Has anyone out there converted there ice fishing flasher into a fishfinder for there boat or toon or tube for that matter. Vexlar sells a conversion kit for my FL12 for about $135.00. It includes a puck type transducer a mounting bracket and a power cord.
My main question is, will a Vexlar so equipped perform well? Or should I spend my money on a conventional type sonar?[fishin]
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[cool][#0000ff]Of course the flasher will work. But you will be much happier with a good LCD display unit. Most of the flashers have a very narrow "cone", so they don't pick up fish signals from a very large area. Also, the signals are here and then gone when fish cruise through in open water. With a scrolling display you can glance down periodically and see a record of what has happened during the time you were not watching the screen. Also does a much better job of detailing bottom composition and structure.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The main advantage of a flasher on ice is that you can fish down the same hole as the transducer and see your jig...and the fishes' reactions to your presentation. When fishing from a boat, tube or toon you are usually using a longer rod and casting away from your craft, so that feature is meaningless. It will tell you the presence of fish but not much more.[/#0000ff]
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Besides the LCD display, what else should I look for in a good fishfinder for the Toon. Transducer cone angle of 19 deg. good or a multi cone angle? Side lookers any good?[fishin]
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For $135 you can pick up a pretty good LCD display and for a few bucks more you can get an excellent LCD. Check Cabelas, I just saw their sales paper and they have some screaming deals on Eagles and Humminbirds right now for cheap.
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[cool][#0000ff]Requirements for having sonar on a tube or toon are pretty much the same as for a boat...except you won't need the speed readings unless you are being chased by a great white shark.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You should have at least a 20 degree cone angle, especially for fishing in the shallower waters we often hit with our crafts. Anything less does not do much for finding fish. In 10 feet of water the "footprint" on the bottom is only about 3 feet wide...and much less above the bottom. In 10 feet of water even a tube or toon spooks fish away from directly below your craft so you may not see much at all.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A lot of us have gone to the dual cone Humminbird sonars for tubing and tooning. In addition to the standard 20 degree cone, there is simultaneously a wider angle 60 degree cone that displays fish targets differently so you know they are not directly below you. On most trips I see far more fish away from my tube than in the 20 degree cone. That does not mean you will catch them, but it does let you know they are there and at what depth you should be fishing them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Gotta have a temperature reading. Tubing on some lakes can be very interesting. You can move in and out of areas with temps ranging from a few degrees lower to several degrees higher than the average main lake temperature. During transitional times of year...like right now...even a couple of degrees warmer can be huge. Otherwise, you should always keep track of the range of temps on every fishing trip and record them in a fishing log for future reference. Water temps are a big part of the planning for every trip I make...based upon past experiences...good and bad.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good to be able to see a continuous readout of the changing bottom structure and composition. The greyline feature is just about standard on most sonars but some are more detailed and better than others. Read some reviews. Bottom detail is not as important when fishing for suspending species...like trout and crappies. But, it can make a lot of difference when searching for bass, walleyes or perch.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The side-finder options are very helpful when fishing for the aforementioned suspending fish. Fly fishing for trout is one activity in which the ability to see out around you, and note where the fish are...and at what depth...make it much easier to direct your casts and make a good presentation. "You cain't ketch 'em where they ain't". But, unless you DO fish for suspending fish, that option is not as useful. Having a bottom zoom feature could be a better deal.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you want to spend the extra bucks, you can look at foo foo stuff...like color, GPS, etc. It is all nice and can enhance the use of your unit. But if you are looking more for function than bling, stick with a budget.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...I have a perfectly good Eagle Cuda 168EX all rigged for floatation fishing that you can borrow to play with and get familiar with how they work. It is low wattage and not as accurate in displaying fish targets as higher wattage units, but I used it to good effect for a couple of years. If we can hit Willard next week I will bring it along for you to try.[/#0000ff]
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I will take you up on the spare sonar use for next week. PM me when you think is a good day. I want to get out there in the next day or so to have a look around. Mean while I am going to be buying a new sonar soon and am taking in all possible ideas.[fishin]
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I recently converted my Marcum flasher over to my kayak. Used it this last weekend and caught 7 fish in a few hours. It worked well for me. As I was moving I could see the drops in the floor but you do have to keep your eyes glued to it. Since flashers are real time, if you look away for a second you can miss a "honey hole". I was actually jigging vertically with my ice fishing poles and could see my jig below me, so that was pretty cool.
I already had it so it cost me nothing to convert it over and thought I would try it. I will likely still buy a cheap LCD to use though so I dont have to be glued to the screen. Most of the LCD's are waterproof as well, which is a plus. I feel a dual beam transducer would be nice as well since im usually fishing in 6-8 ft and that only translates to about a 3 foot circle under you with a 19 degree.
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