Swing'n Sound on Ice

By: John Bacarella ~ Sportsmens Direct

     I found out about this technique around two years ago and it led to the

development of a new product. After you drop your transducer down the

hole and get your initial reading, try swinging the transducer. That's

right: swing it. Lower the transducer down just below the ice and swing

it forward and back and then left to right. Pay close attention to the

signal. By swinging it, you just increased your transducer coverage area

and even determined rough direction to the targets. If you’re fishing a

fairly weed-free environment, like a deep water basin, you will be

amazed by how many more fish you see when you expand your view.

You'll be much less likely to walk over fish.

     I took this same concept and combined it with the high tech idea of side

scanning. What I came up with is the Circle Scan. The Circle Scan is a

"V" shaped bracket that adjusts to fit all current ice transducers. By

lowering the Circle Scan through the ice on our telescopic pole (Hopp'n

Pole) you can direct your flasher's sound signal underneath the ice and

to the side. You now have the potential to see fish and submerged

structure as far to the side as your flasher can read, and the distances are

amazingly accurate. It doesn't work in areas with a lot of vegetation, but

in the right conditions it's very effective.

     So the next time you’re out and you want to see a little bit more of what's

down below you, try swing'n your transducer. That little extra bit of

coverage could keep you from walking over fish.