02-12-2004, 03:27 AM
I've been using an older fish buddy for a few years now. This is my take on it: [ul] [li]First, for ice fishing/still fishing TURN THE FISH ALARM (fish symbols) OFF!! On mine that is pushing the 'fish alarm' button until there are are not any fish symbols on the top of the display. If you are doing it right, you should see your still lure as a line across the screen. When you jig, it is like drawing curved lines. When a mack goes after your jig it looks like a thicker line coming off the bottom towards your jig line. When the lines meet, get ready for a bite.[/li] [li]The unit is close to worthless in shallow water with the 9 degree cone.[/li] [li]It doesn't perform very well in the cold. I recommend taking it to your ice fishing destination in the cab of your truck.[/li] [li]With the fish buddy, I often get bites before I see the fish.[/li] [li]I usually need to aim my fish buddy carefully to get a clear image of my jig.[/li] [li]Overall, the fish buddy does not stack up to other fishfinders for ice fishing in my opinion.[/li] [li]For the $200 dollar range I would get a FishMark 480 by Eagle. For a larger budget I would get a Lowrance X125 or 135. I just purchased an X125. It is much better than the fish buddy.[/li] [li]I still use the fish buddy when scouting for structure. I pour water on clear ice and place the fishbuddy transducer on the ice and read the bottom depth. With the Lowrance I read fish doing this.[/li][/ul]
Anyway, that is my 50 cents worth.
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Anyway, that is my 50 cents worth.
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