After the Gas Auger which upgrade is a must ?

[mjc2799]

I have gotten the Gas Auger ... a Strikemaster 2000 , and I was wondering which upgrade should be next on my list to acquire .... a Vex , a shelter  or something else ... any opinions will be appreciated ... thanx

[jrsue]

definatly a flasher, I tried a vex 18, liked it , then tried a marcum LX3 and liked it even better. I dont think I'd ice fish without a flasher, and a gas power auger.
This year I'm trying a marcum camera, the jury's still out wheather it will be a must have accessoriy.

[dljigger]

id have to say a flasher also.  great tool to have.  i've had my fl-8 for awhile and never leave it home!

[tommy-n]

You can't go wrong with a vexilar

[OTIS]

The next potion for you is either a shanty, or some type of electronics.  There's two way's to look at these options.  The shanty will with out a doubt increase the amount of days that you can fish comfortably.  I could not believe how much more I fished after I got my shanty versus when I sat on a bucket.  The electronics will increase the amount of fish you catch and help you to learn more about the species you are after.  It's a matter of getting out more versus catching more the few times you go out.

[billditrite]

i would go shanty next. gotta be comfy 

[Paradice]

dont' even pay to go out unless you know you've got fish there.  If you know where they've been biting (i.e. you've lived there for years) get a fishhouse first, but if you don't know, get a flasher.

[Morrocco_Mole]

Well, I must say I like the Vex but I bought a Marcum LX3 and I love it more as well. I have a Zercom LCF-40, Garmin 160, Aqua-vu and I use the Marcum the most. That's my 3 cents!
 
Mole!

[Oldfart]

Get the flasher! Pick your brand and run with it.  I'd fish with a flasher on a bucket in 10 degrees and a wind up my............ before I'd fish in a shelter with no flasher. 

[Bob_D]

What do you fish for? If you fish for pike, a flasher is of little value (I said little not no value). If you fish for mostly panfish the flasher is very helpful. Do you use/have tip-ups? There are sooo many choices. 

[NAD42]

A vexilar.

[edfalc]

What do you fish for? If you fish for pike, a flasher is of little value (I said little not no value). If you fish for mostly panfish the flasher is very helpful. Do you use/have tip-ups? There are sooo many choices. 

i'd agree with this and vote for a shanty

[TroutFishingBear]

I think a flasher is definitely more important. If I can fish in the -40 degree temperatures we face here in colorado in the highcountry with 20 mile an hour wind at taylor reservoir without a shanty.... nothing is too bad.

Here is my general rule for a flasher. It can turn what would be a skunking into a fish or two; it can turn what would have been a fish or two into four or five, it can turn four or five to eight to ten, and eight to ten into lord knows how many. They increase your # of fish for sure.

[whitts-end]

not even a question.. i won't fish without my vex.  definately the way to go! i have a camera, and it is fun, but kind of a pain in the butt to get pointed straight.  a shack is nice, but i hardly use mine.. i just use it for hauling crap on and off the ice mainly.   after the vex, the shack, then i would get a gps.. nice to get back to the same spots year after year with pinpoint accuracy.  (some of the gps's are extremely cheap nowadays)... of course if you spend all of your dough, it kinda hard to get to the lake with no gas in the truck

[big walleye]

Girlfriend

[whitts-end]

don't even  need a heater, then

[mjc2799]

What do you fish for? If you fish for pike, a flasher is of little value (I said little not no value). If you fish for mostly panfish the flasher is very helpful. Do you use/have tip-ups? There are sooo many choices. 

Nice question Bob , I live in an area that varies depending on which water you fish ... I live in NEPA and have access to many lakes , the susquehanna river  and various farm ponds ... thou in the past i mostly fished for panfish on the hardwater ... thou i hope to get out more this year depending on conditions ... yes i have tip ups and a jigging rod ... and i use both with somewhat mild success ... im glad there is a forum here in the shanty where you can learn more and share information to help others

mike

nafc life member
nahc life member

[mjc2799]

Appreciate all the comments fellas ... it really helps make some of the points to consider for either situation ... keep em coming any suggestion will be appreciated ... after all fishing is life

[whitts-end]

if you fish panfish.... you defninately need to get the vex...  (or equivalent flasher)... once you get one, you won't want to fish without it.  cameras are more fun for panfish, but more of a toy.. but its nice to actually see bottom composition and structure, which could help you decide where to set up and fish....

whitt

[bluegill63]

I have to say buy them both a vex and a hut and have the best of both worlds!!!!!!!!!!

[walleyeslayer]

the next biggest portable ice shanty

[Hoppes]

Shanty, get a two man portable and fine a good buddy with a flasher!  On these windy Maine lakes with temperatures rountinely in the teens, a nice shanty with heat makes fishing so much more enjoyable. But, I'm an old fart and enjoy comfort.  Let us know which you buy! 
Hoppes

[fozsey]

The better part of my ice fishing days have been spent sitting on a bucket in the middle of the lake with only a old Mora and 2 or 3 poles with a few minnows or wax worms. Things were simple then. I could carry everything I owned in a bucket that doubled as a chair. One year I decided I didn't want to kill myself using a hand auger anymore when the ice was 18 inches thick so I bought a power auger. This one decision, which at the time seemed like such a huge improvment, started in motion a series of things that has grown like a runaway train and shows no signs of slowing down.

It wasn't until after I bought the power auger I discovered that I could no longer carry all of my stuff in my bucket and carry the auger at the same time. I have to say that even though I had pondered this problem and thought that a sled might be necessary, I am stubborn and I had to give it a go to prove my theory correct. I am not proud to say that I was right and after falling on my @ss more than once and at least once almost bending my auger screw at a 45, the decision was made. I am a crafty person and I thought I could make a sled. I am happy to say that my idea of making a sled out of plywood was a great idea. I made a sled to carry all of my extras and the auger too. It worked wonderful. Now I didn't have to carry anything anymore. It pulled like a dream on bare ice. What an invention.

I soon discovered that I had loads of room in my sled so this enabled me to make a few trips to the ice fishing meca to purchase a few extra items,...new rods,...new ladle,...a bigger box for tackle,....more tackle to fill the bigger box,....etc. No longer was I worried about traveling lite. I could haul anything.

It was during this time that the Scheels sporting goods store was moving and had an aqua view camera they wanted to get rid of cheap. I bought it thinking that I could use it ice fishing and had plenty of room in my sled. So now I was set. I had everything. At least thats what I thought. One day we were out fishing and the fish were biting good and everything was great, but there was only one problem. It was 25 degrees when we started fishing and it was 15 below 0 when we stopped. I nearly froze to death, but we caught fish. Now, a sane individual would have opted for more clothing and a better watch on the weather, but not me. I needed something more. A portable shelter would solve my problems. So I bought one with a sled that was much bigger than my home made sled and could haul even more stuff. A new shack isn't complete without heat so I got a Mr. Heater buddy and a sunflower heater and could now fish in the most extreme weather in my tshirt.

Now I had a power auger, new gear, a shack and a sled to put it all in so I fugured that since I had all this nice stuff I had to fish more and further away since I wasn't dependant on the weather anymore and could pull my sled anywhere. I started fishing lakes that I had never fished before that other people told me that they caught fish in all the time. I made many trips to and from many new lakes and sometimes I would have good to moderate success and sometimes I wouldn't get #$#$#$#. On one of my skunk monkey trips I was coming off the lake with my empty bucket and a guy stopped me and asked me how we did. I told him and he showed us his cooler full of walleye. I couldn't believe we didn't get a bite and he limited. He then asked us,"Well, didn't you see any fish on your flasher?" I just looked at him kind of puzzled and he just laughed and said,"Dude, you need to get a VEX."

I have to say that that one tool has brightened my fishing day more than once when I probably would have given up without it. I caught fish when I just had my Mora, my poles and my bucket. There is no doubt that I catch more fish now. I don't personally think that any of this is must have gear, but you should understand that once the train leaves the station, theres no stipping it. Last winter I discovered that my sled is a $#$@# to pull in deep snow....so I will be back in trouble again soon. Hell, I can't quit now. I haven't won yet. You know that one with the most toys when he dies wins....

[walleyeslayer]

ive found that i can never have enough fishing stuff.  i have a vex, single man clam trap, hand auger and a fishing buddy heater.  thats where it ends, i feel strangely drawn to the 2 man portable clam trap, and im struggling to keep myself from buying it.  i havent reached critical mass yet, but im teetering ponderously close to the edge

[Bob_D]

I disagree with the underwater camera being a "toy". I believe it can allow you to catch more fish. A flasher is great for locating fish and the camera is great for figuring out what kind of fish are under you, how they are responding to your lure, and what kind of structure you are actually fishing. I think a fishfinder and a camera are great tools. Even more so when used together. It does cut down on the mobility a bit, but if you can catch more fish per hole, you don't need to move as often.

JMO

[whitts-end]

i would say, though, that the camera is more of a toy than the vex... get the vex first.  with the vex you can check a hole and go... the camera you have to wind/unwind the line, get the camera facing the right direction, etc....  its nice to have it to watch fish when you are all set up  (you can see more strikes - i watch the camera and don't worry about my rod tip/line) anyway, to each his own.

[Thriller]

After some thought, if you don't have one, a decent digital camera should be near the top of the list.  It aids in CPR (catch, photograph, release) and lets all your IceShanty friends see your fish sooner.  It may even help you win stuff in the tournament.  Year round use...some of the amazing scenery we outdoors types get to see...even other uses like records of your kids growing up, etc.

[icy mike]

I have gotten the Gas Auger ... a Strikemaster 2000 , and I was wondering which upgrade should be next on my list to acquire .... a Vex , a shelter  or something else ... any opinions will be appreciated ... thanx

a frozen lake of course

[whitts-end]

vex

[Morrocco_Mole]

If the ice gets to be 1 - 3 feet thick get Gas Auger...
If your fishing panfish go for a flasher....
If your tip-up fishing get a shelter or shack....
And remember to save some money for gas in the truck!

Mole