ONEIDA LAKE DIEHARDS THREAD 2013/2014

[Dark Cloud]

Ive got a question. And I'm not starting a flasher debate. I'm looking at getting one as I feel it'd be invaluable on Oneida. For the diehards here...is the dual beam necessary for dropoffs? Is the "dead zone" created by a 20° cone really that big of a factor? I'm asking this here because I know my local lakes and I do well without a flasher. But Oneida has been hit or miss for me and I want to improve that. Just looking for advice so I can spend my money wisely

You pretty much wont find anything on Oneida that will create a dead zone. I have experienced it on a dug pit pond and a laker drop off on LOW MN, and that's it. I have a dual beam lx5 and 7 rarely run narrow beam. There are a few times in weeds the narrow beam will clean things up, but I don't like how quick things happen/show up on the narrow beam in shallow water....

Lots of bang for the buck on the vx1-pro. I have a lot of friends running them with no issues...

Noise??? Its all bad. Was fishing shallow panfish yesterday and everytime the yahoo next to us started their wheeler to joy ride/check tip-ups... our fish scattered....

[NORWAL]

anybody ever think about hanging their walleye on a stringer through ice? good idea or bad idea? also i can't find any news on this meth bust on the lake. where about did this happen?

[perch@pans]

I agree with Dark Cload for sure on shallow water . I use camera in 6-10' often and have had schools of voracious perch come in and scatter at any movement or sound . move your foot or ladle gone ! And I mean 20-30' away in seconds ! Even let a small change in light by lifting shack two inches will spook them .     That being said two guys fished 100 yrds away 6" of ice used a power auger for tip ups and continued to drill thru the day searching . Every time they fired that thing up  flags and tip downs for 20 minutes! For Me.  But as Pequad 1 noted if you ran or made noise they would drop immediately . Had to wait and boom.  . If you get 2 out of each flurry of 10 that came thru it was good but mostly 1 . This was a couple of years ago when I could not get past heaves and a bad year for ice .  Camera has taught me many things over the years . One being each phone you drop down the hole lasts only a certain amount of time before it dies lol and when you drop your led flashlight down the hole keep fishing it draws fish in .

[IceGeek]

anybody ever think about hanging their walleye on a stringer through ice? good idea or bad idea? also i can't find any news on this meth bust on the lake. where about did this happen?

Why would you hang walleye on a stringer through the ice?  I'm just curious as to what would be the reasoning for this? In the spring and summer people put fish on stringers to keep them alive longer so that they don't spoil.  When you catch a fish through the ice if you are going to keep it, just toss them on the ice.  If you are in a shanty they won't freeze solid usually, and half the time the fish are still sort of alive when you get them home, but very cold.  The only reason I could see is that maybe you are thinking if you get a limit of small walleyes and then catch a better fish you could let one off the stinger and keep the larger fish - but this is illegal in NY.  It's illegal to cull walleye.

[bcons]

I would hazard a guess that an econ would think you maybe attempting to cull fish if you tried it.
As mentioned above illegal.  Most econs are respectful until you give them a reason or suspicion not to be.
Besides also as mentioned above fish are also often still somewhat alive when they hit the cleaning board.  Unless flash frozen from being thrown outside shanty.  Either way no problem.

[bcons]

Fishing this morning decent, damp & sloppy, but hey most of my gear was still wet from yest.

[perch@pans]

An addition to my earlier post concerning noise. I would give my kingdom for a power auger right now lol!And if I feel crowded I move , it's easier for my personal solitude and others well being  Lol . Public water it is what it is . I always treat kindness with kindness and carry the serenity prayer in my wallet !

[NORWAL]

Why would you hang walleye on a stringer through the ice?  I'm just curious as to what would be the reasoning for this? In the spring and summer people put fish on stringers to keep them alive longer so that they don't spoil.  When you catch a fish through the ice if you are going to keep it, just toss them on the ice.  If you are in a shanty they won't freeze solid usually, and half the time the fish are still sort of alive when you get them home, but very cold.  The only reason I could see is that maybe you are thinking if you get a limit of small walleyes and then catch a better fish you could let one off the stinger and keep the larger fish - but this is illegal in NY.  It's illegal to cull walleye.

i was thinking about it for both reasons you mentioned, freshness and trading out size. didn't realize legalities of of it though. glad i asked here before i attempted it and was asked the same question by DEC.

[Dark Cloud]

For the most part I could care less what people do. All I want in life is to be left alone, so I extend that to others.... But culling of fish really winds me up! Trade a fish off the stringer that's probably gonna now die just to have an ounce or two more meat...  I'll eat 16inchers all day... 
Now if you want to stringer your fish through the ice because you "think" they taste/eat better? Have at it... one of my main goals while ice fishing is to keep my hands dry, and that dosnt involve a stringer or minnows...

[Buckethead]

Checked my gas auger out this morning and it started on the second pull.  I'll be out Monday morning with it, Taft Bay here I come noise and all.

[NORWAL]

For the most part I could care less what people do. All I want in life is to be left alone, so I extend that to others.... But culling of fish really winds me up! Trade a fish off the stringer that's probably gonna now die just to have an ounce or two more meat...  I'll eat 16inchers all day... 
Now if you want to stringer your fish through the ice because you "think" they taste/eat better? Have at it... one of my main goals while ice fishing is to keep my hands dry, and that dosnt involve a stringer or minnows...

it was more of a freshness thing. i prefer to release the larger ones and keep the 17" to 19" fish. didn't mean to wind you up.

[Iceydan]

  the funny thing about this conversation icydan, as I haven't been complaing, haven't complained in yrs about noise, this is just a debate about noise, I just added my 2 cents too someone elses paragraph when this started, but its feeling more like I started this conversation and I'm complaining, I'm not, do what please's you while your out there, we all have too make noise too fish, I just try to keep mine at a minimum, if it gets too crowded, I just move, pretty simple, as long as moving aint a nightmare, and it isn't right now.

See my wife was right I should just keep my opinions to myself. I know you werent complaining bro. Its me that was complaining and it wasn't meant to offend anyone so if I did then my apologies. I will keep my mouth shut lol   the dwarf

[crappiekiller315]

Anyone who is interested I know hometown bait in Marcy had a couple used power augers at a decent price I like using a hand auger but that's just me I'm to cheap to buy a power auger

[filetandrelease]

sometimes snag posting is a waste of time , theres always someone that doesn't agree and that's fine everyone is entitled to their Opinion , and a lot of the things I do share are from 30 years on the lake seems to be a waste , so conditions from now on is about it , I'm sure a lot of guys will appreciate that , release out !

[SNAGGER]

  that was my point, your not offending me at all icydan, I enjoy these debates, we usually learn something from them.. this thread has 143,000 views, its only 2 months old, add another 100,000 lurkers views, I dare you to find a thread as large as this anywhere in the country, fb, dso ect has got nothing on this powerful thread bobby started 6 yrs ago. I'm just a contributer too bobby's thread, a guest......when I write I never mean to overpower or sway anybody with my opinions, its just an opinion, I gave up drinking 6 1/2 yrs ago, this thread replaces the hours I used too spend at the bar every night talking fishin. 
           Ask yourself a question, am I a better Oneida ice fisherman than I was 6 yrs ago, before this thread, if the answer is yes, then these arguments or debates have been beneficial, ...I know this thread has been very beneficial too local businesses like apps and marion manor, Now Rob has a great place in brewerton, bet hes had a banner season, that's really great stuff, these guys got cheated by bad weather for 2 yrs, now there getting back too even.

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

That's actually the boat I'm in. Marcum's vx1 pro is what I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get. Offers bottom lock. Humminbird has a dual cone with zoom but reviews are iffy. Vex is outmatched at this price point. I don't want this to be another flasher battle. I just read thread after thread of that when I searched this stuff. Always comes down to vex vs Marcum. I'm curious about the dead zone on drop offs and if it's an actual issue. The way I'm thinking is...if I'm fishing a slope that ends at 20' but reads 17. I should be able to get those fish to come up the 3ft to hit my jig. Not always. But if they won't come up and play they're probably tight lipped anyhow.

Whatever you decide, make sure your choice has a dual beam transducer.   You can read all you want on the good and bad points but when the time comes that you really need that narrow beam and don't have it, you'll kick yourself in the butt.   Then, you'll have to spend another hundred bucks to buy a dual beam transducer for your flasher.
   If you're just fishing wide open, mostly barren flats, a single beam (12 degree) will work good but on a lake like Oneida where there's so many different bottom contours, shoals, humps, etc, that narrow cone and higher resolution of the 8 degree transducers will give you a better and clearer reading of what's below you.
  If you fish shallow weedy water, the bigger 19 and 20 degree cones are pretty much useless.  Even in low power mode, but having the narrow beam option, it allows you to shoot through to the bottom with much less interference and clutter.
    For the few extra bucks, go with a dual beam.  You won't regret it....once you learn how to use it prop!
   Like Snagger mentioned, Vexilar flashers do make some noise but in recent years, they've fixed a lot of the noise issues.  They're not silent but they are much more quiet than they were 10 years ago.  That being said, Vexilar flashers hold their value better than any other on the market and accessories are more readily available.  Customer service is great too.
  You can go to Vexilars website and buy a refurbished unit for a decent price and get the full factory warranty.
   The MarCum VX-1 is a great bang for your buck  as well.
I've used Vexilar , (formerly Si-Tex, formerly Hondex, formerly Micronar) flashers since 1981 and have never had any issues with any of them.
   I would recommend them to anyone.
This year, I switched to a MarCum LX-7 for no reason other than I just wanted to try something different........and the price was right 
  Buy what you like....as long at it's got dual beam capability !

[SNAGGER]

  yeah my lowrances suck shallow, back when I fished sandy pond, vexlar guys outfished me every day...but I don't fish shallower than say 18 fow on Oneida, so it aint an issue here....

[Chowdaire]

sometimes snag posting is a waste of time , theres always someone that doesn't agree and that's fine everyone is entitled to their Opinion , and a lot of the things I do share are from 30 years on the lake seems to be a waste , so conditions from now on is about it , I'm sure a lot of guys will appreciate that , release out !

  that was my point, your not offending me at all icydan, I enjoy these debates, we usually learn something from them.. this thread has 143,000 views, its only 2 months old, add another 100,000 lurkers views, I dare you to find a thread as large as this anywhere in the country, fb, dso ect has got nothing on this powerful thread bobby started 6 yrs ago. I'm just a contributer too bobby's thread, a guest......when I write I never mean to overpower or sway anybody with my opinions, its just an opinion, I gave up drinking 6 1/2 yrs ago, this thread replaces the hours I used too spend at the bar every night talking fishin. 
           Ask yourself a question, am I a better Oneida ice fisherman than I was 6 yrs ago, before this thread, if the answer is yes, then these arguments or debates have been beneficial, ...I know this thread has been very beneficial too local businesses like apps and marion manor, Now Rob has a great place in brewerton, bet hes had a banner season, that's really great stuff, these guys got cheated by bad weather for 2 yrs, now there getting back too even.

A lot of us don't take these conversations as complaints at all. They provide so much great information and allow all of us access to more years of experience than we could possibly get on our own, no matter how hard we try. They're greatly appreciated and please keep 'em coming.

[Vfrancis]

Speaking of flasher new to them have a fl8 looking for the s cable if any one has one in the Syracuse area never using them before I went with simple to use first seeing the value of used ones I should have no problem upgrading in a couple yrs if needed

[Dark Cloud]

it was more of a freshness thing. i prefer to release the larger ones and keep the 17" to 19" fish. didn't mean to wind you up.

Its all good! I fish a spot down here and see guys standing in heavy current for 5 hours "upgrading" their fish just to end up with a bite or two more of fish and kill countless fish. Try and talk to them and might as well talk to a brick... Not as bad now but it use to be a game for these guys...

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

  yeah my lowrances suck shallow, back when I fished sandy pond, vexlar guys outfished me every day...but I don't fish shallower than say 18 fow on Oneida, so it aint an issue here....

That's the whole idea !    Get the tool that will work the best for the job that YOU intend to use it for !     For you, the Lowrance unit works perfect !    For someone looking for their first graph/flasher, they need to find a happy medium that will suit their style of fishing before getting caught up in the all the bells and whistles that they may not need.
  With the LX-7 I'm using now, I really haven't gotten used to the graph mode yet.  Been a flasher guy since the mid 80's on the ice.  The LX-7 pretty much stays in flasher and/or vertical showdown mode.   I'm old and learn slowly ! 

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

Speaking of flasher new to them have a fl8 looking for the s cable if any one has one in the Syracuse area never using them before I went with simple to use first seeing the value of used ones I should have no problem upgrading in a couple yrs if needed

ebay will be your best bet unless you order one right from Vexilar.    I had the S cable for a couple of my old FL-8 units and never really noticed that much difference unless the area was ugly thick with weeds.  Normal or sparse weeds never posed an issue for me.

[Dark Cloud]

Same here with my 7... 95% of the time im running straight flasher mode. I love the big screen, quiet, and non blobby flicker screen... Maybe its starring at a flasher since '90 but I don't care to have 2-3 things going on at once - like things simple these days...
I disagree with the dual beam though Mr Cross-eye... same with adjustable zoom, never use it. But that's why having options and everyone being diff is good....

[SNAGGER]

   GFS now leaning towards Oneida as a bullseye for big snowstorm Wednesday.

[Cross-Eye-Jig]

Same here with my 7... 95% of the time im running straight flasher mode. I love the big screen, quiet, and non blobby flicker screen... Maybe its starring at a flasher since '90 but I don't care to have 2-3 things going on at once - like things simple these days...
I disagree with the dual beam though Mr Cross-eye... same with adjustable zoom, never use it. But that's why having options and everyone being diff is good....

You're certainly different !

[Iceydan]

Ok so maybe I should say it this way. I'm an HVAC guy. When I started I knew basics and theory. The "older" guys knew the units inside and out. They didn't mind helping me at all but at some point they wanted me to take the training wheels off...take my own notes and figure things out myself. After being in the group for a while, when I'd ask a question they'd say "well tell me what you've done to this point". If I said well I haven't done anything then theyd say try something and let me know whay you found out. I see similar things here on this site. Yes its a site for info and helping but how many people help and how many are looking to be helped? The ratio is heavily weighted toward those wanting help and again thats ok but there's always those who basically want gps coordinates and a ride out there on your sled. Or those who do the crap mentioned in my earlier post. A debate is one thing but needing to be spoon fed is another. Maybe it's just that time of the month for me....I do feel a bit weepy hahahaha  the dwarf

[burningdownthehouse]

Out from Williams this morning, walked away from the crowd and down towards the yacht club. I hammered the perch for about an hour straight before going home with nothing. Why you ask? Thought I was back on Sandy Pond with the size, or lack thereof, of the fish. There was only a handful of "iffy" Oneida fish. I was in a good "kid friendly" spot. (constant action and short walk)

These sub-zeo temps have really helped ice formation. There was about 16 inches where I was.

  out

[315stickbow]

Ooo 16"? 4 more and the Saab is going on the lake.  now how loud is a car on the lake? Hehe

[reeleyz]

   GFS now leaning towards Oneida as a bullseye for big snowstorm Wednesday.

We have been really lucky this year. Gotta happen eventually.

[SNAGGER]

 Icydan, my job for over 20 yrs has been too keep my Salmon River guests on fish, period...  I'm very good at figuring out the little things up here.. I really enjoy Pumping people up, getting people excited about fishing, in August its an all out frenzy up here, 20 yrs ago I had to dig threw phone number sheets, make 40 phone calls and play phone tag to get people up here for an early august run of kings, 70% would miss the run.....now one post and theres 1,000 cars the next day in Pulaski... I kind of do the same thing on this thread, usually I take the time too take 2-3 quality photo;s or maybe a short vid this yr, its all about pumping people up... I like getting people excited, I don't think I'm the best Oneida fisherman, theres tons of guys that do well every day out there that don't post much, I have pride in the fact I stay consistant, I for one enjoy getting pumped up by hookinup's posts on the open water thread, hollywoods epic adventures, this year kingfisher floored me by his monster days, those guys push me too be a better fisherman, without there posts, I might settle for mediocrity, what fun is that? no cords are ever given by me, I don't post where I'm fishin at all, but theres clues, depth on my fishfinder, that last vid, my reader was at 20.9 feet, how many guys were fishing that shallow Friday, I went back shallow too loose the people. it worked. So when you see a monster post by me, I'm just having fun pumping others up, not showing off, my way of being proud of where I live and Fish.