Category: Sonar

Basin Crappies: Utilizing your Fish Finder

01/17/2022 / 01/10/2022 by marcum-tech

It’s midwinter. Lakes are locked up with a solid layer of ice. Shanty towns dot the landscape – filled with anglers that are willing to trade long rods for those of a shorter variety. Panfish – crappies in particular – are some of the most targeted species throughout the hard water season. Knowing how to find them and which tools to use will ultimately make for a more successful day on the ice.

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Best Ice Fishing Sonar of 2021

09/27/2021 / 10/05/2021 by marcum-tech

Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to their ice fishing sonar. MarCum has you covered whether you like the proven technology of an ice flasher, or the customization and cutting-edge performance of a digital system. It’s important to note the differences and strengths between systems, as each category has come a long way in recent history.

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BEST ICE FISHING SONAR OF 2022

01/01/2022 / 12/16/2021 by marcum-tech

Since introducing cutting edge sonar technology to mechanical flashers nearly 20 years ago, MarCum has sought to build the best sonar on-ice, bar-none. Recent advances saw MarCum bringing the first digital sonar to the market, giving anglers a host of ample options when hitting the ice this winter. Read on to gain a better understanding of your options, and ultimately decide which is best for your style of fishing.

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Can I use a MarCum on my Boat?

05/02/2022 / 04/27/2022 by marcum-tech

It’s this time of year when our ice sonar is swapped for long rods and soft water, but that doesn’t mean your MarCum should be put in the back corner of the garage. All sonar systems, digital or mechanical styles, offer keys and cues that help anglers be more successful on the water That’s especially true in small crafts like kayaks, canoes, or small skiffs where a larger, permanently mounted traditional LCD display isn’t in play. Here’s just a few ways to trick your craft, whatever it may be, and get the very most from your MarCum.

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Cranking Your Way to More River Bass

06/13/2022 / 06/08/2022 by marcum-tech

Mist from the baitcast reel erupted into the morning air as the crankbait rocketed toward the conspicuous riprap that hugged the edge of the river. As soon as the lure hit the water it was brought to life with a few cranks on the reel. Instantly the wobble of the lure going back and forth could be felt in the rod tip. It didn’t take very long for the lipped crankbait to start digging in the rocky bottom. Tick, tick, wham! Fish on as the lure got to the edge of the swifter current and it feels like a good one as the fluorocarbon line is being stretched by the bull-dogging fish in the current.

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Fall Mapping for Winter Fishing

10/18/2021 / 11/12/2021 by marcum-tech

While the idea of finding your ice-spots in a boat isn’t a novel one, serious ice anglers should make this a priority this season. No doubt, it’s easier to drive around and scan structure for fish now vs. doing it one ice auger hole at a time come November and December. Advances in electronics make it easier now than ever, such that you can map new water and mark spots with GPS/Sonar combos like the MarCum MX-7GPS.

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How to find & Catch Ice-out Spring Crappies

04/11/2022 / 03/25/2022 by marcum-tech

the lakes will be full of life in many forms once again. Boating enthusiasts will now start thinking of getting the boat out of storage and planning the maiden voyage of the year. And anglers eager to fill a live-well know that the crappie are heading for the shallows and it’s time to go fishing. Early fishing brings the big crappies into the shallows. Find where to go and what to use to make your early crappie fishing trip a success.

Boating Crappies Sonar Steve Mattson

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How To Fish Pool 4 For Early Spring Walleyes

03/28/2022 / 03/28/2022 by marcum-tech

Minnesota’s early May fishing opener is a date most avid walleye anglers have circled on the calendar, but long before May is the pre-opener down on Pool 4 of the Mississippi River. Warm spells in February, all the way through the traditional opening day, offer anglers a great chance at not just knocking the rust off, but catching both numbers and size for walleye and sauger both. As Joel Nelson says, "There’s no better feeling than the slight “tick” of the rod tip or a line-jump as a shallow-water walleye inhales some plastic. "

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ICE FISHING FOR THE NEW ANGLER

09/23/2021 / 10/05/2021 by marcum-tech

There’s no doubt that the COVID era has had an impact on the outdoor industry. With closures, canceled travel plans, or changes in regularly scheduled activities, unprecedented numbers of folks have either found or rekindled a love of the outdoors. During the warmer months, there’s a plethora of activities to get a person out of their home. In the Midwest, we are blessed (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with winter – and it lasts more than just a few months. This can make activities a bit harder to find, or at times convince yourself to participate in outdoor activities. Enter ice fishing season.

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MarCum M1 – Best Bang for Your Buck

12/13/2021 / 12/14/2021 by marcum-tech

Midwest angler Joel Nelson knows a thing or two about ice sonar. As MarCum’s longest tenured pro-staff member and media personality, he’s been running a MarCum since the brand’s inception. Though he could run any fish finder on the planet, he’s an avid fan of the M1. “It’s really a sonar that takes me back to some of the original MarCum units that just flat caught fish,” says Nelson. “You get exactly what you need in an ice locator, ready to fish out of the box.” Nelson logs thousands of miles across the ice belt each season, fishing and filming for a host of TV and video segments, all while toting an M1. “I appreciate so many of the MarCum units in the lineup, but I’ll always have an M1,” says Nelson.

Ice Fishing Flasher Joel Nelson Sonar

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Pre and Post Spawn Panfish Patterns

05/30/2022 / 05/27/2022 by marcum-tech

If you’re a crappie angler, one of the best bites of the year has come and gone with the early spring crappie bite. For bluegill fans, the best is yet to come, as we move from a shallow water period for one species into another. There’s no doubt that the spawning season for crappies and bluegills offer some great opportunities for skinny water panfishing, and even sight fishing, which makes fishing feel like it did when you were a kid. Bobbers and small jigs are plopped into any good looking developing weeds or brushy areas, only to drop with an aggression not seen since the previous year’s fishing It’s hard not to be excited about it.

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Raytech Electronics

11/19/2021 / 11/18/2021 by marcum-tech

New Hope, MN (11/18/21) –Based on the growing demand for MarCum products in Eastern Canada, the Minneapolis manufacturer has engaged Raytech Electronics, a warranty and maintenance service center to enable owners to receive service without having to hassle with international shipments. Raytech will be handling warranty and non-warranty repairs for MarCum consumers starting November 17th, 2021. This new relationship is expected to decrease repair service times by at least 5 business days for Eastern Canadian customers.

Lithium Battery Sonar Underwater Camera

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The Beginner’s Guide to using an Ice Fishing Sonar

11/30/2022 / 12/01/2021 by marcum-tech

Every year, a new set of anglers both young and old learn to use ice fishing sonar or flashers for the first time. That said, I encounter many anglers on the hardwater each year that still have their ice sonar depth finder on default factory settings from when they bought the unit 10 years ago. Whether you’re brand new to the game, or it’s old-hat, here are some answers to age old questions along with new ones to keep it interesting and catch more fish.

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Finding, Then Catching - Sonar/Camera Combo, a 1-2 punch

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The Sonar / Camera Combo – Finding, Then Catching

01/31/2022 / 01/25/2022 by marcum-tech

Tony Roach is no stranger to that game, as he fishes across northern Minnesota each winter, doing his best to put clients continuously on panfish, perch, and walleyes. It should come as no surprise then that underwater viewing systems are a key part of his strategy, and have been since their inception. His camera and digital sonar approach mimics his now-famous “ice-trolling” concept of roaming select structural elements while drilling holes continuously, in an effort to both locate fish and stay on them. Few have drilled as many holes in the hardwater as Tony, and fewer yet have followed that up with as much underwater viewing as he has either. The upshot is a 1-2 punch of underwater viewing and sonar that focuses on two main parts; the finding, and then catching, each of which utilizes different strong-suits of cameras and traditional sonar.

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Walleye Warm Water Temperature Transitions

06/06/2022 / 05/27/2022 by marcum-tech

Water temperatures that build into the high 60 and 70 degree marks will definitely get fish moving, and that usually coincides with a few hatches. Bugs crawling out of the deep mud get rafted against the main-lake structure, and signify some of the initial pushes to offshore humps, bars, and reefs. It’s often when casual walleye anglers, or those who see early mixed bags of walleyes with crappies and gills, stop catching them. Anglers don’t always follow, sometimes because they’re not required to. This is a dynamic time of year as the summer food chain ramps up production. That means anglers don’t always have to look deep to find fish, and several patterns can be going at the same time.

Joel Nelson Open Water Sonar Walleye

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What electronics will help me find early ice panfish?

12/27/2021 / 12/07/2021 by marcum-tech

One of the most common questions heard from new ice anglers relates to electronics – “Which is better – an underwater camera or a flasher/sonar?” The short answer is that it really depends. The long answer is that there are certain situations that each unit type excels in. Depth, water clarity, habitat, and fishing style greatly impact which unit is right for a specific set of circumstances. In a perfect world, an ice angler should have both. This is particularly apparent for anglers that target panfish during the winter months.

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Why Choose MarCum As Your Ice Fishing Flasher

12/06/2021 / 12/14/2021 by marcum-tech

know. First off, there are a lot of terms that are used in the ice fishing industry to describe the functionality of ice fishing electronics. Terms such as high frequency, chirp, live imaging, target separation, target identification, interference rejection, zoom and so on are used to describe the performance of the ice units.

Trout fishing, winters next great adventure

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Winter Trout Fishing – preparation, location & presentation

02/07/2022 / 02/07/2022 by marcum-tech

Some of the more neglected targets during the ice season are stream trout species – rainbow trout, brook trout, and brown trout more specifically. Countless states across the Ice Belt spend significant amounts of time and resources to ensure there are catchable trout opportunities available to many anglers. Preparation, location and presentation all play a role in success for winter stream trout.