Support Iceshanty... Get some great gear and forum goodies... Join The Iceshanty Hardwater Militia
the garmin striker 4 is a good place to start looking.
Budget? Flasher vs sonar? What do you usually fish? Normal depths? Some questions that should be addressed to help pick what fits you. No matter what your answers are i'd wait till fall to see this year's new stuff and possibly save on last year's model if the new stuff doesn't trip your trigger
Hard to beat a FL18 as a first flasher. Has low power and zoom, unless you really want the bigger flat style screen, you won't feel like you need to upgrade any time soon. Vexilar reliability, so no reason not to buy a used one, or if you want the warranty, look into buying a reconditioned one direct from Vexilar, that's what I did. If you don't think you'll need the zoom feature, the FLX12 would be a great first flasher too.Bottom line is they all work, Vexilar/Marcum/Hummingbird, there is no wrong answer.
I run a Marcum LX-5 since 2010. You can see crawdads at 52 ft. It's worked flawlessly.
I’m thinking of getting a flasher for this winter. The thing is I have no idea what to look for in one. So any words of wisdom will be appreciated.
And your friends love you for it!
I mostly fish for pickerel, walleye, trout, bass and panfish. Probably the deepest local water is 50 feet but the finger lakes are about an hour away. As far as budget probably 500-600 would be max.
Check eBay for budget deals during the summer! No matter what you get, they will all increase your catch. Look on YouTube for flasher reviews, it will help you decide!