Castable vs Regular Sonar for Ice Fishing Panfish

[@badconn3ction]

I love how you keep reeling above your head after you set the hook 😂

[@joe1071]

May not be perfect, but anything you can afford to see what’s going on under the ice. Game changer

[@chubbrock659]

The floater isn’t perfect but for ice fishing, it’s pretty good. Sure beats going blind with no finder at all.

[@randyenglehart3502]

Went ice fishing near Spokane for the first time last year with my son and 4 year old grandson. I have a Hawkeye Fishtrax that I use on my float tube fly fishing. I have purchased the ice fishing accessories for it to try this year. Do you prefer the sonar screen when ice fishing or using the flasher? I really haven't used either function enough to be proficient in either. The Hawkeye has the floating transducer and a flasher function, although it is a very small screen. Thanks for your videos. They're great!

[@spiltmilt]

I prefer sonar. You get more information that way.

[@arlanjohnson8841]

Have fished Patterson yet, wondering about the bite?

[@dustinrhodes1091]

How well is the Garmin gonna work in 30ft of water?

[@spiltmilt]

It marks trout well at those depth but have yet to test it on bottom hugging perch at those depths

[@arlanjohnson8841]

How thick was the ice?

[@spiltmilt]

5-6"

[@ricksonora6656]

It looks like there’s a learning curve to reading the graph. You say “There’s one,” and all I see is the same fluctuating noise.

[@spiltmilt]

Absolutely there is a learning curve. I can detect those fish moving in through the weeds but the intensity of the return. It takes practice but I take home more fish because of it.

[@kevinwaggy2656]

Kinda curious what you think about running the castable garmins down stream from a boat wile anchored down or a drift boat in a river.

[@spiltmilt]

Seems like it would work. I am going to try trolling it behind the kayak this spring to see if I can see fish chasing my troll gear.

[@patriceboivin8125]

if I fish in 150 feet of water on ice....how much should my scroll speed be???1or10??tank you

[@spiltmilt]

10

[@patriceboivin8125]

@ tank you👌👌

[@NorthwestOpenSeason]

You ever get out there on the ice and wish you hd some of that weight back for insulation? Haha Jk. Cool video on the comparisons.

[@spiltmilt]

You won't believe how much faster I get cold now. It's crazy. Had to upgrade to newer coat.

[@chubbrock659]

I seriously had the same exact question! 😂

[@MrHarryson1985]

Yeah but the Achilles heel of the Garmin Castle is that you have to run your cell phone battery down to view it. Major con. Alone having it and exposed to falling down the hole, something to support etc. It's a great idea but it's kind of cumbersome for all it's lightweight.

[@spiltmilt]

Meh I use a small lightweight cell phone mount so there is no chance of it going down the hole. Still many times lighter than the Helix and it doesn't seem to impact my cell phone battery life all that much. Cumbersome it is a bit of a stretch IMO.

[@MrHarryson1985]

@@spiltmiltI understand but, what are you going to do if you don't have the Helix chassis with you is what I mean. You'd have to bring something to hold it up closer to you and to keep your phone off the ice. What would you put it on then? That's what I mean when I say cumbersome. If you're trying to go spartan, the striker itself is a better choice IMO. Compact, feature rich and stand alone. Not to mention how much worse the castable looks. You also have to download an app. Which I'm guessing as an iPhone user you didn't mind paying for. So yeah, cumbersome and gimmicky by comparison.

[@MrHarryson1985]

I could see it coming into its own as something to be used for walking lakes in the summer. I don't know if the whole "castable" moniker is literal or it's use practical. Then again you have to bring something specifically to cast it with or go swimming after it. I would imagine anything heavier than fishing line would cause it to sit off axis in the water. So yeah it's sort of a clever idea that doesn't work well in real life. This is just my opinion though. Individual experience may vary. Sorry if any of this has sounded over confrontational or argumentative. I'm just stating my point of view. Really enjoy your content! Keep them coming 🍻

[@spiltmilt]

My phone grip clips onto my rod bucket very easily. Also the Garmin app for the Striker Cast is free so also not really an issue.

[@samsam-mf5um]

12:25 you keep saying there's fish coming but in your phone screen didn't show any different look like you seeing fish from the hole

[@spiltmilt]

Reading sonar is a skill. It takes practice

[@brianfeeney9493]

Sweet that you WON’T Have that KEEPER wrap around your transducer cable ….. and then swimming off !!!!! Of course that has NEVER happened to Your Fishing 🎣 Buddy ….. who lands EVERY fish he/she hooks !!!!! 🙃 ✨🎣💫

[@robin8559]

Idea for you, Perch across America. Start over here on Lk. WA . JUMBOs

[@spiltmilt]

Toxic jumbos

[@robin8559]

@@spiltmilt maybe or maybe not. The lake has been cleaned up for a long time now. Just a little brake dust for fish food.🤔

[@spiltmilt]

No thanks. You can have your cancer fish. doh.wa.gov/newsroom/fish-consumption-advisory-issued-several-king-county-lakes?fbclid=IwAR3QQ7Rndn1GjkAuw36g1DUBCOLJlIfOOtG0EGfK0owH8R_o-RozGxFYNug

[@robin8559]

Thanks, that is great info. I do eat it some maybe every two months. But I eat mostly Redtail Surfperch. And Kokes of course.

[@robin8559]

Hope to see you again at Lake Chelan. Where the Kokes taste like mountain spring water.