Tips using transom/summer transducer on ice

[Cortland15b]

I pulled off my cheap Lowrance off my kayak to use on the ice this year. First time ice fishing so didn't want to buy one of those expensive ones. It is a hook 3x. I was wondering if anyone else uses their summer setup on the ice and any tips for getting it dialed in? I've had some luck with it seems to come and go. Settings such as noise reduction, auto sensitivity vs manual, which frequency do you like, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Here is my setup.

[tentwiststhick]

I tried using my Hummingbird Wide Eye fishfinder for ice fishing as far back as 20 years ago. I had all kinds of jury rigged gizmos for supporting the transducer. All of them were major league pains in the ass and added more junk to the sled. About the only useful info it provided me was the depth. It couldn't pick up a 1/64oz jig at any depth and the LCD display was to slow  to be of any use in frigid weather. Between that and some other hand held "AA" battery operated portable unit i acquired I might have well been fishing blind all over again. The solution was to go out and get a dedicated ice fishing unit. I did just that, I bought a Showdown 5.6. You can take your boat unit and the transducer pole you've fabricated and shove it. It's not worth the effort in my experience. 

[appleye]

The biggest problem with a fixed arm going down is you will not be able to shoot strait below the hole. Ice ducers are self leveling. I played with the same type of setup for 20 years plus. Spend the coin and get an ice ducer! You enjoy it a lot more. I use a lowrance hook 5 and the system works very well.

[Cortland15b]

I've been able to see lures and fish as well using this unit. The technology today isn't like it was 20 years ago. All these settings and multiple frequencies and ping speeds and sensitivity, etc. And the arm I have is adjustable in a 360* area. You can tilt it in any way you want to get it level. I don't have the money right now and I just want to get better at using it.

[esoxnepa]

I am using my summer transducer. 

I found a wreath hanger, and attached the transducer to it.  I can bend the hanger to adjust where the transducer points, and I just have it hanging over a board in the hole.

I just don't do enough ice fishing for a dedicated unit. 

[MT_mulies]

I don't know anything about the fish finder you are using, but I also use a transom ducer. I poster a picture on this topic

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=346361.msg3687935#msg3687935

That is how I keep my ducer level and it works pretty good. Every now and then it gets bumped and I have to tinker for a second, but 99.9% of the time it is fine. I am looking into buying an actually ice transducer since it self levels easier, but at the same time I don't really summer fish, just ice fish and so then I will have a ducer just sitting around. Mine is a lowrance x510c.

[Stickhick86]

here is what I made for mine, works great.

[Cortland15b]

Nice setups! Any tips on settings to get her dialed in easier?

[RapShack]

Fish ID off, scroll all the way up, if it has an Amplitude Scope turn that on, adjust gain until you've got it how you like it, if you've got interference play with the settings to see what works.  If you're around weeds or steep breaks and getting a dead zone at the bottom use the narrower beam.  The wide beam can be nice for shallow spots or searching wider areas over deep water looking for fish.  Everything else is personal preference. 

[applepicker]

Cortland15b, last year I was in the same situation: I had a Hook-4x on my kayak, but I also wanted to try it out the unit on the ice.

From previous experience of attempting to put an actual boat sonar(that I bought off ebay for $40) on the ice, which was such a hassle that I junked the thing, I ended up buying the ice fishing pack for my Hook-4x.

Personally, after spending the $100 dollars on the ice fishing pack, I have little to regret.

https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/activity/ice-fishing/ppp-18i-ice/   (the ppp-18i is the one you are looking for)

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Lowrance-reg-Ice-Pack-Kit/2077549.uts (got it while it was $120)

If you begin to enjoy ice fishing, I highly recommend at least looking into getting an ice pack. Since you are just beginning, I think having no fish finder at all de-clutters the process, and in general makes the experience more enjoyable. Let's get back to the simplicity in fishing...

Some educational videos that swung me into caving into buying the ice conversion package.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q-AYOoirN0

 

[applepicker]

Fish ID off, scroll all the way up, if it has an Amplitude Scope turn that on, adjust gain until you've got it how you like it, if you've got interference play with the settings to see what works.  If you're around weeds or steep breaks and getting a dead zone at the bottom use the narrower beam.  The wide beam can be nice for shallow spots or searching wider areas over deep water looking for fish.  Everything else is personal preference.

Some really good advice to get you started; however, I think that using a fish finder is more of an experimental process and takes some serious time.

When I first started using my unit, I was duly confused as to what I was doing.

What I found helpful was this video, but this should not be the end-all tutorial:

[fishville]

Setting wise I think is trial and error. But setup no reason to reinvent wheel. Build a gens icebox for battery and unit head, your transducer arm should work to hold duvet just attach a bullseye level to top of transducer so you know it is shooting straight down. If you can find the book Ice Fishing Secrets all the plans are in there.