Flasher opinions, help and advise

[Top_of_the_chop]

Hello fishing community. I'm hoping to get some help and advise from those of you who are familiar with flashers. I've never owned one, but am looking to make the switch from a traditional fish finder. This will primarily be used for ice fishing. I'd appreciate any input, good or bad, on as many makes and model flashers you all have owned and used. Thanks in advance, I look forward to hearing the input.
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[PIKEMAN99]

vexlar FL 18 best bang for your buck
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[Kent]

There is a wealth of information on here regarding this subject:

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?&do=forum_view&forum=129"]Link:[/url]

Also, go to this forum and just look down the list of threads and read the ones discussing fish finders:

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?forum=129"]Link:[/url]
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[Tarponjim]

Switch from an LCD sonar display to a flasher? That's one small step for a fisherman, one giant leap backwards for your fishing. Like going back to 8-tracks. (or 45's for those who know what those are) Move forward, not back.
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[CacheIceMan]

For icefishing, I will take a flasher over sonar any day of the week. More real-time accuracy. My personal preference 100%
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[Fowl-Hook]

The real time difference ( 1/10 of a second or so) between a flasher and a more typical display is so small simple human response limitation would not benefit from it. However the memory function of a screen scrolling history for many seconds provides great benefit to draw conclusions about what just happened beneath the transducer.
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[fishday]

I agree with Tarpon Jim. Flashers are the original fish finder and have thus been around a long time. See my response to Bowhunterholic for an idea on an all purpose ff for ice and soft water.
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[ice_sled]

I have always ice fished with a Vex. I have fished in the Great Lakes states and the flasher tends to be the sonar of choice by guides as well as the avid fisherman. Graphs for open water ; flasher for ice. Millions of American and Canadian ice fisherman can't be wrong😊
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[Fishrmn]

Does anyone still have a distributor and a set of points or a carburetor in their car? Why would you use 60 year old technology in a fish finder? Anybody have a rotary phone? They're reliable and bulletproof.

Buy a cheap fish finder, and that's what you've got. A cheap fish finder. Put some money into one and learn how to use it.



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[doggonefishin]

[quote Top_of_the_chop] I've never owned one, but am looking to make the switch from a traditional fish finder. [/quote]


Why do you want to switch? The answer to that may guide us in giving you the best advice.

As for which are better, as evinced by the gazillions of threads on this subject we have every year, it is a typical Ford, Chevy, Dodge question. Both work and have their advantages for certain people. If you want to change simply because of what you have read on BFT and think all the cool kids have a flasher, you could be making a mistake. That said, here would be a couple suggestions FWIW.

1. If possible, try other anglers fish finders (of both types) and see as many as possible in action before buying. A reason may show itself that makes the decision for you. For instance, I simply cannot look at that flasher screen for very long without getting a headache. It is very unpleasant for me to spend a day fishing while using a flasher. That single fact makes the decision for me. I have an LCD. Most of my ice fishing buddies don't have this problem and love their flashers. We all are happy.

2. In spite of what you will often hear, if your LCD has a real time function, and almost all but the cheapest LCD's do, there is simply no functional "delay" in graphing what is happening under the ice. You can see the fish come in in real time and see the fish interface with the jig at the same time you see or feel the bite. No delays at all.

3. I've fished with some of the best ice fishermen on this board and can say that as long as you know how to use the finder you have, you won't be outfished because of the finder.

4. Having seen most of the popular units out there among friends that use flashers, were I to buy one, I would get a Marcum.
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[Kent]

I own both a flasher and a LCD screen. I greatly prefer the flasher, unless the water is approximately 60' or deeper, and then I move to my LCD, because the LCD, with its additional power, it can zoom into the bottom better. I just prefer the simplicity of the flasher and it shows me everything that I need to see while ice fishing (my jig and the fish). My first fish finder, for ice fishing, was an LCD screen model and I moved to the flasher.
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[Kent]

[quote doggonefishin]

1. If possible, try other anglers fish finders (of both types) and see as many as possible in action before buying. A reason may show itself that makes the decision for you.

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Great advice and if one were to wander around the ice, on a Saturday at any of the popular lakes, one should be able to see many different fish finders in action. I bet most anglers would be happy to explain why they like or don't like their fish finder.
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[dubob]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Hey Top, wise move switching to a flasher. Todays flasher technology is NOT what your grandpa used. It is every bit as up to date as any sonar out there. And if you watch any of the ice fishing videos involving the ice fishing professionals, every last one of them is using a flasher sonar. Why do you suppose that is the case? It just may be that it actually IS the best choice for ice fishing. I mean, why would the Pros be using something second best?[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]My FLx28 is now good for fishing in 300 FOW but I'll likely never hit that depth. My advice would be to buy the very best unit your wallet will handle and don't look back. And the Vexilar, Marcum, and Humminbird units are all good. Do buy one with a digital depth reading on the screen. Reading depth from the flash marks is a PITA.[/#800000][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Good luck and tight lines to you.[/#800000][/font]
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[CacheIceMan]

Amen! there is a reason all the top fishing pros from Clam etc on their TV shows only use flashers when ice fishing!
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[r2u2]

I own 4 flashers and recommend them. Always will.

Another thought? Maybe the pros use them because thats what their sponsor want them to use. Just a thought, no arguments.
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[dwayneb]

My first ice fishing sonar was an FL-8 vex flasher. I used this for 2 yrs then moved up to a Marcum LX-5 flasher. Last year I upgraded to the Marcum LX-7. This is a unit that features an 8" LCD screen. I can have 3 split screens all at once if I please....digital flasher with depth, graph, zoom, etc...many options. Since moving to this unit I have transitioned to graph only. The fact is with the Marcum LX-6,7,9 you can use whatever type of display that works best for you. Having said that these units are bit more expensive. I say get whatever you feel most comfortable with. For me I will never return to a traditional flasher....the eight inch lcd screen has me spoiled...I think worth mentioning is the Marcum units fight off interference better than a vex considering how strong their sonars are....also better color display and feature availability. This is not meant to start a vex war....Im speaking from my experience. Not great pictures but Ive included some screen shots of the Marcum LX-7
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[Hookinup]

Agree with you on this post. I just bought the LX 7 and it has a scrolling graph as well as a flasher fucntion.

Have owned an LX5 for about 6 years. I like both of them.
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[dubob]

[quote r2u2]Maybe the pros use them because thats what their sponsor want them to use. Just a thought, no arguments.[/quote][font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]Agree; but all the independent pros use flashers as well. And they can use anything they want.[/#800000][/font]
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[CacheIceMan]

[quote r2u2]I own 4 flashers and recommend them. Always will.

Another thought? Maybe the pros use them because thats what their sponsor want them to use. Just a thought, no arguments.[/quote]

True story! Flasher are still my choice as well, but sponsor are real too! lol

I guess there will always be sonar LCD people and flasher folks (not literally)
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[Troutman_2]

I'll chime in in support of flashers as well. One thing to think about is that if you fish in shallow water, you may want to choose a flasher with a wider transducer angle or a dual angle transducer that can switch between narrow and wide. I like the Marcum line (LX-5 and up) that come with an 8 and 20 degree dual angle transducer.
The narrower angle 8-9 degree, Vexilar's Pro-View transducer, etc... are great for deeper water or reducing clutter on the screen when you are over a school of future dinner, but give you a limited transducer "footprint" in shallow water.
The higher power Marcum models run down your battery a little faster than the Vexilars. Consider spending a little extra to get a model with a digital battery meter so you never get left in the dark without warning.
You can get into a big discussion about target ID size, target separation, and resolution if you want but I think you'll find that Marcum, Vexilar, and Humminbird all make some pretty neat flashers. Choose one that has the features you want and pull the trigger.
Since it is one of the larger ice fishing purchases many people make, I would recommend getting the best one you can afford. Unless you are on a super tight budget on don't mind having to buy a better unit in the near future, I would suggest you stay away from the Bobber-style wifi sonar/flasher units. They seem to be more of a gimmick than really useful. (Short battery life, low power, require phone to view, etc...)

Good luck and share your experience once you get one!