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So I've been dreaming of getting a Marcum LX-7 for ice season this year. What are your thoughts about ice finders? I have always used my boat finder, but last year after fishing with Matt I seen that I've only been getting part of the story. I couldn't believe how sensitive that finder was for showing when multiple fish would come in, and also showing bottom huggers. Anyway before I pull the trigger anyone know of a better finder? Later J
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I have the LX3tc and the LX7 and I can't tell you enough how much I like them. Granted I haven't used anything else, I do wish I could get the same sensitivity experience out of my Humminbird.
Good luck with your decision. You can't go wrong with the LX7.
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In my humble opinion, the Showdown not only raises the bar, it is the bar!
(I know I've heard that phrase before)
The Showdown has a vertical display showing the water column and the detail is amazing. The unit doesn't make any noise and there are no whirling wheels to decipher to identify fish and structure.
I know many fishermen who love the flasher type units but I've never liked using them. The Showdown's performance is excellent and you don't have to decode the flashing colors and listen to the buzzing sounds. Battery performance is very good and customer service at Marcum is exceptional.
However the question is much like Ford, Chevy or Dodge? All of them have good points and some have drawbacks.
Mike
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[#800000][font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]Yep, its the old Ford, Chevy, Ram debate. They will all 'get er don,' as Larry likes to say. However, comma, most (but certainly not all) of the pros that produce the commercial videos for TV and youtube, are mostly using Vexilars; as do I. My new (last season) FLX28 is absolutely amazing. Sorry Mike, but with these old,tired eyes, it is WAY easier to see the fish marks on a flasher than ANY other type of display. If you want the very best, get a Vexilar. [fishin]
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Bob Hicks, from Utah
I'm 81 years young and going as hard as I can for as long as I can.
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Since I started using a Showdown I have been amazed.
I have never caught catfish and carp through the ice until this Showdown.
I just wait until a bar(fish) matches up to my offering and I set the hook. I have to assume these were missed 'inquires' until I could see it on the screen.
Full disclosure: I have never used the LX-7, maybe it is as good or better?
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Most people have used only one or perhaps two brands of ice finders. Naturally, that's the kind they'll recommend.
Which means that they're all pretty good.
My only one was a Showdown, and I thought it was the best. I liked the long battery life, the silent operation, the heated screen (for much faster response), and most of all the completely intuitive vertical display. The ability to see the entire column or zoom in to the bottom five or ten feet was also much appreciated. Bottom-hugging perch or suspended crappie had no chance to escape being seen - and targeted.
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Thanks for the encouragement, I use a Humminbird as well, and I can see my jigs on it, but nothing like Matt's LX last year... I had to admit there is something better... and I'm hoping this will be the machine... Another friend had the LX-9 with the camera and that was the first one that I noticed that really seemed to be good at seeing stuff that mine never showed, but I can't afford $1200 for another finder so I was glad they have the 7 at a more affordable point, I know the 6 would save me a $100 but I think the bigger screen and better target separation might be worth the $100... Thanks again... J
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Now Mike, the LX-7 has the option of using the showdown graphs right? To me I don't like the flasher dial either, my brain just can't adjust to it. So I think if I get the LX, I'll set it up with the showdown, the showdown zoom window and then the 2D graphing so I can see the history of what has been going on... That's what I think would make the ultimate ice fishing display... But I agree that showdown vertical makes much more sense to me, now if I can just get my head around the colors quick enough to realize what is happening... I'm sure that will come with time on the pond... Thanks for the input.. J
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Bob I should have come over and looked at your Vex up there at Whitney... I was loving Matt's display up there, we would watch those tigers come in one or two at a time and Matt would talk them into biting and you could see the whole story on the display... It's a nice machine.. Guess the snow was too deep to walk over very easy that day though... Maybe should have checked it out at Strawberry, but didn't think about it at the time... Thanks for your input... J
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Hey Shane,
I think the showdown graph is part of the LX-7, maybe not as big of display, but I think it's the same company so I think it works the same way... I know what you're saying about the catfish, had a friend go fishing with me once down on Cutler and he would watch the fish come up to his lure, give a tug and it was fish on, and I've never been able to catch one through the ice, I just don't ever see a bite... And we didn't that day either, it was all the graph that let him catch those fish... So hoping to have that ability in the future... Later J
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With my Showdown I can drop a single waxie down the hole and watch it go slowly down to the bottom until a fish intercepts it.
You can actually tell when you have lost your bait off your hook also.
I also love the portability but I did cut a small piece of plywood for it to rest on the ice or else the neoprene case freezes to the ice.
Good luck in your decision.
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Rocky,
I agree with you completely, I was stuck on using my Humminbird on the ice and it worked fine, but last year after watching Matt's finder I realized that mine wasn't as good as I thought...
I think that showdown graph is a lot easier for me to react too as well, so seeing that ability on the LX I think it will be a help for my fishing... I know last year a lot of the fish I caught snuck in on me before I ever seen them on the graph.. Don't know if that was delayed display, or just a fast strike, but it is fun to see the fish and try coaxing it into hitting the lure.. Used a camera a little at the end of last season and it sure was interesting to watch how the fish reacted... I was amazed how many times they hit without ever showing anything on my strike indicator or fishfinder... Guess that's why I started wanting something different, then seeing Matt's working at Whitney and Strawberry I started getting the bug for a replacement.. I guess the one thing that the LX needs is the GPS for location and mapping, but I don't want to pay the price for that next higher unit that has it... Might still be taking both units or getting a handheld gps... Always one more trinket that I think I need... Oh well sorry for the motor mouth... Later J
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I was joking, sort of, last year when I told someone I could see when the fish stole my bait, but I actually did see a slight change in my display, but now I'm starting to think these newer graphs might be that good. I'm glad to hear the showdown is that accurate. I was using my Vexilar Sonar Phone at the time last year and it's a pretty cheap unit so I'm hoping the stand alone higher end units will make it possible to know if you still have bait or need to reel in and rebait. They sure are making some great tools these days. Later J
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[#0000FF]This is a discussion we have on the boards at least once a year. It is good to get input from those who have used the different models...and who have their personal preferences. It can be pretty expensive to conduct your own buy-and-try experiments.
I gotta giggle a little when I harken back to the days of the stone sonars (joke). Seriously, I can't believe we caught as many fish as we did when nobody was using any kind of electronics at all. We just drilled a few holes and let 'er rip. Amazingly, we caught lots of fish...maybe more than we do today. But conditions on most of our fave ice ponds have changed a lot too.
Over a period of more than 40 years of ice fishing in Utah...and Idaho, Colorado and California...I have either owned, used or observed just about every kind of sonar on the market.
Most of the models I used at first were simply conversions from the units I used on my float tubes...usually LCD displays that did only a marginal job of displaying depth, bottom structure and maybe some fish...not in real time. They did let me know how deep I was fishing and how deep the fish were holding or cruising...and there was a visible record in case I looked away from the screen. But I often used them more just to know the depth and to see if there were ANY fish...and where.
On those early systems there were none of the refinements of real time units that would have allowed me to discern my jigs and to see fish coming in to inspect or munch them. That is a huge advantage of more modern technology. It puts a whole new element of finesse into the game. Being able to see fish approach your jigs lets you get ready for those imperceptible inquiries...and set the hook in fish you would otherwise never know were there. Or...if you see fish coming in but not biting you know you have to change up your offerings or your presentation. Also something you would not know without sensitive real time display.
After using and/or observing various colored display flashers...Marcums and Vexilars...I opted for trying the vertical display Showdown. I used it for four years and was happy with my choice. Once I learned how to properly tune it and read it I was able to get all the info I needed. But I gotta admit, I do admire and respect the Vex and Marc guys who stay glued to their screens and call the action as they work their video games and their rods to call in and catch the fish. Some are artists.
No personal advice on what to buy. Do your homework and set up trips with other guys who have the units you are considering. If they will put up with you looking over their shoulders and asking all your silly questions you should be able to make a better informed decision.
Money is always a concern. Technology costs money. But if you do it right your investment will be long term and the value will be in the increased success and enjoyment you get on every trip. As I used to advise prospective customers for the products and services I represented..."If you had all the money in the world, and nothing else to spend it on, what would you buy?" Then buy what you want...what you really, really want (apologies to the Spice Girls).
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Thanks Pat,
Ya know every year I keep thinking it sure would be cool if a local gear dealer would set up a come try the gear on the lake day.... But it's really tough to out guess the weather and know when you'll have good ice to draw a crowd out to see your products... Maybe Cabela's could set up some fish finders on their indoor ponds and let ya check them out.... Just a far fetched idea, but sure would be better than kicking it into simulation mode that they show you the best of examples and then expect you to find that kind of results when you get out on your own... Anyway would be nice to see a side by side comparison of the different products when you could see through the glass and know what was really underneath the transducers... Do they do something like this at the trade shows? Oh well I'll keep dreaming and look over others shoulders... Later J
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I have a 3 and a 5 or maybe it's a 7 send me a pm when u are going out and u can use mine to seen what u like they haven't been on the ice for about 2 years but I love them when I do go they work great.
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[#0000FF]It really would be great to have a lineup of different makes and models on the ice...in the same area on the same day...to be able to compare readouts under similar conditions. Only two problems: First is that some units create a lot of nasty interference for others. Second is that often the fish will be holding in one small area and you can't possibly see the same thing on two sonars several feet apart.
Don't know if you have gone into Sportsmans or Cabelas and actually used some of the units in simulation mode. There are usually enough examples to at least give you some idea of what the unit will do. After that it is all a matter of individual experiences on different waters for different species. Almost impossible to anticipate everything when programming a simulator.
Like I said, get in front of a few on the ice with some of the nice folks here on the board. Boy scouts should be prepared...to start a fire by rubbing two girl scouts together.
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The 2018 Ice Fishing Tactical Gear Guide by In-Fisherman magazine is now available, and it reviews Vexilar, Marcum, Garmin and Humminbird units. Basically it only gives a summation of the product line, and doesn't rate them as one being better than another. And there's only 2 pages to the article. So it may not serve your needs. But I thought I'd throw that in the conversation.
Personally, I prefer Vexilar, and have multiple units for family use.
Good luck selecting a unit!
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Wow thanks that's really nice, if I make it to ice without jumping in and buying one I'll contact you and see if you want to hit a pond and try it. Thanks for that offer. You still trying Bear Lake? I've been wanting to get back over there but had too many tasks to wrap up for the fall, but hopefully soon I'll return. Thanks J
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Hey Pat might be good to see which units don't have problems with interference. And I have played with the simulator but it's hard to tell if they will pick up your jigs and real application type things like how do they deal with floating debrie in the spring or can you tell weeds from fish and etc. maybe we can do a BFT gear trial one day and have folks bring their finders and let everyone try the others to see if there's something better out there. Too bad it's so hard to pull something like that off. Later J
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