Vexilar

[Jig60389]

I have the vex18 and love it. Last year my transducer cable start to crack. i could have been me hitting it with the auger or just weather related but anyhow. I would like to buy a new one but when looking for them i see a few different options as far as the angle it scans at. I fish mostly for perch and crappie from 10-50 FOW. Any suggestions on what you guys have seen from the other angles?

[lowaccord66]

Personal preferance here after using every ducer....I like the proview.  Ive used it for crappie in shallow and deep water.

[hardwater diehard]

Well your at the cross roads ...I would go with the TriBeam...

https://shop.vexilar.com/en/accessories/flasher-transducers/tri-beam-ice-ducer-transducer-tb0033

https://www.thornebros.com/products/tri-beam-ice-ducer

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Vexilar-Ice-Ducer-Transducer?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NX_Shopping_PLA&utm_term=1100008794404&utm_content=All%20Products&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NX_Shopping_PLA&utm_term=1100008794404&utm_content=All%20Products

[ice dawg]

I have a dual beam transducer for my FL18. 9/19 degree beams which work well for me because most of my lakes are less than 30 feet deep. I don't think it is available now, but there is a tri beam 9/12/19 degrees that should work for you. There is also the Pro View which takes some time, effort and patience to learn to use. Can't say more since I don't know which transducer you have now.

[lowaccord66]

The tribeam is pretty well known for having numerous issues....

https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=1lITWoyeC4jhmwH-yrBg&q=tri+beam+transducer+issues&oq=tri+beam+transducer+issues&gs_l=mobile-gws-hp.12..0i22i30k1.3592.10756.0.11449.27.27.0.2.2.0.329.5501.0j12j13j1.27.0....0...1.1j4.64.mobile-gws-hp..0.26.5068.0..0j5j0i131k1j0i131i46k1j46i131k1j0i10k1j33i160k1j33i21k1.210.B1zXz_Jbu_w

[hardwater diehard]

The tribeam is pretty well known for having numerous issues....

Vexilar addressed the problem ...was a bad batch ..Vexilar exchanged for new ones EZPZ.

[dickbaker]

    Jig,  for perch and crappie in less less than 50 ft. of water go with the  19 degree ducer @$90.   If want to pay another  40 dollars take a chance on one of the new Tri Beam Ducers.

Dick

[lowaccord66]

Love that video.  Basically, if you listen to him you can limit your abilities to 3 settings or....well he makes the point pretty clear..."the crystals in the tri beam don't perform very well if you turn up the gain" So it seems like a no brainer. 

However, this is like any other gear opinion question...your mileage may vary. 

[dickbaker]

   I've  owned a variety of Vexilar flashers and I love them.   For many years I also love to watch Tom Zenanko videos of Vexilar products.  BUT you have to understand that Tom's primary job is to get you to buy the newest Vexilar products.  If you can afford the higher price of the newest flasher
technology than I envy you.  At this time in my ice fishing career I am more than happy with my Vexilar FL20 and its 19 degree transcuder.  I also have a 12 degree tranducer that came with my
FL8 ( still working fine after 10 years).   They are interchangeable if necessary.   I've never found the need of a rainbow of colors or a variety of zoom zones.   I admit that I fish primarily in 20 to 30 ft. of water.  The 6 ft. and 12 ft. zoom is all I will ever need.   The new ice fishing flashers provide GPS ,Navionics, as well as underwater camera.  Tempting but the price is far beyond me and I remember that every extra gimmick is something else to malfunction??
Dick

[BeenShanty]

The guys at vexilar are great if you have issues.  There was an adhesive issue with some of them.  Bought a 12 from bellas with the tri-beam and it had issues out of the box.  Brought it into vexilar to see what they could do and they identified the tri as a defective and swapped it free of charge.  Can't beat it in the shallows, bought another for the 28 last year.  If you're local i've got the 12 on craiglist with a new working tri and heavy float propack and custom batt switch.

[lowaccord66]

To further Dick's points I fish on average in 40-100' so my usage is a bit different.  However being able to adjust infinitely suggests a value worth the the few extra bucks for the pro view.  Seeing crappies coming in sideways in 3' of water is pretty awesome!

[dickbaker]

To further Dick's points I fish on average in 40-100' so my usage is a bit different.  However being able to adjust infinitely suggests a value worth the the few extra bucks for the pro view.  Seeing crappies coming in sideways in 3' of water is pretty awesome!

I agree but my crappie spend a lot time 3 ft. under the ice.  Wonder if your new transducer would mark them?
Dick

[holehopper]

I've owned just about every Vex out there with every ducer option at one point or another.  A couple things I'd share:

1.  Hated the Proview in shallow water.  Everything was way to blobby.  Jigs appeared huge.  I disliked it so much I sold it to get a tri-beam.
2.  If you buy a "single beam" ducer also think about whether or not you will be fishing with others (wider beam = more interference with nearby units) and if you are mostly fishing flats/gradual bottom or steeper breaks.  The narrower beams are a better option for steeper breaks while the wider beam is better for flatter areas.  Less dead-zone with a narrow beam on a steep break. 

[lowaccord66]

I agree but my crappie spend a lot time 3 ft. under the ice.  Wonder if your new transducer would mark them?
Dick

That can be tricky and the way I do it is drill a hole almost all the way through the ice....wet it and then that way the ducer isnt hanging low in the hole.  Giving me a bit more visibility on the screen for those  first few feet.  At night I was having that issue where they would come in above the cone (for lack of a better way to describe it). Issue is you can only get the ducer to sit so high with the float.  If you use the eyelet instead of the float its easier to ride the ducer higher. 

I fish with lights at night so my solution is more mechanical than just adjusting the gain...which in a perfect world should work.but instead you get clutter and poor target seperation...

Holehopper did you try the proview on LP fishing shallow?  Or if you were using an FLX weed mode?  I couldnt do well with mine on normal either...zero target seperation...

[hardwater diehard]

Fishing early ice ...in shallow water tip

https://www.facebook.com/iceteamrevolution/videos/10155790776366953/