I am sure this has been coverd before, but I can’t seem to find the thread. If it exitsts, can someone point me to it? I am assuming (and hoping) that TubeDude has coverd this topic before as well as some of the other things I have read from him. Otherwise..some detailed info would be greatly appreciated.
The only fish finder I have ever owned is a Fishing Buddy…old version…way old. It basically is good enough to show me how deep I am…thats about it. And when it’s really cold…well it doesnt like the bitter cold.
I am on the market for a new one and have been told to stay away from LCD’s so I am looking into a flasher.
I have no idea where to start. I’ve never used one.
I have been looking at the Vexilar FL-20, the Marcum LX-5, and the Humminbird ICE 55. All of them look great but when it comes down to the specs I have no clue.
The V has 400 Peak to Peak, the M has 2,000 and the H has 2400. What does it matter? Will this have an effect on battery life?
Also the other difference I see is having a 9degree or a 19 degree angle (and various others)…some you have to tell them what you want when you buy it…others say you can switch between the two.
I am totally lost on what to purchase. Help!
I love to ice fish but only get out up to 10 times a season. I like quality gear and will pay for the best option for me.
I rarely fish anything deeper than 100 ft..if that. Mostly will ice fish Strawberry, Echo, Rockport, Electric, Huntington, and the like.
Also, I have seen some of the ways people have riged up their sonar to fit in coolers, etc. Would this be necessary with these flasher units that come in their own little stand/case?
I too, had a Fishin Buddy and traded up to a flasher last season. I bought the FL-20 and could not be happier with it. I used it about 20 times last year on Echo, Rockport, Hyrum, and Pineview. It worked just fine in all depths through 70 feet. It is so neat to watch the fish approach the lure and to be ready when they bump it. My success had a big improvement because of it.
I have not seen the other company’s models, so can not compare them. I do know that the FL-20 will work just fine on the waters you are talking about. I would not recommend the models under the FL-20 due to them having fewer functions. The split dial on the 20 is a must in my opinion. Being able to switch brightness levels is also a plus.
Here is my vote for the Marcum LX-5, I bought it last year and used it probably 20 to 30 times. It is great, with the added power that it puts out I can shovel the snow off the ice and put the transducer on the ice and see how deep I am with out drilling a hole, big time saver. It is also very dependable and accurate I can see my little ice fly on it down at the bottom and can watch fish move right up to it. Battery last about 48 hours of constant use, and it has a little digital reader on the battery that tells you what percent of battery life you have left. You will not need to put it in a cooler the holder it comes with contains everything you need.
Rob, at one time I did a lot of research on Marcum vs Vexilar and I found that those who had owned both were almost universally more impressed with the Vexilar. They are both fine units, but unless you get a great deal on the Vexilar I would go with the Marcum LX-5.
You will not be disappointed with the Marcum LX5. One of the great advantages to it is the ability to zoom in on any part of the water column. I use it on soft water just as much as hard water. It makes jigging up at the berry a blast any time of the year. I don’t know how i can ever ice fish without one ever again.
Jeff
I have an LCD fish finder that I bought for ice fishing made by Eagle. Cost my about $200 and I mounted it on a small ice cooler. The setup is compact and perfect for ice fishing.
I thought about getting a flasher but decided on a LCD. I am not dissapointed with my decision. The LCD has the real time flasher-like quality on the right of the screen plus it allows you to see a 10 second or so history of what has happened. It is fun to see the path of the fish over the last 10 seconds. In addition, you can use the LCD fish finder more conveniantly while soft water fishing. The only problem I have with my fish finder while ice fishing is that it is unclear the first 5-7 feet under the transducer, but works great after about 10 feet. It works amazing in 20-100 ft of water and the cooler allows me a place to keep the battery, bait and other small equipment. And it was only $200 compared to well over $300 for flashers.
Just my 2 cents. I would be interested to fish the same hole, or next to someone with both my LCD finder and a flasher.
I went through the same search you are going through two years ago… I ended up buying the marcum lx-3 ice… used it for a year and then last year ended up upgrading to the marcum lx5… the only real difference I could find was that the marcum had more power if you needed it… you probably never will but potentially the marcum had the ability to put out more power… so I ended up with the marcum and could not have been happier… even fishing in a hundred feet of water at the george it works just fine… i dont think you will regret getting either so my suggestion is buy one of the two higher end units and dont look back.. they are both great by my choice was the marcum and i have been happy… cheers… AJ
I went on the same hunt last winter and I’ll throw in my $.02. [;)] I would agree that a flasher is the only way to go with ice. My research told me that with the top units of each, the Vexilars and the Marcums were about like comparing Ford and Chevy - IOW: personal preference.
I couldn’t justify the $ of the top models, and my understanding is that unless you are fishing deeper than 100 ft - the extra power really isn’t necessary.
However, for the next model step down, the Vexilars had the edge on features, BUT the Marcum had more power. What to do, what to do… Reviews I read were mixed on the importance of power… So when I could save a $100 on buying a refurbished Vex FL-18, that tipped the scales. And I am TOTALLY happy with it!
The only thing I could say from EXPERIENCE, is that when I’m fishing next to a guy with a Marcum, his (extra power perhaps?) causes interference on my Vexilar. But mine caused none on his.
The Vexilars seem to be one leap frog a head of Marcum in terms of features, but I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed in either brand with comparable features.