01-04-2005, 04:45 AM
Not surprising, sonar is sonar. The signals go down and the echos return. The echos are then displayed in two different ways. Fishfinders display the 'instantaneous' or somewhat 'delayed' readings along the side of the screen with a history that moves across the screen. If you take the reading from the 'live' side of the fishfinder's screen and wrap it around a dial you have a flasher. Same data and readings with two different representations. Neither can be better. It's the same data. Yes, there is a difference in the power/watts across the various units which will help with deeper water. It all boils down to features and preference. A flasher shows an instant snapshot of the existing conditions with no history. Because of this flashers will never show a history of the contour of the botton as you drive your boat across it. To some folks this is important. Fishfinders are very good at this. I have no boat, and I don't drive my icehole across the lake so the flasher works fine for me. Someone else can surely use their fishfinder equally as well as I can work my flasher.
Read these seemingly never ending posts on sonar, study up on the manufacturers websites, check other people's units out on the ice, and buy yourself a unit. Then learn to use it and it will give you an edge that you dont have without a finder/flasher. I catch more fish with a finder than I do without. But at times I am still outfished by a buddy sitting right next to me without a finder/flasher. Its' still fishing. That's the beauty of it!
I have a MarCum LX-3, my son has a Vexilar FL-18. We fish with them side by side. If anyone would like to see them, make arrangements to find us on the ice. We would be happy to show you how they work.
That said, IMHO flashers are better than fishfinders[
], and I prefer the LX-3 to the FL-18
]
Sorry to ramble on so....
Chester
[signature]
Read these seemingly never ending posts on sonar, study up on the manufacturers websites, check other people's units out on the ice, and buy yourself a unit. Then learn to use it and it will give you an edge that you dont have without a finder/flasher. I catch more fish with a finder than I do without. But at times I am still outfished by a buddy sitting right next to me without a finder/flasher. Its' still fishing. That's the beauty of it!
I have a MarCum LX-3, my son has a Vexilar FL-18. We fish with them side by side. If anyone would like to see them, make arrangements to find us on the ice. We would be happy to show you how they work.
That said, IMHO flashers are better than fishfinders[
], and I prefer the LX-3 to the FL-18![]Sorry to ramble on so....
Chester
[signature]