Author Topic: LCD Fish Finders (Read 5671 times)

str8781 · « **on:** Dec 05, 2005, 01:50 PM »

Guys,
We all know that flashers have some advantages over LCD displays when it comes to ice fishing. But one obvious disadvantage is price. I want to hear from those who have used LCD's on the ice.
For those flasher guys who want to give me their two cents, thanks (but just not right now).
Here's the reason for me wanting an LCD:
1) I want an inexpensive way to judge water depth (especially through the ice -- save my auger)
2) I want to know what depth the fish are at (keep me from laddering my lure)
3) I would like to know if a school has moved (keep me from fishing a baron area)

4) I don't care as much about detecting a bite through my electronics, I have nerve endings for that. Besides, I find that most of my ice fishing hook sets are after I let the fish run with the bait for a few seconds.

So, once again, this is for those who know about LCD's on ice or use them. Which are the best and which should people steer clear from? Flasher guys, you're more than welcome to put in your two cents, just so long as it is about LCD units.
Thanks,
~Str8781

lakehopper · « **Reply #1 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 03:10 PM »

i've used a hummingbird wideye and 101 on the ice with good luck
i just take it off my boat and hook it up to a lawn mower battery
only bad thing is unless you take the time to set it up right ya have to leave it lay on the ice or in the bottom of a bucket
you will want to set the scroll rate up as fast as it will go
also if you cant see your jig on it set the gain up until you can
best thing i like about lcd or lcr is you dont have to sit there looking at it all the time like you do a flasher

str8781 · « **Reply #2 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 04:39 PM »

Thanks Lakehopper,
Yeah, I'm catching on to the gain controls. But I've never heard anyone mention increasing the scroll speed. That sounds like a good idea. I've heard of some displays being almost as fast as a flasher. However, what interests me the most is that those fish finders aren't the most "cutting edge." If you have any more advice, I'd be happy to know. And how about anyone else? Any other LCD people out there with a different setup? How about converting tackle boxes to fit the battery, salt water, display, and transducer? And how about their ability to shoot through the ice?
~Str8781

hollis · « **Reply #3 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 05:47 PM »

You might see if you can find a Zercom LPG 2000, sometimes youi can get them pretty cheaply. I like it better than my flasher, It IS in real time and the screen is rated to -20.

reelbigfish · « **Reply #4 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 07:20 PM »

Guys,
Great topic. I'm chasing large panfish all winter. I use a Eagle Supra Pro I.D. portable for one thing only, deep water perch. The schools come and go and
the LCD lets me know when the big boys are suspended and basicly when to start jiggin'. Other than that I mostly like to sight fish in shallow water where electronics
are useless. I've seen a bunch of guys with their vexs targeting everything that swims in deeper water and they usually have to do a bunch of sorting to catch
a mess. Keep it simple.

Ted

str8781 · « **Reply #5 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 07:59 PM »

Ted,
Good advice. Those jumbo perch can be tough to find -- let alone make them bite. I've seen those Eagle Supras, and sometimes they can come across for a steal. I'll keep my eye out for one. I'm also keeping my eye out for a couple other models that look good. Anyone have any advice on those cheap portable finders that work on AA batteries and hangs about your neck? I have a feeling that they aren't worth the blue/yellow plastic that they are made from.
~Str8781

lakehopper · « **Reply #6 on:** Dec 05, 2005, 10:17 PM »

yes you can shoot thru the ice with an lcd as long as there isnt a bunch of air bubbles in the ice most of the time you only need a little water on top the ice to set the transducer in or i've also used soda pop LOL
only draw back is i think it hurts the sensitivity
a year or so ago they had zercom rts lcr flashers on ebay for 35-40 buck
i got 2 of these now and like them
the company the made them had some trouble of some sort with them and had to re do a bunch so they were sold on ebay as refurbished
when they first come out the sold for 150$ until the word got out about the trouble they had with them

reelbigfish · « **Reply #7 on:** Dec 06, 2005, 06:37 AM »

STR8781,
Somehow I think that if you're asking "flasher guys" to log in yer on the wrong
website. LOL I've been looking into the Humminbird RF20 for ice fishing. It's
one of those wireless transducer jobs. Cheap,fish ID with depth numbers for suspended fish. I was think of rigging some styrofoam insulation around the transducers [you can use two] , putting them in holes outside the shanty
and then watch the two channels from inside my nice warm hut. Sounds like a
plan. Besides for summer fishing you tie transducer to a pole and cast it to see
fish where you're fishing instead of under the boat.

Ted

str8781 · « **Reply #8 on:** Dec 06, 2005, 09:25 AM »

Ted,
I was interested in those as well, and your idea seems like it should be a practical tactic. However, when researching the Humminbird wireless units, I started to have serious doubts about their practicality. For example, the smaller the display unit (wrist unit especially) will only have about 30, 40 or maybe 60 (I can't remember exactly) vertical pixels. This means that if you are fishing in depths of similar numbers, each pixel will stand for one foot. Now I know that this will get an approximation, which is acceptable for most fishing circumstances, I think this could be insufficient for some fishing applications. My second conern is one of unit size and temperature. I hear a lot about the units electronics, and even the back lighting, creating heat to keep the crystals from freezing. Now these are just assumptions, and me having assumptions and not real experience with these types of units are why I started this thread. SO ANYONE WITH HUMMINBIRD WIRELESS EXPERIENCE, please give us your two cents.
~Str8781
P.S. Or with any other type of experience or thoughts regarding LCD fish finders.

skulldugary · « **Reply #9 on:** Dec 06, 2005, 09:46 AM »

Been checking into a FL-18,but don't know if I want to let go of the cash.I have been using an Eagle Magna 2 portable and it has done a pretty good job and really does all I need it to do,I bought a gimble mount and power cord and use it in the boat also,It gives water depth,bottom type,weed height,shows my jig related to structure,fish alarm and has'nt been affected by extreme cold so far..I figured the monet I'd spend on a new flasher would best be put into a new Fish Trap Pro..

vancouvercanuck · « **Reply #10 on:** Dec 06, 2005, 12:26 PM »

I use my LCD 100%. I just bought an extra transducer and mounted on a piece of tubing. I use split screen mode so I am zoomed in on the botoom couple of feet. It works just fine. I can see the fish come up off bottom as well as any suspended fish.

Here is a link for ya:

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=25774.msg236949#msg236949

ih772 · « **Reply #11 on:** Dec 06, 2005, 09:27 PM »

I used my LCD on the ice for a season before I bought a flasher. The LCD works. It will tell you the depth and depth of other objects under the ice. Mine seemed to have a problem with the cold and the screen getting darker the colder it got. It's way better than fishing blind.

tjkpopup · « **Reply #12 on:** Jan 12, 2011, 11:47 PM »

First off thanks, all them flasher dude can talk about are those, well so I was looking around just like you were for the same thing, i found this, and ordered it last night ill be testing it out as soon as it gets here, and i will let you know, i got it because its $40 and is easily returnable.

100M Portable Sonar LCD Water Depth Fish Finder FishFinder Alarm - Sonar-Fishfinder
http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=216059804

It might be exactly what I was looking for.

and cheap

or it might be junk...

either way ill let ya know

michlw39 · « **Reply #13 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 06:51 AM »

I asked this in another thread: Humminbird makes a couple of all-in-one units (their 300 and 500 series) that have a vex option in them. Does anyone have one of these and how does the vex work? I'm trying to see if it's worth it to go for the 2-for-1 option or buy separate units.

sbooy42 · « **Reply #14 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 07:54 AM »

I really like my Lowrance 67.. Lots of features, use it in the summer and winter, graph or flasher, split screen. no extra coin to read in deep water.. Best bang for my buck

pzoch · « **Reply #15 on:** Jan 13, 2011, 09:00 AM »

I have an old Bottomline portable LCR that has worked
great for me.It shows depth,and structure and marks fish
just fine,even the fish alarm works.We verified its accuracy
with a Marcum LX5 and it was right on.It doesn't shhot thru the ice
which isnt that big a deal.
good luck

Also I mounted my Bottomline on the top of a plastic battery box
the box holds the battery,cords carry case and transducer.

s10xr · « **Reply #16 on:** Jan 14, 2011, 06:58 AM »

I used a wide 100 and only worked well in under 10ft of water. just bought a troller and what a difference. the wide 100 will be used on a boat only now. the only thing it did well was give me depth. couldnt tell my lure from bottom or anything in deeper water. it was fun to look at it and screw around with settings. but thats it.

JZ · « **Reply #17 on:** Jan 17, 2011, 05:42 PM »

I have the Hummingbird ICE 345, its awesome. Specifically made for the ice so no worries about the lcd freezing, it also has a graph and flasher mode. Dual beam, real time image just like a flasher. Like the x67 its the new generation of ice sonar.

Nor Easter · « **Reply #18 on:** Jan 17, 2011, 05:48 PM »

My LCD has not frozen and I've been in windy single digits with no shack. If you have a shack, why complain about the LCD freezing whaen obviously most who put them down have actually never seen or done themselves. The newer screens are just not the same as 20-30 years back. Don't knock it till you try it.

I have used o-l-d LCR Humminbirds which were junk, even for summer use. Also used a Wide 100 on water and on ice which was better but still not good enough. But at least I wasn't limited to 10 feet! At first it did ok to 80 FOW but after awhile it would lose the bottom around 60 feet and that's no good to me because I fish at ~65' in Summer a lot. I've tried some Eagle finders as well. Not impressed.

Recently I have been using the Humminbird 525 and 718 and all I can say is W-O-W-!

I no longer have any desire whatsoever to get a flasher anymore. I'm all set, thank you! I can see a fish, marked as a fish if I want, or an arch, see them rise off the bottom and take the bait which I am also watching onscreen. Jigging, dead stick, using 'trap-ups', whatever. I like the little 'Live' 1 inch wide window column on the right, with the history scrolling off to the left similar to this pic:
http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/74500/74893.jpg

74redone · « **Reply #19 on:** Jan 17, 2011, 07:48 PM »

I bought a Humminbrid ICE 345 and it is awesome! I just wish I would of spent the extra $100 for the ICE 385. The 345 is easy to use and has a dual beam transducer to where you can switch between wide or narrow beam or use both at the same time. I fish with a guy that uses a Vex and they are nice but the Humminbrid IMO is alot easier to read and tells you the depth in led so you always know what depth you are fishing. You can mark fish with the Fish ID and it will flag the fish to what depth they are and show you a fish symbol from large to small so you know what size the fish is. You also have the ability to use it as a flasher as well with multicolor display. I was looking at the X67C,but for the $20 more for the 345C it has alot more options over the X67C. I think they are both good units and will increase your caught 10 times over. Remember all you X67C guys I'm not bashing it! I almost bought one. This is just my opinion.
Matt

Woodsman · « **Reply #20 on:** Jan 18, 2011, 08:58 AM »

Over the last many years I've used one flasher than 3 different lcd's in a portable box I made. I just popped in the 4th LCD & it will soon get it's first try on the ice.
In order of my use from first to last one here they are. (No pictures of one of the earlier LCD's or the Humminbird 580 I just put in)

Each change was an improvement on the one before it.

TrackerG · « **Reply #21 on:** Jan 18, 2011, 11:20 AM »

Thought Id share my newest purchase/modification. I bought a Piranhamax 160 on ebay for $132. tried it out at Sulphur creek res. sat. nite. didnt seem to work very well, very low resolution and not good detail.....might have been too cold. So I got an idea...
took the humminbird base off my boat (4 screws), mounted it on the base that came with the 160 unit (had pre-punched knockout holes already), hooked up the cables and wah-lah. Got rid of the case it came with and used one of tubedudes ideas (small cooler), everything fits great and its protected.
The transducer float I made from pipe insulation, one inside the other... the adjuster on top is a coaster made for furniture, with a sticky back. punched a hole with leather punch and cut a slit to fit transducer cable. I think Im going to redo the float using just the smaller size insulation and making it longer so it will float in the water better. I found out that the Humminbird 323 has real time sonar and a flasher view....way cool!......I trying to figure out posting pics.

[/url]
PICT1314 by ramtuffgvs, on Flickr[/img]

TrackerG · « **Reply #22 on:** Jan 18, 2011, 02:10 PM »

trying this again

TrackerG · « **Reply #23 on:** Jan 18, 2011, 02:19 PM »

][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/24363687@N08/5367432867/]

PICT1313 by ramtuffgvs, on Flickr[/url]

TrackerG · « **Reply #24 on:** Jan 18, 2011, 02:25 PM »

][url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/24363687@N08/5367432147/]

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Author Topic: LCD Fish Finders (Read 5671 times)

str8781

str8781

str8781

str8781