Got the shack...now need a flasher!!!

[happyfisher]

I never knew or have seen a flasher work in person....started googling...looks cool!!!!
All I knew was there were flashing lights.....lol...youtube the ICE 35 as a starter flasher....looks fun!!!
I think I will get that one...or if they go on sale and anyone know of a sale let me know.

Now I regret not going to TFH and buying one on sale.

Anyone think they go on sale in fall or winter?

I would consider buying a used entry level model....

Any ideas or info please keep this post alive. I don't wanna spend more then 400....i might fish spray lakes.....a few times...other then that gull...sylvan....newell etc

Thanks all

Happy

[happyfisher]

just wanted to add....i want to target whites sometimes....and i think sometimes they dont like my camera.....and with my new frabill shack i can go to different lakes...rather then my permanent shack....boom!!!

[Dweb]

Deeper sonar has flasher mode in the app on sale at wholesale for 240$ can't beat that , can also use it all seasons

[happyfisher]

i have no idea what u said......mode? app? ill see if i can find it

tnx

[iYearn]

Originally Posted by happyfisher

i have no idea what u said......mode? app? ill see if i can find it

tnx

Here you can watch Brandon use the Deeper Sonar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKbtMczYGMQ

And there are more youTube videos using it for ice fishing...just search for them there.

[happyfisher]

nice....i would get one....but 4 hr battery life? ill need more then that....how long does it take to charge? anyone else use this?

happy

[happyfisher]

i love it....but battery life is not there....i can fish for 8+ hours....dont want to use it for 4 hrs....then charge for 2...then back again....plus i have a fish phone....and lost my cell down the hole....400 bucks gone right there.....

thanks tho

[Dweb]

Originally Posted by happyfisher

nice....i would get one....but 4 hr battery life? ill need more then that....how long does it take to charge? anyone else use this?

happy

That's one of its cons is battery life , if you want long battery life better off with the hummingbird or marcum , just wait for sales.

[happyfisher]

How's this...


https://www.radioworld.ca/marc-shwdt2-0combo

[happyfisher]

Or even cheaper

https://www.radioworld.ca/marc-shwdt2-0combo

[happyfisher]

Or this...

https://www.radioworld.ca/marc-shwdt2-0

[bigfis]

I highly recommend against the showdown units . I have one and it is one of the biggest wastes of money I have spent . Very unreliable and rarely works below -5, plastic cracks easy and turns on by its self chewing through batteries . I now have humminbird helix 5 with gps . This unit has a flasher mode that works great. It allso has a traditional sonar that is suprisingly handy even in ice fishing. Gps is great for marking spots. Got mine with the portable case and battery for 299 on sale at Cabalas .

[FishingPole]

I picked up an Ice-35 last year. I think I picked mine up for $300 if I'm not mistaken. I believe I waited until it was on sale at Cabela's, then picking one up from Canadian tire (hopefully they're not on sale as well) then doing a price match/price beat.

There may have been some shortfalls with the 35 compared to the 45 and 55 but it was still usable/caught more fish in the ice season than I have in the past.

[RayL42]

I also would not recommend the Showdown unit. My experience is not as bad as bigfis, however mine quite working after one season had to take it in for warranty Marcum was good and it has worked well since.

[Dean2]

Vexillar FL-8. Two to three days battery life, great separation, robust no fail build, easy to use and tune. I have two, one is over 30 years old and has only ever had one new set of brushes that I put in. It is on its second battery. The second one has never needed work and is still on its first battery after 18 years of service. (I have also had Marcum, Hummingbird and Midway flashers, I sold them each off after trying them and went to the second FL-8)

[Dweb]

Originally Posted by Dean2

Vexillar FL-8. Two to three days battery life, great separation, robust no fail build, easy to use and tune. I have two, one is over 30 years old and has only ever had one new set of brushes that I put in. It is on its second battery. The second one has never needed work and is still on its first battery after 18 years of service. (I have also had Marcum, Hummingbird and Midway flashers, I sold them each off after trying them and went to the second FL-8)

X2 ^^ they are a great durable unit

[happyfisher]

thanks.....the showdown is now out....ill look into the vexlair......ill keep my eyes peeled for sales!!!

[happyfisher]

its not duel beam.....that might pose a problem if i go to spray lakes and want to fish in 100 feet? or will it still be good?

thanks for any info

happy

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by happyfisher

its not duel beam.....that might pose a problem if i go to spray lakes and want to fish in 100 feet? or will it still be good?

thanks for any info

happy

Ignore CAPS, had cap lock on.

i FISH bc IN LAKES DOWN TO 200-300 FT. wORKS JUST FINE, IT HAS ADJUSTABLE SNESITIVITY AND DEPTHS FOR BETTER RESOLUTION IF YOU WANT TO READ BOTTOM,, MID OR HIGH TO Mid
E.

[happyfisher]

if i fish shallower i see i need to buy a cable to reduce the power to the "picture" is better and less interference........thats a extra cost.....do i need that cord?

thanks

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by happyfisher

if i fish shallower i see i need to buy a cable to reduce the power to the "picture" is better and less interference........thats a extra cost.....do i need that cord?

thanks

nope. Never used one. Fish lots in 4 to 30' here in Alberta.

[happyfisher]

thanks alot bra.......(dean)

Happy

[Tcon]

I have recently been seeing Humminbird Helix 5's with GPS for under $400.
I added it to my arsenal last year and it is incredibly effective on the ice and in open water.

[happyfisher]

hummmmmm.....welll dont know if i need the GPS...i think ill have a hard time figuring out the flasher.....and i dont have any spots on gps to share with other guys.....but..ok...ill look into it....

[RavYak]

If you fish deep water a lot(30+ feet) you should definitely get a dual beam unit.

Regular units in deep water are extremely limiting because sonar will return the bottom depth at the highest point within its cone angle. So if you set up on a slope/drop off the wider your cone the less you will see of the bottom.

This picture might help get the point across. If you set up in this spot and only had wide beam you might think it is 100 feet deep but in reality you can see it is closer to 125 feet meaning there is ~ 25 feet not visible on your flasher.

The narrow beam gets you a lot closer to the bottom which not only could help you catch more fish if that is where they are hanging out but it also helps you locate structure like this and set up on top of it. If you only used wide beam by the time you thought you found the edge of the drop off you would actually be over 20 feet away from it because of the cone angle diameter being ~ 42 feet in 125 fow.



Usually when you set up in a situation like this with a wide beam angle the bottom will look weird on the flasher because it will look like a very thick soft return at the bottom. Some times you can even still somewhat see the fish or your lure moving in the bottom(showing up as a stronger return).

The wide beam is still very good if the bottom is flat or if the fish are suspended but that isn't always the case and often the points of structure like the above example are exactly where the fish are hiding so a narrow beam when used to its full potential will definitely help you catch more fish.

As for shallow water no flasher works all that great. In 4 fow a 20 deg wide angle cone will only show you ~ 8 inches in each direction of your lure. It can work but in those situations you are usually better off using a camera or sight fishing down the hole imo.

My personal favourite is the Ice 55. I like the larger screen, dual beam, digital depth readout and all the other features it has.

[RavYak]

The units like Helix 5 are nice because they have GPS but they are inferior as a flasher. Most of them are dual beam but not the right kind of dual beam(most have 55 and 20 instead of 20 and 10 that a normal flasher has).

I always just used my summer fish finder as my GPS(has the waypoints on it) and then once I got to the spot I want I use a flasher. A handheld GPS is nice too and way less bulky but not everyone has or wants one of them.

[happyfisher]

Thanks for all the imput....im gunna go to Wholesale sport.....its righ by my work....and checknout how they look and act.....see if they come with cover...etc......i realize im getting way to excited as i wont hit the ice for another 2.5 months or so.....so ill also go to cabelas and bass pro and wee whats going on....ill keep my eyea open for jaw jaxkers....flasher....heater....etc....when or if they go on sale....maybe ill pick up.a se ond hand unit.....then when the ice hits....ill have to pull the trigger if no sales are on yet......

Gotta work on my frabrill as another AO member is showing me how to make it better.....

Ill keep my eyes open.....so far tho i seem to like the last one with ģps.......

Happy

[happyfisher]

well i decided to get this....after all the reviews.....talking with guys......

it has 2 sonars types angles.....has GPS.....has its own carrying case.....and i can use it on a boat....and 50 bucks cheaper then any other store in the city......

vexliar 4
http://www.gpscity.ca/garmin-striker...eam-transducer

im super pumped

tnx all

[RavYak]

The Striker 4 portable kit?

You will need to get an ice fishing transducer and as mentioned it has dual beam but they are wide and extremely wide so no narrow beam advantage.

Also not sure if it comes with a flasher view as it is not an ice unit. Something to check into that you can at least update it to get flasher view.

The flasher view on those little 4 inch screens is tiny(~ 1.5 inch diameter) making them hard to read and target separation is pretty much non existent. The couple guys that I know that have used the 4 inch Lowrance units just end up using it on normal graph view because the flasher aspect is bordering on useless.

Decent cheap option if you need something for both ice fishing and your boat but capability wise they are a significant step down from the cheapest mechanical flashers.

[happyfisher]

The Striker 4 portable kit?

No ice fishing transducer needed....the one it comes with will work fine there are videos online ...it comes with a float.

it comes with flasher view.....but i think i will most likely use the graph or split screen.....it also has zoom, graph mode and flasher mode, and gps...and a case

in my fabrill shack i want something small...screen width is closer to 2" and i have keen eyes.....and from the videos online separation is not a problem with the chirp feature.....guys say they can see a teardrop jig easily and separation is great

i doubt it will be as good as a dedicated flasher for 600 bucks...but i dont expect it to.....

here is a video of it in action.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LFbBE_qEsU

this is even a better video...u can see the jig...and fish in the column....and the fish comes and GULP!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_1QjyYqAuQ