So I am thinking about dropping some dough on a new fishfinder. I am going to be using this for ICE FISHING ONLY,and I wanted to get some thoughts on what folks think the best one for the money is. I am most interested in one that you can see live action with jour jig visible on the screen so as to set the hook when you see the fish coming. Any and all thought will be appreciated. Thanks, Big Slimmy.
First of all welcome to the site BigSlimmy. I can’t give you any first hand info on Flashers but here is alink to a thread where it was debated. WH2
I went fishing today, I have the marcum lx5, my buddy has the marcum lx3, and another buddy has the vexilar fl-18, we compared them today and I have to say, you cant go wrong with either of them… if money is no issue I would go with the marcum lx5, the extra power and the clarity are nice, but the lx5 is about 500 dollars… the lx5 has better color than the others as well…
my next choice would probably be the vexilar fl-18, it also has good color, but it seems to be a little less user friendly than the marcum, I cant stand the fact that the vexilar doesnt come with a case, that is definately a plus for the marcums… but you are going to be into this setup, with a case, close to 450 bucks…
then if money is an issue I would go with the lx3-tc, good unit, best bang for the buck, I bought my first ice flasher two years ago and this was the unit I bought, I got it for 250 bucks in the bargain cave at cabelas..
bottom line is you cant go wrong with either the marcum or the vexilars, buy the nicest one you can afford, by the way I am a flasher guy, some guys swear by the digital fish finders, I dont like them nearly as well for ice fishing as the flashers, I like the digital displays for open water better but thats just me, my 1 cent.. AJ
Lowrance M68c. Has a built in GPS so you can get back to your honeyholes, color screen very his vis even in bright sunlight (like many days ice fishing are), has an ice fishing mode that acts kind of like a vexilar, even though I like the regular mode better, is compact and I have had mine for 4 years now without any problem.
Randy
If you can swing it get a Marcum LX5.
VEXILER FL-8 SE DUAL BEAM TRANSDUCER ALL THE WAY.
I currently own a humminbird 383c, and I would say that either the vex, marcum, or any of the lcd’s that offer real time sonar would be good. Mine offers something similar to the vex and marcum, but also offers the “graph history”, and temp, and depth, and gps coordinates. Spend as much as you like, and get as close to what you want as want you’re willing to spend. If you just want it for ice fishing, I can’t see why you’d spend more than about $250.
I’ve been tickled pink with my vexilar FL20. The dual beam option is very handy. It buged me that it didn’t come with a soft case, but I just set a towel over the top of an open bucket and set the finder onto the towel and down into the backet. It works quite well and costs nothing. I would suggest getting one that at least has a bottom zoom function and I think the Marcum LX 3 is the cheapest one with a zoom function.
Don’t forget that there is a risk of LCD screens freezing and cracking in the cold. There are ways around this, but I am a forgetful soul and would hate to break a $400 piece of equipment.
Cabelas had a deal where you could get $100 off a purchase of $500 or more if you signed up for one of their credit cards. This was by far the best deal on a FL20 I could find, even after gettting their silly credit card.
I use the Hbird 575 w/ quadrabeam. It has all the different view styles you would ever need, but mostly, the quad beam capabilities are sure handy.
Here are some specs:
DualBeam PLUS™ 60˚ and 20˚ beams scan below the boat
Two fan-shaped 35Ëš beams look to the sides
Shows whether fish are to the right, left or below the boat for cast placement
Unique display shows you two separate views, below and to the sides
Scans an area equal to TWICE your depth, revealing more fish and structure
I love it!!![:)]
I have the Showdown Digital Fishfinder. It is a flasher style finder but is verticle instead of circular in the read out so it represents the water column. It is also made only for ice fishing and is very portable. I have had great success with it this winter and for only $ 229 and free shipping it is a deal. Check out this link. www.reedssports.com and look under ice electronics. It will actually be listed with the underwater cameras not the flashers.
go with the lorance X-135 you cant go wrong.. forget the flashers!not worth the money. 
and the x-135 ya can use for mack’s. the flashers dont work all that good in deep water. [crazy]
I like the x 135 Lowrance they work great I watch the fish take the jig when ice fishing and in summer as well same unit just use two transducers…
I have had the Eagle Fish Mark 320 for quite some time. I use is strictly for ice fishing and have never had any problems with it. My bro-in-law and dad have the same unit. It runs anywhere from $120-150. Great unit for the price.
Last season I was doing the same research. I ended up buying the Lowrance X125 Portable Soft Pack at Cabellas for $349. If you have extra money, you could buy the X135 Portable softpack, but I have found the X125 works awesome. The portable softpack is really the way to go. All you have to do is then make a t with pvc pipe and mount the transducer on the bottom to drop into your ice hole. I have seen a lot of different setups, and I like this the best. Also, if you want an extra battery, the NPS Store has them for like $4 compared to $20 at Cabellas or Sportsman. See both links.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat601356&id=0017524016617a&navCount=2&podId=0017524&parentId=cat601356&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601356&hasJS=true
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat601356&id=0017524016624a&navCount=4&podId=0017524&parentId=cat601356&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601356&hasJS=true
[;)] After much research, I purchased a Hummingbird 535. When you compare power and pixels it is comparable to a $300+ lowrance. I also read as many comments from people who had purchased different fishfinders. I know of two people who have had trouble with their Lowrances (Transducer?). After reading the comments of past owners I find it to be a common problem. I’ve always been a Lowrance man but I am 100% satisfied and happy with my Hummingbird 535. I will be buying more in the future. Cost-$159. I use it ice fishing, and I can easily see my ice jig and the fish. I also have been using it on the front of my bassboat, never had any trouble.
Bottomline 5100. You can do the research, but there is no bigger screen for the money, pixels are great, power is excellent, and you just can’t beat the simplicity of the use/operation…two buttons and very intuitive to operate. $199 @ Cabelas
Lowrance X67. Great unit. Easy to use. Combines a flasher and a graph in the same unit.
You buy!
#1 G.I.
Vexilar fl8 is the way to go! I’ve been using mine now for 4years and it is awesome[:)] I have the 19* transducer which works really good down to 40ft of water. Vexilar are much cheaper than the marcum’s but work just as good.