Side finder Fishing Buddy.

[fishin fool]

I got one of these last year for christmas.  I kept forgetting it every time I got out on the ice since I wasn't used to bringing along any electronics.  Does anybody else have one of these.  How well do they work for ice fishing?

[camo_fish]

Yes, I have one and I always take it out on the ice. I use it for depth mostly. Trying to use it to mark fish while jigging, haven't had much luck. Some times I have to put an extra glove on the handle where the batteries are to keep it from freezin up. Need to keep the batteries from freezin and not producing enough juice for it to read right. If you take it out of the water and put it into another hole, some times the transducer (bottom that reads under water) water will freeze up on it, needs to be free of ice to read right, too. You can use the mount to hold it over the hole. With the holder opened up straight and screw, screwed in with a little opening left, place over hole on its side, and put the unit in the place were the screw is, the part that would hold it to your boat.
I love using mine on the ice, used it for the last 3 years.
Hope this helps out.
Camofish

[hollis]

Camo,..I use a top from a 5 gal plastic pail,..cut  a hole in the middle to fit the shaft into it,.it also keeps the hole from freezing (  if it were very cold you might cut some reflectix ,..that bubble wrap type insulation with foil on both sides) and glue it to the underside. Someone else first suggested using a top (mebbe here?) and it works well for Fishing buddy.

[Iceshanty]

It will work fine for ice fishing and you can mark fish and see a very small jig. Turning off the fish id thingy and going with the line draw mode helps, the lag time is minimal.  Mines pretty old,  it only had a 9 degree cone (i think) so you don't see a big area in shallow water and it's hard to keep it on your jig. I don't use any more cuz it's kind of a pain in the butt, it will work though, I out fished many a vexilar owner with that thing, of course now I own one.

-Scott

[fishin fool]

thanks guys. This is my first piece of equipment like this, do you have any tips for me?

[kerosenecounty17]

I don't use mine for ice fishing anymore since I bought the FL-18, but I used to use it all the time on the ice.  I cut a hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon pail for the shaft and just flipped the pail upside down over the hole.  This puts the screen at a level that's easy to read when you're sitting on a bucket.  Plus, you can use the pail to carry your bigger gear that won't fall through the hole.

The side finder will work in shallow water (10' or less).  I've noticed fish on the side finder, paced off the distance and puched a hole and caught them.  Good luck.

kerosene

[GatorSlayer]

My father uses it the same way Krosene mentioned, a hole in a 5 gal pail, sitting in a hole right next to him. I like using it before punching holes. With a small amount of water on the ice, it will read the depth right through. I've read through ice as deep as 12". Air bubbles in the ice can make this difficult. This can be invaluable when trying to find a drop-off, weed line, or whatever, without having to fire up the auger.

Tips, turn the Fish ID off. Anything the fish ID sees is a fish, weather it be air bubbles, your jig, or stalks of weeds. Get the sensitivity fairly high if you want to pick up your tiny jig. You might want to bring extra battaries with and keep them in your pocket or a warm place incase the ones in use "freeze up."

[fishin fool]

Do guys know if they have a website for any tips on the use of this equipment.  As I said I am a vrigin with this stuff.  I have the instruction manual but I was looking for anything extra that may be available from knowledgable users.

[John_Boy]

I bought one of these three years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. every time you send it in for repairs it cost's $ 100.00.........I just ordered a vexilar fl-18......Iguess i'll use my old fishen buddy for an anchor or something