01-30-2009, 02:02 AM
I er, I mean Santa Clause debated this issue for months. I read every argument and debate and even a little bit of factual information on the subject. [:p]
Some people were looking for something that works well for summer and winter. You can find finders that work well for both such as the Lowrance x-67 ice machine. My friend has one and it works well. However if you are looking for the very best for ice fishing I would consider a flasher. They are durable, work in real time and made for ice fishing.
The downfalls of a flasher are the circular dial which takes a little getting used to, and some math but its not rocket science.
The Marcum LX-5 is probably the best flasher on the market right now, but it is very pricey. It has a duel beam transducer for a narrow or wide beam. You can buy a duel beam transducer for a vexilar but then it costs as much as a Marcum. The Marcum can zoom in on any part of the water column that you want to.
[url "http://www.marcumtech.com/"]http://www.marcumtech.com/[/url]
The Vexilars are great. I bought the FL-18, which is like the Fl-8 except with bottom zoom. When I turn on the bottom zoom function I can see the bottom 6 ft of water in more detail on the left side of my dial. This really helps with bottom hugging fish like perch. The local stores only seem to carry the propacks the Genz pack is the most economical and comes with everything you need to get started ice fishing. I paid $339 for mine. Check the online companies for the best deals.
The Fl-12 is like the FL-8 except it has a flat dial so you can see it better from an angle. The Fl-21 is like the Fl-18 except it comes with the new flat dial and cost $100 more.
[url "http://www.vexilar.com/"]http://www.vexilar.com/[/url]
Another option is a new finder called the showdown. It has a vertical display and works like a flasher. The reviews are mixed. The people who get a good one from the factory seem to love it. Others get a dud and have to exchange it.
[url "http://www.showdownfishfinder.com/"]http://www.showdownfishfinder.com/[/url]
I love my Vexilar flasher. It has made a world of difference on suspended fish and bottom hugging fish, so I guess thats all of them.[cool] I had a blast looking at the school of Kokanee the other day and sending my jig to the bottom of the school to pick off the bigger ones. It really is amazing.
Good Luck with whatever you decide on. They are all better than nothing.
Windriver
[signature]
Some people were looking for something that works well for summer and winter. You can find finders that work well for both such as the Lowrance x-67 ice machine. My friend has one and it works well. However if you are looking for the very best for ice fishing I would consider a flasher. They are durable, work in real time and made for ice fishing.
The downfalls of a flasher are the circular dial which takes a little getting used to, and some math but its not rocket science.
The Marcum LX-5 is probably the best flasher on the market right now, but it is very pricey. It has a duel beam transducer for a narrow or wide beam. You can buy a duel beam transducer for a vexilar but then it costs as much as a Marcum. The Marcum can zoom in on any part of the water column that you want to.
[url "http://www.marcumtech.com/"]http://www.marcumtech.com/[/url]
The Vexilars are great. I bought the FL-18, which is like the Fl-8 except with bottom zoom. When I turn on the bottom zoom function I can see the bottom 6 ft of water in more detail on the left side of my dial. This really helps with bottom hugging fish like perch. The local stores only seem to carry the propacks the Genz pack is the most economical and comes with everything you need to get started ice fishing. I paid $339 for mine. Check the online companies for the best deals.
The Fl-12 is like the FL-8 except it has a flat dial so you can see it better from an angle. The Fl-21 is like the Fl-18 except it comes with the new flat dial and cost $100 more.
[url "http://www.vexilar.com/"]http://www.vexilar.com/[/url]
Another option is a new finder called the showdown. It has a vertical display and works like a flasher. The reviews are mixed. The people who get a good one from the factory seem to love it. Others get a dud and have to exchange it.
[url "http://www.showdownfishfinder.com/"]http://www.showdownfishfinder.com/[/url]
I love my Vexilar flasher. It has made a world of difference on suspended fish and bottom hugging fish, so I guess thats all of them.[cool] I had a blast looking at the school of Kokanee the other day and sending my jig to the bottom of the school to pick off the bigger ones. It really is amazing.
Good Luck with whatever you decide on. They are all better than nothing.
Windriver
[signature]