# Sell me a flasher!



## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Every year for the last few years, I have added an expensive (or at least somewhat expensive) piece of gear for ice fishing. I now have all the rods and tackle, a gas auger, and and ice shelter. My dad has a fish finder that we have been using, but it doesn't seem to cut the mustard often times. I'm thinking I would like to try to get a flasher this year as my big ticket addition to the arsenal. 

I don't have a lot to spend, and in fact I will probably be selling some stuff to get what I want, but I would like to get something that will serve me well for at least a few years until I can afford to upgrade. I'm thinking $400 would be my spending limit. 

I most often ice fish at Echo (probably not much this year), Strawberry, and East Canyon. I would like to try Fishlake this year, as well as a handful of others. Trout are most often what we go after, but we occasionally chase perch as well. 

So, pretend for a moment that you are a flasher salesman. What would best fit my needs?


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## Ton_Def (Dec 23, 2008)

For $400 I would say Marcum Lx-3 all the way! It may appear simpler than many other other models out there, thus people think it is "less" than the others.. but that's the first selling point, it's simple to use. Turn it on, turn down the sensitivity to clear out the clutter, and fish on! It has knobs instead of buttons, creating a visual feedback that a button cannot. Buttons tend to wear out...

Second would be power. The Marcums are extremely powerful for the price, resulting in a "clearer" column, and defined target seperation.

Third is interference rejection. I have used Marcums side by side with Humminbirds and Vexilars, and the Marcum will be able to knock out anything next to it, while the others still get feedback.

Fourth is customer service. The guys at Marcum answer the phone themselves, not some automated call center. They are fisherman like yourself and use their products. I have only had one issue over the course of 3 units, and they took the time to diagnose the problem over the phone, and after telling them I used my unit often they paid for the overnight shipping to return it to me! A real stand up company dedicated to customer satisfaction, not the dollar...

I could go on and on about my own opinions on Marcum, but eh, its like Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge.  The bottom line is the price and specs. The numbers don't lie.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

As stated by Ton-Def its like Chevy vs. Ford vs. Dodge. We have Vex FL12 and very pleased with them. We've recently upgraded to the Humminbird Ice 55. I wanted a zoom feature, dual beam tranducer and also a digital readout for depth, night time adjustment, including a target line. So not a sales person but did find this link for you to browse through will give you details on all the flashers. Good luck and may your research and best sales presentation give you the flasher to meet the ice fishing needs you desire.

http://www.ice-fishing-central.com/ice- ... shers.html


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## Ton_Def (Dec 23, 2008)

I wondered if there was any sort of side by side comparisons out there.. K2 got me Googling, and I found another link:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=38003.0


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

After seeing some of the cameras on sale over the weekend, it got me to wondering if it wouldn't be a bad idea to save a little cheese and buy an underwater camera instead of a flasher. What advantages or disadvantages would there be to using a camera only?


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## Ton_Def (Dec 23, 2008)

Chaser said:


> What advantages or disadvantages would there be to using a camera only?


 The underwater cameras are neat! They allow you to view the action in real-time. There are a few drawbacks though.

First, they do not mark depth. To many that would be the most crucial thing to know while ice fishing. Sure, there are tricks to finding your depth, but why not have it displayed on a unit you have purchased?

Second, would be field of view. You only see what is in front of the camera. Nothing more. With a sonar unit it transmits in a cone shape, allowing you to "see" a broader range of whats going on down below.

Once again, another debate with broadly ranging views. Camera vs. Sonar. I would be interested in others views as well. I am sure though; no matter what you decide to purchase, you will be happy with, as it will only increase the fun on the ice!


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I would never own a camera only. 
One would be nice to have along with a finder though.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

+1 on Ton_Def's reply.

If I could only take one thing on the ice, it would be a camera over a finder. It does have its limitations but the pro's far outweigh this.

On a tight budget, you can use a cheap older boat finder by mounting the transducer to a stick that holds it over the hole. I dont understand why flashers are so rediculously expensive... you can get a reasonable priced used fish finder off ebay for $50. I still use an old Eagle Magna III for ice fishing and catch plenty of fish.


-DallanC


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Well then, so I ask the question- If my dad has a finder already (just a $100 Humminbird unit), would it be a good idea to save some money and just buy a camera unit to use in unison with the finder? Or would it still be more effective to use a flasher and leave the finder and camera at home? 

It seems to me that we have fish show up on the finder pretty regularly. It is also awesome to have for the depth finding aspect, but its so tough to tell just exactly what the fish are doing down there. There have been times when you see the fish show up... they bite, if not very lightly, barely at all, then split. It would be nice to see what the heck they are doing down there, and how they are reacting to the bait in front of them. So much time is spent each outing figuring out where the fish are, what they are biting, and what presentation they react to. Flattening the learning curve for each trip would really increase the enjoyment, especially when I take friends and family out who never/rarely go. Its tough when you don't have much success.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Cameras are relatively inexpensive, compared to Flashers.
Sounds like you want one so get one.
It will keep you entertained for many hours.

I use a finder that has real time and shows my smallest jigs at work.
It have worked well for me for several years.
I would like up upgrade to a flasher some day but not at the prices that they are going for right now.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Tell me about the real time finders GrandpaD. I have heard them mentioned, but I couldn't begin to tell you what the difference is between a real time one, and any old finder.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Chaser said:


> Tell me about the real time finders GrandpaD. I have heard them mentioned, but I couldn't begin to tell you what the difference is between a real time one, and any old finder.


Its just that, the "flashes" or lines around the flasher show what is in the water at exactly that moment. Other finders can have delayed readouts, it used to be more pronounced in really old fish finders... my old finder is delayed maybe only a fraction of a second, not enough for me to care about.

-DallanC


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

You can get real time in both flashers and regular fish finder sonar.
I use a Fish Eagle 320 and when I lower my jig into the ice hole, I can see it as it descends down to the bottom.
Once on the bottom, I will slowly jig up and down and watch the finder screen. It shows me if a fish is following my jig. This is all done in real time.
In other words I see what is happening as it happens without any delay on the screen.
Flashers are very good at this, where as some finders will have enough of a delay that by the time you see something happening on the screen, it has already happened and the fish has moved on.


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