low oxygen shut-off, fan, etc.  I used a little "sunflower" type for many years but not anymore.

With the hook 5 or any transducer, how the heck do you keep it centered in the hole? as i hear guys saying it must be centered to give best results, does it need its own hole as i think that would be best but it probably needs to be right beside the hole you fish due to cone angle in water under 20ft?

I use a different brand that has a transducer arm on the shuttle.  I'll leave that one to your fellow Lowrance folks and others that use a float.

I fish in the same hole as the 'ducer.

Good luck!  This is usually a pretty friendly place with lots of advice, sometimes possibly even more than you want!

[fugly1]

Thanks guys for all the tips, i can hardly wait now!! will make a great retirement passtime in the winter. at to those asking about my handle " fugly" it came from my wife who calls my dog F ugly after he gets groomed! 

[Spider1]

 Most of your questions have been answered but I wanna mention one thing that hasn't been about your transducer. It doesn't need to be hanging in the center of the hole but a float will keep it away from the walls of the hole. I hate floats so I let mine hang down the side but if it leaned against the side of the hole it would give me distorted info because it wouldn't be pointing straight down. I make sure my transducer clears the bottom of the hole so it's showing what's right under the ice.

 I often fish out of the same hole that my 'ducer is in so I got ok at pulling it out when I hook a fish, but it still gets tangled from time to time. So, if I'm feeling squirrely I'll drill an extra hole for my flasher. You can even get away with drilling one hole between 2 people for a flasher... if the holes are close enough and/or the water is deep enough.

[Mr.Seaguar]

This site does have have a wealth of knowledgebut also a few morons. I would advise that it's best that you go out a bunch of times to see what is best for you.

[WYIfish]

Most of your questions have been answered but I wanna mention one thing that hasn't been about your transducer. It doesn't need to be hanging in the center of the hole but a float will keep it away from the walls of the hole. I hate floats so I let mine hang down the side but if it leaned against the side of the hole it would give me distorted info because it wouldn't be pointing straight down. I make sure my transducer clears the bottom of the hole so it's showing what's right under the ice.

 I often fish out of the same hole that my 'ducer is in so I got ok at pulling it out when I hook a fish, but it still gets tangled from time to time. So, if I'm feeling squirrely I'll drill an extra hole for my flasher. You can even get away with drilling one hole between 2 people for a flasher... if the holes are close enough and/or the water is deep enough.

I have made a contraption out of 3/4" pvc that keeps my transducer ridgedly hanging in the hole. It allows me to center the cone over my jig when its on the bottom................ .......and when I get a fish on I just pull it out of the hole. It is really simple to drop your jig again, drop the transducer back in the hole, give it a little turn and bingo, cone centered on the jig again. Used it for a number of years and I am very proud of it. Cost about
$6 for the three elbows, T. and 4 feet of pipe. Black elect. tape keeps the transducer attached to the down pipe.   All is spray painted black and the sunshine keeps the black warmer so the hole doesn't freeze over.   Pretty kool invention.

[IceholeFisherman]

In case it's not clear, the transducer does not have to be centered. It has to hang so it is pointing straight down, perpendicular to the ice. If it doesn't, you prob won't see your jig. If your using your transom mount transducer, it prob won't hang from the cable properly, and you will have to make a contraption such as WYIFish mentioned.

[dekatronic]

Welcome to the addiction! I can certainly relate, as I took up ice fishing about 5 years ago. Much like you I picked up a bunch of gear and really looked forward to getting out for the first time since I was a kid.

From my experience there's a few things from my experience worth mentioning:

1. You might not be successful your first time out. Or second, or even third in my case. Don't get discouraged. Just keep hammering the lake and you will learn a lot in the meantime.

2. Wear warm comfortable clothes and invest in a warm pair of boots. You sit in one spot so there's a lack of circulation which contributes to cold feet. After my first season experiencing a few cold -30 C days I invested in a pair of Baffins and an insulated floatation suit. Couldn't be happier now on those cold days.

3. Ice safety. Become familiar with ice thickness guidelines and general safety considerations, but there's no substitute for experience. Every year I hear of at least one or two people breaking through and drowning. Last year in my province it was two men fishing late season ice near Kamloops BC that didn't make it. Wear cleats, carry ice spikes, spud early season ice, even wear a life jacket if necessary until you're comfortable reading the ice.

Those are a few things I learned in my first year, and I'm sure you'll learn lots in yours. Good luck and keep us posted!