Page 8 - Crappie NOW - January 2018

by Darl Black

the camera sees even when he is 100 yards
Dave Lefebre of Erie, PA may be best from it), enough batteries to power everything,
known for his fishing successes on national eight rods, cases of lures, and a sled (which
bass circuits, but during the tournament off converts to a shelter) to haul it all across the
season he is a crappie-fishing phenom. ice.
“When I started in professional bass After arriving at an access point on a
fishing, I got tagged as an old school angler particular part of a lake, Lefebre pulls the
probably due to my fondness for antiquated loaded sled/shelter to a pre-determined site
flasher sonar units. But that’s really not on the ice in order to establish a “base camp.”
me. I love keeping up with the new stuff – The site is selected based on a combination
especially when it comes to ice fishing for of previous fish catches and sonar readings
panfish. With the continued advances in ice during the open water season – particularly
fishing equipment, I’ve evolved into a gadget outings just prior to ice-up. With coordinates
junkie.” previously locked in his GPS unit, Lefebre
Many anglers (particularly those in the parks his shelter right over a vital underwater
southern states who never face ice-covered
lakes) may wonder just how much equipment
is required for ice fishing. Maybe an auger to
drill a hole, one short ice pole with some line
on it to drop a baited hook into the hole, and “Drop the bait below a crappie,
an empty 5 gallon can to turn upside down as and the fish is a goner…”
a seat? Old school for sure!
Think again. The tackle industry keeps
pumping out new must-have gadgets for
today’s ice fishermen. Lefebre now has so
much equipment it requires a cargo van crossroads that may include one or more of
or a pickup truck to haul everything to the the following: brushpile, rock pile, stump, log,
frozen lake’s edge. For a day of ice fishing weed edge, drop-off, etc.
he transports at least two different augers (a With the pop-up shelter set, fishing holes
manual and a power auger), a flasher sonar, drilled and an underwater viewing camera
a GPS/digital sonar combo, an underwater positioned in the shelter, the next step is to
viewing camera, MarCum Pan-Cam system place the MarCum Pan-Cam panning camera
(motorized camera which rotates a camera in a separate hole outside the shelter so he
360 degrees and provides a Wi-Fi signal to can have a 360 degree view of surrounding
his smart phone or tablet so he can see what territory.
If you think he is ready to sit back and wait
8 Crappie NOW January 2018