Which Fish Finder to buy?

[CMP]

Looking to buy a fish finder for ice fishing.
Going to mainly use it for trout

Have any suggestions?
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[jacksonlaker]

There are several recent threads on this subject. I would go regular sonar style with built in GPS. The Lowrance units have excellent maps. GPS May be more important than the ability to see fish. Anyone can catch fish thru the ice without a fishfinder but if you can't find the spot where you splayed em a week ago what's the point ?. Do you think someone that's guides for big lakers on the Gorge can do it without GPS ? Just my take on it. Do some research on this forum or others. There is lot of good info out there....good luck
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[pookiebar]

Either a marcum or a vexilar flasher. No sense wasting time with the traditional sonars. Real time feed is seriously priceless. If the vexilar I would not go below an FL 18 version. Not as familiar with the Marcums but have fished with a friend who has one and they are a great unit as well.
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[triton21]

Flashers are the way to go. If you fish open water you may want to look at a unit that has graph and flasher. This is what I have and love it dual purpose.
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[PIKEMAN99]

My vote is for vexlar [cool]
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[BKBfishutah]

I love my Marcum 7!!
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[sysinu]

I just purchased a Vexilar FSDV20DT to replace my Humminbird ICE™ 55 only because I wanted a single unit that had a fish camera built into it.

I really like the ICE 55. My dad has a Lawrence (more traditional boat mounted style) finder that he rigged up to a bucket and he likes that.

I think that the flashers last a lot longer per battery than the traditional style finders and they seem to have more clarity control than the traditional style finders.


If you're in the market, I might be selling my ICE 55 in a few weeks ;-).
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[TheFishSlayer]

I got my first flasher last year. I got a good deal on a vexilar FL-8se. It's old and quite possibly the first flasher ever. LOL But it works well as long as I am a little ways away from these nicer stronger units. I do get alot of feedback from my buddies Marcum lx3tc if he's close. But all in all for the price I have been super happy with it and could never fish without one.
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[kbfan]

Go with the showdown or showdown troller. I have fished with flashers and I can't know what all the fuss is over them. Way to many flashing lights and bars to decipher from. The showdown only shows what's there and nothing else and has 1" separation and will show the smallest ice fly at great depths. Just my 2 cents.
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[El_Matador]

I have never used a flasher so take my opinion for what it's worth. I wanted to upgrade from the Fishin Buddy I've been using and just bought a Humminbird Helix 5. I looked at quite a few different units at the stores, and I liked this one the best. Traditional flashers like the Vexilar and Marcum gave me a headache when watching that bright hypnotizing screen so that led me toward the regular sonar units. Lowrance and Humminbird had the best ones in my opinion. They can be used as a regular fish finder (on a boat if you wish) but they also have a flasher mode. Basically the same look and setup of a flasher but on a regular computer screen. You can get them with or without GPS. Both brands have ice fishing kits available that come with battery, carrying case, and the correct transducer. The down-imaging units use a different transducer that works great on a boat but might take some fiddling to make it hang just right for ice fishing.

The GPS is a cool feature and you can load the Navionics lake maps right into the fish finder. This way you can see how deep the water is before drilling. Of course you can also use a stand alone GPS and accomplish the same thing.
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[Bmarsh]

Im a tube guy and also on a budget so I did the fishin buddy 140. I can zoom in enough to the depths that I am fishing in with it through the ice that I prefer it over a flasher but that's just me. I get guys like to see the light strikes that a guy sees with a flasher but can't feel but im not that guy. I like to pay attention to the rod and feed back not stare at a flashing light. But to each their own,
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[newfisherman14]

I have been so happy with my showdown fish finder i would look into one of those. the display is different than traditional circular flashers its just vertical display column and it detects the smallest of jigs in deep water. when i fish it even picks up my swivel a foot or so above my actual jig or lure. you can probably find an older model like mine that has the single transducer for cheaper than the newest model theyre promoting now... it has a dual beam transducer all that means is that it has two settings a narrow angle shooting down and a more wide angle shooting down at the bottom of the lake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE17FQ04k2c
in this link if you skip to about 4 minutes youll see how it works. hes moving the jig up and down on the display and hes coaxing a fish that is hugging the bottom you can see a big dark line come off the bottom and he hooks it!
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[Fishrmn]

Traditional??? Flashers were invented in the '50s. They're close to 70 years old. Traditional? Graphs are as real time as a flasher, and you have so many more options.



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[pookiebar]

Yes "traditional" because that is what most people associate with the term fish finder. Not nearly as many people used the flashers even if they are nearly 70 years old, and the technology has improved a great deal so they are more sensitive.

You are correct that the graph fish finders are real time if you look at the leading edge of the graph printing. But very few people do that, and instead stare at the middle of the big screen that is giving a 2-3 minute delay time. Therefore the data you are reading is not real time.

A flasher is better IMO because there is no big data screen to distract you. But that is just me.[]
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[skidmarximus88]

Marcum seem to do the trick! I've seen a bunch of youtube videos with the Marcum, they look awesome!
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[barbs78]

I was gonna ask about this subject too thanks for all your post guys!
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[kj]

I am a Vex guy and a definite flasher advocate. Here is what I have learned. A vex fl 8 is sufficient if you stay in less than 40 feet of water. I generally fish in 20, so the fl 8 is great for me. The fl 18 will go much deeper and using the Pro transducer would be a real plus over any other transducer. Marcum's are weaker on the receiving end so they use high output on the transmitter end. The two married up make a great system. Vex is strong on the receiver, so they don't need as much of a transmitter. The Marcum's put out about 1500 watts and the Vex's put out 400 watts. Their system works well also. This idea of 70 year old technology is a little silly to buy into. It has progressed and been refined over the years. It just hasn't been necessary to make any "huge" advancements because the flasher technology works so well. As far as GPS... sounds good, but to buy a system for the GPS in my opinion is a weak decision maker. Take a hand held GPS and you get the same results. You just don't have to pay for it in conjunction with a fish finder. But... do what you think will get you results you are looking for. I would suggest going and fishing with someone who has a finder and see how each of the work. Without question, flashers are king on the ice, but are almost useless on a boat. Flashing lights being confusing? I suppose if you don't know what you are looking at, that can be true. I show people that I fish with what to look for and in less than a minute they understand the system and have no trouble reading and running one. The only guy that has ever had trouble with my Vex is a close friend who is color blind. That really is a problem for him.
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[TopH2O]

All of the major brands and types will all help you find and catch more fish.

Just remember, however, that a FLASHER is a person who is nude under their raincoat. []

Get yourself a Marcum Showdown or Troller and you'll never regret it. I've had mine for six seasons now and my brother's flashers drive me crazy. But he's into video games, so it makes sense.

Mike


edit was to add the because apparently some people don't know a JOKE when they read one!
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[Fishrmn]

[quote kj]This idea of 70 year old technology is a little silly to buy into. It has progressed and been refined over the years.[/quote]

Keep telling yourself that. It's still a spinning disc. It still relies on a regulated motor and an LED, or if it has multiple colors, multiple LEDs.



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[parryd]

My vote is for the Marcum Showdown Troller. It's made all the difference for me these past three years.
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