sonar/flasher help

[brohymn2]

been looking into getting a flasher cause im tired of fishing blind, anyone got advice of which models ae good and why, id appreciate some info to substaniate a reccomondation, tried the fishin hole in west ed and they basically gave me their winter catalogue and said this will tell you all you need to know, thanks a bunch

[brohymn2]

id also like to mention i prefer buying quality first than having to upgrade down the line, but if the higher end models dont have functions id need i generaly wouldnt wanna buy it, hope that makes sense lol

[chubbdarter]

well if you dont want to upgrade and want to go straight to a caddilac
marcum 5
vex 20
your paying extra for these because of their target separation
i have both. i prefer the swing out transducer arm on the marcum over the the float on the vex
you'll love either of them. flasher units aren't loaded with bells and whistles so most options on these 2 models you will use.
wont fish without one!!!!!!!

[brohymn2]

sweet, ive been looking at the marcum or the humminbird 55, got alot more research before i make the investment

[chubbdarter]

lots of info here
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php

[brohymn2]

yeah ive been searching that site, im totally done with fishing blind

[WalleyeMaster]

I have a vexilar fl-18 its a little older i think they have the fl-20 now, but none the less one of the best investments i have made in regards to fishing gear. vexilar has some great reading material on thire web site that may help you with your decission. i know that my flasher has greatly improved my fishing sucsess, i would not want to go without it during the ice fishing season

[Teamprotz]

I'm using my Lowrance Lcx15. Never used a flasher only because I've never had one. Only thing with the lcd screen is they NEED to be kept warm. Its great for lake trout.

[pikester]

I bought a Humminbird Ice55 last winter & without exaggerating I can tell you I've caught at least 70 or so fish (mostly perch) since then that I never would have if didn't have it. Even more importantly it has saved me from getting skunked on at least 3 trips. I wouldn't say the Ice55 is any better or worse than Vex or a Marcum because I haven't used the others but if you buy the top of the line model in any of those brands you will be happy!

[jack88]

Ice 55

[Garry B]

Originally Posted by brohymn2

sweet, ive been looking at the marcum or the humminbird 55, got alot more research before i make the investment

I got the LX-5 this year and am totally impressed. Tight package enclosed in a tough fabric shell that closes with Velcro to protect the unit. Very clear display. Good battery life. Maybe excellent battery life. Accurate. Watch your tiny tiny jig go down - even had a tiny barrel swivel on and could plainly distinguish both.

Now I can fish without it, but when I let others use it I immediately felt at a disadvantage. For example when I would drop my lure I'd watch the fish swim up off the bottom as they began noticing the lure when it was still 5' from bottom. Real time. So cool. Can't do that without. Or other times after catching fish you'd see fish there near the lure but not biting. That's time to move since the biters have been taken out. You would miss this information without the flasher.

Get the best you can afford right from the start. Only problem is once you use one you will be spoiled for life and won't want to be without.

[doublehaul]

I also am interested in getting information on sonar. But I seem to fish mostly shallow water 5-20 feet, tell me how wide of view area do you see? Is your angle 45 degrees? Would a sonar be useful in 10 FOW?

[chubbdarter]

[QUOTE=doublehaul;791531]I also am interested in getting information on sonar. But I seem to fish mostly shallow water 5-20 feet, tell me how wide of view area do you see? Is your angle 45 degrees? Would a sonar be useful in 10 FOW?[/QUOT

dual cones on most upper end models

1 of the most used option is carry a jug of water with you and you can shoot thru the ice . this cuts down on hole drilling. saves time and allows you to NOT drilll unnessary holes.

[Garry B]

Originally Posted by doublehaul

I also am interested in getting information on sonar. But I seem to fish mostly shallow water 5-20 feet, tell me how wide of view area do you see? Is your angle 45 degrees? Would a sonar be useful in 10 FOW?

Not sure about the others but the the LX-5 is dual beam - 8 and 20 degree. Not sure how much area you see but it's enough. Is definitely helpful even in 10 FOW.

[pikester]

Originally Posted by doublehaul

I also am interested in getting information on sonar. But I seem to fish mostly shallow water 5-20 feet, tell me how wide of view area do you see? Is your angle 45 degrees? Would a sonar be useful in 10 FOW?

A flasher can be used in shallow water but unless the water is really dirty, you would be just as far ahead to sight fish. Doesn't matter what degree transducer you have (unless it was a 60 or 70 degree cone), the shallower you are, the less viewing field you will have. I would suspect that through a 9" or 10" hole over 6 or 7 FOW for example, you could physically see just as much or more looking down the hole as you would on the flasher screen. Think about cone angle this way; imagine standing on a chair in a dark room shining a flashlight straight down at the floor from head height & visualise the size of the circle it would produce. Now step off the chair & lower the flashlight to chest height & notice the significantly smaller circle it makes on the floor. It wouldn't matter how powerful the flashlight was it wouldn't make the light spread out farther, just brighter.

[gl2]

i use the lowrance x67 ice machine and works good in the cold and seems to be a good "real time" machine, my seperation seems to be good. those new displays that are on em never freeze and i have had mine out in some horrible weather. plus i get double duty with it cause it goes on my pontoon in the summer.

[Alberta Bigbore]

buy a Humminbird ICE-55 ... its worth it. Six color display is golden when fishing deep water for multi species.

[Little Valy]

Purchased the Humminbird ICE 385ci Combo on Boxing Day.
Haven't used it yet but if you have a boat you can use this unit all year round.It was about 50 bucks more than the dedicated Humminbird ice unit.

[Mudslide]

The Humminbird 385ci-ice is an excellent choice for a year round portable unit. With the built in mapping GPS it's hands down, the best bang for the anglers buck this season! Lots of power, dual beam Transducer and optimized ice settings. On top of that: Since you bought it before Dec 31st you can send in for a free suction cup transducer that makes the deal even sweeter. I own the Marcum LX-5 and an HDS but I can honestly say that if I only had 500 bucks to spend, the 385ci-ice is where I would put my money. The only drawback to the unit is that the base map is crap so you need to buy the Navionics chip to make it sing but with the chip: WOW! Turn it on, walk around till you hit THE spot, drill and fish. No messing around.

[Little Valy]

Originally Posted by Mudslide

The Humminbird 385ci-ice is an excellent choice for a year round portable unit. With the built in mapping GPS it's hands down, the best bang for the anglers buck this season! Lots of power, dual beam Transducer and optimized ice settings. On top of that: Since you bought it before Dec 31st you can send in for a free suction cup transducer that makes the deal even sweeter. I own the Marcum LX-5 and an HDS but I can honestly say that if I only had 500 bucks to spend, the 385ci-ice is where I would put my money. The only drawback to the unit is that the base map is crap so you need to buy the Navionics chip to make it sing but with the chip: WOW! Turn it on, walk around till you hit THE spot, drill and fish. No messing around.

They want you to send the original receipt,the only problem is that I lost it.I'm going to give it a try anyway and see what happens.If they don't send me one it,ll cost me about 70 bucks.

[SCRUB]

my Vote would be for the Marcum LX-5 i have one and i can't believe how much it helps you catch more fish, see one come to lure and swim away.. change lures and BANG fish on..worth the money and make sure you get one with ZOOM you won't be dissapointed That is forsure.

Scrub.

[Rockymtnx]

Can anyone explain how a flasher works and what they exactly do?
I have never understood them.

Thanks

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by Rockymtnx

Can anyone explain how a flasher works and what they exactly do?
I have never understood them.

Thanks

basically the transducer is a transmitter and sends out a signal into the water. anything denser than water will return a echo. depending on the density or setting on the face board of your monitor. it will show a lighted alert on the screen.
typically most flasher will echo off a muddy bottom in yellow...a clay substrate in green and hard bottom in a red signal.
a fish in the area will show as yellow...a fish closer will be green...a fish ontop of your lure red.
separation is the ability for a flasher to show 2 or more distinct alerts even if they are very close

this is a simple explaination but i think you get the idea

[saltwater cowboy]

I too am thinking about a flasher but what can you get for $300(christmas money) that is decent or do I have to pony up some extra cash ?
Thanks guys
Salty

[gl2]

you can get mar cum vx-1 at fishin hole calgary right now 299.95. but if you are willing to spend 40 bucks more then you can get a genz pack,ice machine,ice 35 ect. might be worth it, depends what features ya want.

[kinwahkly]

I bought an Ice 55 from the guys at The Fishin Hole last year, very happy with the flasher, i was fishing spray lake last year in about 90 ft of water and i could pick up every thing including the smallest of jigs.

[WalleyeMaster]

Originally Posted by sal****er cowboy

I too am thinking about a flasher but what can you get for $300(christmas money) that is decent or do I have to pony up some extra cash ?
Thanks guys
Salty

Im not sure about the other brands i think the new vexilar model FL-20 or 22 is a little over 500bones if i remember corectly, i havent used any of the other brands but my vexilar is hands down best fishing investment ive made i bought mine a few years ago and paid around 700$ but it has helped find fish holding structure, depth and most important fish, and the ability to ice fish every time i go out

[chubbdarter]

Originally Posted by WalleyeMaster

Im not sure about the other brands i think the new vexilar model FL-20 or 22 is a little over 500bones if i remember corectly, i havent used any of the other brands but my vexilar is hands down best fishing investment ive made i bought mine a few years ago and paid around 700$ but it has helped find fish holding structure, depth and most important fish, and the ability to ice fish every time i go out

700 bucks must be a fancy one

[Kim473]

Go with the mid range to upper end models. At about 10 fow your flasher will show about a 2.5 ft circle around your hook. There nice to see when a pike moves in around your hook. The perch will dissapear then a large red mark will show. This helps to get prepared for the strike or drop a dif bait down. Also you can tell if the bait robbers are there or larger ones.

[Jimboy]

Rods and reels 100 bucks
Tent 300 bucks
Power auger 350 bucks
bait 20 bucks
lures jigs 40 bucks
rod holders 20 bucks
tip ups 2 40 bucks
Gas 80 bucks
Sled 60 bucks
Flasher 400 bucks

Total 1,410 bucks to do it right today

Old days 1958
7 bucks full tank gas
line 1 buck
Old stick for rod 0 bucks
Axe and a big steel bar 5 bucks
5 gallon pail for gear and seat 1 buck or free if found one
Old blanket to put over head to see down the hole 0 bucks
Bait usually caught minnows with net in sumer froze them for winter 0 bucks

Total 14 bucks /20 if ya took beer
My how times change.