Ice fishing sounder

[deerless]

I don't have the cash for a fancy fish finder system, but I still want to know what depth I'm fishing at.

Some people will use these clip on weights like these
https://www.amazon.ca/Eagle-Claw-Steel-Finder-Weights/dp/B003ZZBSDU

I also read this
https://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/how-fish/2010/02/how-ice-fish-sounder

But I'm just not getting how this works.

1) how can you tell how deep the weights went? Do you just stretch your line across the snow, put your measuring tape beside the line and go "oh, we're at 23 feet here" or whatever? Do real fishermen know how many feet of line they have out at all times?

2) I know you're supposed to mark your line...but how? tying stuff to your line while it's all the way down, then reeling it back up sounds like a quick way to tangle your line!

3) How do you know you're "a foot above the weeds" like the article says, if you can't see that far down your hole? Can you feel the weeds with the weight or something? What if the weeds are 2 feet tall, and you're only fishing 1 foot off where you felt the bottom?

I feel pretty dumb, I'm sure there's something I'm just not getting.

[Brodhead]

If you don't mind spending around 100 dollars Hawkeye makes a handheld depth/fish finder that I used for years before buying a flasher. Otherwise I'd mark my line every foot with a sharpie. You can do a double or triple mark every 5 or 10 feet to make counting easier

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk

[Freedom55]

Before the advent of flashers and "fish-finders" we used the 'pulls' method. For me ten pulls measures ~30'.

A pull is the distance from your nose to your finger tips straight out. Coincidently, that distance is about half your height. Measure it once and get counting. FYI. A span is the distance from your thumb to your pinky out-stretched. A half span is the distance from your index finger to your pinky out-stretched.

That said, and a brief derail here, I'm looking at line-counter reels for trolling this season. Diawa maybe.

Free

[Freedom55]

I don't have the cash for a fancy fish finder system, but I still want to know what depth I'm fishing at.

Some people will use these clip on weights like these
https://www.amazon.ca/Eagle-Claw-Steel-Finder-Weights/dp/B003ZZBSDU

I also read this
https://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/more-freshwater/how-fish/2010/02/how-ice-fish-sounder

But I'm just not getting how this works.

1) how can you tell how deep the weights went? Do you just stretch your line across the snow, put your measuring tape beside the line and go "oh, we're at 23 feet here" or whatever? Do real fishermen know how many feet of line they have out at all times?

2) I know you're supposed to mark your line...but how? tying stuff to your line while it's all the way down, then reeling it back up sounds like a quick way to tangle your line!

3) How do you know you're "a foot above the weeds" like the article says, if you can't see that far down your hole? Can you feel the weeds with the weight or something? What if the weeds are 2 feet tall, and you're only fishing 1 foot off where you felt the bottom?

I feel pretty dumb, I'm sure there's something I'm just not getting.

In response to the bolded question (and presuming you are still interested), allow me to give up a tip. Tie a 3/8 oz. jig to the end of your leader. 1' (30cm) above that tie on a drop-shot hook. About 18" above that, tie on a short snelled leader/bait hook using a Knot Buddy or loop knot. This hook may or may not float at the 1.5' that you set it; it may dangle which is why the knot buddy is useful as you can adjust that depth. Bait all three and lower to the bottom. Reel up about 25mm and twitch. You now have all your bases covered.

Free

[PlayDoh]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180126/47ffa6fa61e57349688761fe625d42f3.jpg

Your arms stretched out to the sides is the same as your height. Drop you line till it hits bottom, then pull it up and stretch it across your chest, one length at a time.
Or if your after say 15 feet or so of water, mark 20 foot of line at home or on the ice. Mark it with a sharpie/piece of line/knot. When your mark is 5 feet above the ice, your at 15 feet.
You could put an old fathom line in your pocket. Some thin string or line with knots every couple of feet. Drop it down a hole, pull er up and count the knots. When your done announce the depth in your best pirate voice.
Arrrrr, 15 fathoms (feet) Captain! lol