Sk8man

Mike you have a PM

Mike - the best solution would be to see if Humminbird offers an ice ducer package for your unit. I have 2 units for ice fishing depending on what I'm after. I use my Vexilar flasher for most panfish/walleyes and the Lowrance for deep water jigging for trout. The Lowrance Mark 5x Pro used to be on my boat but I replaced it with the Elite 7 so I bought the ice ducer setup and transferred it to that some time back. It came with the carrying case, traansducer and 12V battery etc. Something similar might exist for your unit (hopefully) as it simplifies things considerabl.....I think my package was about $100. I still keep my transducer from the 5x on the boat just in case for a back up as it will work with both my units. A nother option would be to arrange your transom transducer such that it is pointed downwaard and tape it or afix it to a piece of stainless flat stock so that it would sink holding the ducer in the downward position and then locate the short length of noodle above it to float it in the hole.

All you need really is a short piece of the swim noodle and slit it lengthwise and then adjust the cord of the transducer for depth of ice and use something to wedge the cable in place. You do have to bring it out of the hole when fighting a fish though or the line can tangled in it

Should be fine for eyes as the downrigger rods tend to have a flexible tip that gives a little action to the lure and if carfefully watched can detect light hits by eyes. If just using the setup for just eyes you could get away with the smaller 20 DXT reel probably too, but in my case I always like rigs that can be used flexibly for multispecies so reel capacity , drag functions, etc are important and I just change out leader diameter and length depending on what I am fishing for and never worry about having enough or strong enough line for bigger fish and can run thgings off inlines as desired so the 30DXT is about the smallest I go.

The classic GLT and the 30dxt will be fine for Oneida and eye fishing. The reel is close to the size of a 27 Diawa or in between it and a Diawa 47 and it is relatively light as it is made of a composite material. The reason you may want extra capacity and 20 or 30 lb braid is mainly for running inline boards but actually if just fishing Oneida for eyes you could get away with 150 yds of the braid. If you don't use boards and don't mind a bit of stretch when long lining just 10-12 lb mono with a light fluoro leader would be fine too.

Yeah Brian....don't jinx the ice formation

chugbug - I've used the setup on Lake O and it worked for kings and steelies. It doesn't have the higher gear ratio like my 57 Diawa's but I didn't find that to be a problem. The drag works OK but the clicker is relatively quiet compared to some of my other reels. I should also mention that I used 30 lb MUSTAD braid rather than Power Pro etc. because it came in a 200 yd spool and for inline board use (and walleye fishing) I wanted more than the 150 yds. It does completely fill the spool of the reel which is good for the line counter accuracy. For the price I feel that the reel and the Classic Pro rod combination is a pretty good solution for eyes with a light leader (e.g. 8-12 lb depending on where fishing). The rod is stiff enough for using the boards while having a fairly sensitive tip which is fine for all but the very lighest walleye bites perhaps.

You can fit 200 yds of 30 lb braid, 10 colors of 18 lb leadcore and a 20 ft 20 lb test fluoro leader on one of the Okuma MA30DXT's and it fills it. Put it on an Okuma Classic Pro rod and it will work for either salmon, trout or walleyes (although it would be light for summer kings on Lake O). Just change out the leader for either and the braid is strong enough for inline planer boards.. Even though I'm a Diawa guy I have a few Okuma setups

Probably a "Landlocked Perch" that spent too much time in deep water and faded

Need some still cold nights without the wind.....so far this year the wind hasn't been real cooperative so lets hopethat changes soon.

I'm just thankful you're not this lucky perch fishing Nice going Bob! The level of detail in his report is kinda what I have to listen to each time he gets a bite while fishing

She gave you a great gift. They (in general and depending on which ones ) work great on the Finger Lakes especially on rainbows browns and landlocks. Usually they are quite speed tolerant and seem most effective when trolled fast. They work great on sliders off the riggers too.