Converting Your Helix Fish Finder For Ice Fishing

By: Tyler Hicks

Many northern kayak and canoe anglers dread the onset of winter and the loss of their favorite fisheries to the ice. However, there is no reason you can’t put your Humminbird Helix fishfinders, currently in use on your canoe or kayak, to use on the hardwater. Humminbird has made this easier than ever with their Portable Ice Fishing Conversion Kit designed for the Helix 5 and 7 models that come with a shuttle, chirp capable ice transducer, wiring, and premium carrying bag. All you need to provide is the battery. 

PART 1: CONVERTING YOUR HELIX 5 OR 7 FISH FINDER FOR ICE FISHING

PART 2: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR HELIX FISH FINDER ON THE ICE

CAN’T I JUST USE THE TRANSDUCER FROM MY KAYAK? 

The simple answer is yes. However, a transducer designed specifically for ice fishing and to work with Helix’s ice fishing mode software is going to deliver a far better experience for the end-user. The challenge with using open water transducers is they must be kept perfectly level to provide accurate readings of depth and to enable better returns on your lures/bait, fish, and bottom structure. Additionally, ice transducers often have narrower cones than open water transducers allowing for stronger return signals on smaller targets, such as small ice jigs, and at greater depths. 

ADVANCES WITH EVERY SOFTWARE UPDATE?

Humminbird is continuing to deliver greater performance for its Helix models with each software update. If you already have a Humminbird Helix that doesn’t seem to have some of the ice fishing features mentioned in the video or in the article below you are probably due for a software update. The best part is that software updates are free and easy to do! Learn how to update your Helix fishfinder here: Update Your HELIX Fish Finder

A SCREEN DREAM FOR ICE ANGLERS

Setting your Helix to “ice fishing mode” unlocks a variety of screens and features not available during open water fishing. This includes a flasher setting for those more accustomed to using flashers on the ice, traditional sonar with adjustable Real Time Sonar (RTS) windows that can be used in “full” or “A-scope” modes to help you differentiate target size and proximity, as well as a glow screen to help power up your glow lures before sending them into the dark depths. 

Additionally, screens can be combined in a variety of ways to include flashers and sonar, flasher or sonar with maps, and numerous other iterations. The zoom feature allows half the screen to zoom on a specific depth range and is particularly helpful when fishing near the bottom in deep water. This allows you to more readily separate targets where the action is occurring rather than focusing on the entire water column.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

With built-in GPS and mapping available on some Helix 5 and 7 models you’ll arrive on the ice with Humminbird’s Basemaps which contain bathymetry data for over 10,000 lakes. You can quickly navigate to bottom structure such as points, humps, and channels to target the species you want. Upgrade to Lakemaster for even higher definition contours ranging from 1-5’ depending on the lake. Lakemaster allows you to highlight specific depth ranges and Lakemaster Plus incorporates satellite imagery as well. 

Not every lake or pond is going to be available on Basemaps or Lakemaster which is where Humminbird’s Autochart Live feature comes to the rescue. You can create custom high definition maps of your favorite body of water with 1’ contours using the Autochart Live feature. Autochart Live mapping can be easily accomplished from your canoe or kayak during open water season or on the ice by drilling a series of holes and mapping each point. 

MAKE THE MOST OF THE ICE SEASON

Whether your ice season is short or long make the most of it with your Humminbird Helix fishfinder. You will find Helix fishfinders as well as ice fishing accessories at your local retailer and online at www.humminbird.com.