So I'm thinking of picking this up to use for ice fishing. Any one used this one or do you have one that you prefer? Any advice is welcome. Thanks.
[url "http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/ice-fishing/ice-fishing-electronics%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/110951280/lowrance-reg-elite-3x-portable-sonar/1884296.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-fishing-electronics%2F_%2FN-1105957%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_110951280"]http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/ice-fishing/ice-fishing-electronics%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/110951280/lowrance-reg-elite-3x-portable-sonar/1884296.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-fishing-electronics%2F_%2FN-1105957%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_110951280[/url]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]DJ,[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]You will find a lot of ice fishing folks like to use a standard sonar just like they have on their boat. I'm not one of them. Boat fishing and ice fishing are two very different sports that require different approaches and different equipment.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]My personal preference for ice fishing is pretty much what most of the professional guys seen in YouTube videos use; a Vexilar. The pros use them because they give you more and better detail than boat sonars. There will be some on here that will disagree. And I respect their disagreement. And I'll just continue to use my Vexilar with the knowledge that I'm using the very best equipment for the activity I'm enjoying.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]But you should know up front that Vexilars are NOT inexpensive. The simplest model (FL 8) starts about $350 new and the top of the line (FLX 28) goes for around $650 to $700 new. I'll be upgrading to the FLX 28 Pro Pack in December (early Christmas present).[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]If budget constraints will not allow you to get the best, then I would guess the Lowrance® Elite-3x Portable Sonar you're looking at will be way better than fishing blind (no sonar). But once you see a really good flasher type sonar in action on the ice, trust me, you're gonna want one.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Good luck and tight lines to you this ice season.[/#800000][/font]
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Thanks for the reply. ive never used a flasher before but I know that grandpa always wanted to get one before he gave up on ice fishing. Yeah for right now im kinda on a tighter budget so ive got to go a little on the cheaper side, but I wouldn't be against seeing a flasher in action and the benefits of them.
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I have purchased a used Vexilar and a used Marcum and they were both great units. One doesn't have to go new.
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i have used that that type of sonar for years and they work great for me . i don't think you will go wrong with that one and it is a good price to boot.
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I use a Humminbird sonar that's very similar to the Lowrance you're considering. The main advantage to a flasher used to be that it showed returns in real time. Traditional fish finders had a bit of a delay so they kinda sucked for ice fishing. Not anymore! My Humminbird has real-time returns and a variety of viewing modes. The flashers I tried had a really annoying hum which I couldn't stand, and only one display option. You can use the flasher display on the Lowrance but I prefer the regular sonar or down imaging views. I can easily see my jigs on the sonar and also any fish that come in.
There's another advantage to sonar that a flasher doesn't have: it shows a record of the fish that already came through. This allows you to know if a fish came through while you weren't looking, and also gives you plenty of time to see what depth that fish was at.
A lot if it comes down to personal preference. I prefer a fish finder myself, but the main thing is being able to see if there are fish present, and if so at what depth. Any sonar device with real-time returns will work well for ice fishing.
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Going thru the same thing. Been using a really old fish eagle unit. Basically just for depth but will kind of show what depth fish are cruising at.
Been trying to convince myself to buy the Garmin Stryker 4DV.
https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-01551-...+striker+4
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