IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
IceShanty Main => General Ice Fishing Chit Chat => Topic started by: higbee on Feb 17, 2018, 06:47 PM
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Thinking to replace my ICE 35?
Periodically i will have to adjust zoom as it seems as though it changes on its own. I do like the larger dial on this machine to see the sonar screen.
I do have a Lowrance combo as a backup, but like this type of sonar better.
Looking for recommendations to replace with same type of sonar.
I know this issue gets thrown back and forth between brands, but an honest pros/cons would be appreciated.
Thanks.
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I have the ice 45. I personally like the digital depth. I’ve checked out other people’s without it and where weeds are thick and high it’s misleading to the bottom for me. Unless you drop it down to where the bottom looks to be and it keeps going. I haven’t used a digital one though
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Did you search through this section at all ?? >>>>> https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=74.0
Enough electronics info & honest pros/cons to keep you up reading for days !!
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retired my ice-55 and my lx9 suits my needs much better.
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Thanks all. Trying to weed through the info and make the best choice from other hummingbird owners. good luck fishing.
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if you like the birds, stick with the birds. I have the 45 and it's a good machine. One of the main differences between the 35 and the 45 is the power output. The 35 is 800 watts of peak to peak output. The 45 is 1800 watts peak to peak. That's a big jump. The 55 is 2400 watts. Basically it means you can see smaller jigs and greater depths... basically. So the question is, what kinda of fishing do you do that would justify the need for how much power. I like the 45 because most of the lakes I fish can be between 6 and 20 ft deep but I occasionally hit lakes in the 60+ depths. I can see my jigs pretty much anywhere I go.
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I went from the ICE35 to the Marcum LX6 about 5yrs ago. While the ICE35 worked great for me when fishing in 35ft or less, I started to fish deeper lakes and needed something with more power. I also really like the multiple display options of the Marcums
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I was just talking to the Humminbird reps this last weekend. Me and my wife run the 45 and 35. We just bought the 35 and I am already looking to go to the helix. The 35 is great but compared to my 45 it is night and day. As others have said the digital readout is great. The small bells and whistles the 45 have makes it worth the price upgrade. As for the helix I like that I can use it on my boat and can have the multiple different modes for on the ice. Only flaw is that it will still cause interference with my 45 still, which was my original reason to want to upgrade.
The reps said only the 55 runs on its own frequency. All other Humminbirds operate on the same frequency.
:tipup:
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all 3 of 'em have noise reduction buttons.
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The 55 has a noise reduction button that you can set in order to fish closer to other units.
Yeah I have played with the noise reduction button but not to much avail.
:tipup:
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If you like the 35 stay with the 35. If you want to spend money, The 55 is great as it adds backlighting and auto ranging features as the in addition to power.
If you want to consider a graph, the helix 7 gps (DI?) is a great upgrade. Flasher mode, graph mode, maps etc all add flexibility. Especially if you add a boat/kayak to the mix then you can take advantage and use it all year round.
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i have a ice 45 been is service for 7 seasons, great unit.
i went to a vexilar fl18 pro pack. wished I did long before. today I fished 120' FOW the accuracy is waaaaaay better in deep water.
looking forward to using the bottom lock feature this spring on the boat.
the screen seperation is great especially fishing 40-60' FOW. easier to use in weeds, you can adjust to block them out and concentrate on the fish.
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I started by ice fishing career with an ICE 35. Have had several other units afterward, but bought a Marcum LX7 and absolutely love it. It has a large screen and is very easy to see, esp with the multiple different colors on the graph's spectrum. Nez
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I have the ice 55 and it has exceeded my every expectation. If it would die tomorrow I would get another or perhaps I could be persuaded into a vex FL-20 or something but I honestly would stay clear of the other major manufacturer. The electronic board on this forum is peppered with their units breakdowns.
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I have all the bird units the 35,45,55, and a helix. Never had an interference issue with any of the machines. I fish in a two man clam flipover with about two to three feet of separation between machines and have never had any issues. the 35 is my 11 year old daughters go to machine. Super easy to read and setup. When we go out that the one she always grabs. The lix is my go to because I like the graph instead of the traditional flasher. All in your personal preference though.