Author Topic: vexilar (Read 9075 times)

R.V. ICEMAN · « **on:** Mar 28, 2005, 03:34 PM »

can someone tell me the difference between the the fl 8 with 19 ice ducer and
the fl 8 with 9 and 19 dual ice ducer. and the difference between the fl8 and 18.
thanks r.v.

gillmaniac · « **Reply #1 on:** Mar 28, 2005, 03:43 PM »

The difference between the 8 and 18 is the 18 has a bottom zoom in.

Gill

Byron/PA · « **Reply #2 on:** Mar 28, 2005, 05:56 PM »

RV, try to bear with me

With the 19degree ducer, you will see about 3.3ft of the bottom for every ten feet of depth. So if you are in 30 feet of water, you will "see" an area about the size of a 10 foot circle.

With a 9degree ducer, you will see about 1.5ft of the bottom for every 10foot of depth.
Keep in mind that the area you are seeing is sort of a circle, depending on the bottom contores.
Also keep in mind that you will only see areas this large with the "gain" turned all the way up, which is not practical. So really, you are seeing an even smaller area.

Most guys prefer the 19 ducer for shallow water or a flat(or close to it) bottom. If you are fishing a dropoff, you will miss much of the bottom with the 19. The shallower side of the dropoff will be shown as the bottom, and the deeper end will be invisible, because in essence it is "below the bottom". The 9degree unit will show a smaller area, but will give more accuracy.

I prefer the 19 mode, because being a kid at heart, I like to see "bleeps" or fish.
You will see more fish with the 19, but will catch more of the fish that you see with the 9

With the 19, a fish moving into the outer limits of your cone ( vision ) that is five feet of the bottom MIGHT appear to be right at your lure that is six inch's off the bottom. With the 9, you will probally not even see this particular fish. But the fish you do see are more likely to be where you think they are

If money is not an issue, buy the dual ducer unit with all the goodies. If you're on a budget like me, get a 19, learn how to use it, including it's limitations.

In closing I will tell you that any working flasher will improve your catch rate incredibly, and it's hard to beat any of the vex units.

sleddog50 · « **Reply #3 on:** Mar 28, 2005, 08:24 PM »

Can only add that with 9 degree ducer it will pick up small jigs better in deep water .

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #4 on:** Mar 28, 2005, 08:53 PM »

mainly fishing small lakes, under 20ft, does this make a difference in which one is best? byron, money is an issue, looking at the fl8 19 ducer package from cabelas 8)

C.C. · « **Reply #5 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 06:20 AM »

RV, Bryron said it very well. I got an fl8 in the beginning of january and you just can't imagin what it does for your ability to catch fish. It's almost cheeting when you use one. In a good year of icefishing I would catch maybe 200 fish. This year I was well over 1000. Maybe the fish were biting better but who know's. In my opinion around here the 8 is fine,however if you fish very deep water (40'+) you might want to save enough for the 18. Which ever one you choose you'll be very happy with it.
Jim

Byron/PA · « **Reply #6 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 06:25 AM »

RV, I am certain that you will be very happy with the fl8. And they hold there value well, so you can always trade up later.

Red Lund · « **Reply #7 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 08:31 AM »

RV,

I have the FL-8 and love it. The one major shortcoming is it's ability to reject interference from other flashers, even with the 10 rejection settings. For example, I fish with 2 guys who have Marcum LX-3's and they can drown me out with no problem, but I can't get rid of all of their interference. Also, the Fl-8 has trouble at times rejecting interference from older B&W vex models.

So if you fish with other guys using flashers, I would look into the Marcum.

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #8 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 12:27 PM »

do you guys buy right from vexilar, or cabelas? thanks for all the info.
going to get thefl8, just not sure of which ducer

jitterbug · « **Reply #9 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 12:48 PM »

Quote from: rose valley on Mar 28, 2005, 03:34 PM

can someone tell me the difference between the the fl 8 with 19 ice ducer and
the fl 8 with 9 and 19 dual ice ducer. and the difference between the fl8 and 18.
thanks r.v.

The 19 degree transducer is a wider cone angle, good for shallow water. The 9 degree transducer is a narrow cone angle, good for deep water. The dual transducer has both cone angles and is more expensive. Vexilars web site has a lot of useful info on this subject. I owned the fl8 and the fl-18 so I am familiar with both. The biggest difference besides the price is the fl-18 has bottom lock, which is useful on soft water. It also has a zoom feature for the bottom 6 feet of the water column. The s cable is built into the unit but that isn't a big deal. The fl8 is a great unit, is the fl-18 worth the extra buck? You have to decide.

C.C. · « **Reply #10 on:** Mar 29, 2005, 06:28 PM »

RV I got mine from cabella's. I just couldn't wait till close out's at the end of the season. You might want to check on ebay, now should be a good time to buy.
Jim

Icenutter · « **Reply #11 on:** Mar 30, 2005, 07:30 AM »

RV, since Vexilar dictates that price that dealers can sell their products at, I decided to order mine through the internet. I saved on tax and also most competitive companies will ship for free.

jitterbug · « **Reply #12 on:** Mar 30, 2005, 01:06 PM »

Quote from: rose valley on Mar 29, 2005, 12:27 PM

do you guys buy right from vexilar, or cabelas? thanks for all the info.
going to get thefl8, just not sure of which ducer

Retailers almost never discount Vexilar units. Cabelas did sell there units at 25% off, which is a great buy. Two weeks ago they had some units still available. I bought my fl-18 from the net. If you deal you can still save some money. I didn't pay tax or shipping and the dealer threw in a $30 jigging rod and reel. The last place I would buy one is from Vexilar, they charge full retail and shipping.

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #13 on:** Mar 31, 2005, 03:42 PM »

when you say you buy it from the net, does that mean ebay?

jitterbug · « **Reply #14 on:** Mar 31, 2005, 06:37 PM »

Quote from: rose valley on Mar 31, 2005, 03:42 PM

when you say you buy it from the net, does that mean ebay?

I bought alot of equipment from Reeds Sporting Goods in Mn. I didn't get it from ebay. I don't like to suggest particular stores because some people may have a bad experience. I had good luck with Reeds, sometimes stores like that will deal.

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #15 on:** Apr 10, 2005, 06:52 PM »

was at cabelas today, did not have thefl8 pro pack in stock, should be mail to my house by the 19 th, i hope its what everyone says it is, they had the ultra pack, and gentz pack there, they said they would mail me the pro pack and pay the shipping cost. would like to try it out during open water. do any of you use yours on open water, and how does it work?

Bean · « **Reply #16 on:** Apr 10, 2005, 07:09 PM »

When I bought my FL-18 two years ago, I also purchased the trolling motor transducer for it. I mostly use it as a depth finder in the summer, since i'm usually moving in the boat and not stationary. I'm going to make up a rig with my ice ducer, some pvc pipe, and a clamp so I can take it with me when I go to an outpost camp in Canada this summer. I'll mostly look for shoreline dropoffs and humps with it then since i'll probably be drifting most of the time.

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #17 on:** Apr 12, 2005, 05:05 PM »

got my vex today, anyone use there vex to jig off there boat? cant wait for ice 8)

C.C. · « **Reply #18 on:** Apr 15, 2005, 09:48 AM »

RV, I used mine one time in jan. from my boat. I just hung it over the edge of the boat and it worked good. The only two thing's were you had to keep your line close to the ducer to see your jig and if there is any air moving the boat you need a heavier jig to keep it straight below you. Have fun with it
Jim

R.V. ICEMAN · « **Reply #19 on:** Apr 24, 2005, 07:19 PM »

tried the vex out on the boat last weekend, was marking fish on the fish finder, but not on the vex, can anyone explain this, guess i'll wait till ice season to play with this new machine, i hope it works likes everyone says its does

Icenutter · « **Reply #20 on:** Apr 25, 2005, 07:12 AM »

Do you have the hull transducer mount for the vex or are you just floating the transducer in the water? If you are using a boat I would recommend getting the transducer to mount to the boat.

sleddog50 · « **Reply #21 on:** Apr 25, 2005, 08:37 PM »

I use my vex. alot on the boat. Instead of using the foam float use a pipe and an eye bolt. Make it so it looks like the plastic holder they send with the vex. The transducer will swing with your line. Vertical jigging works great like this with a jigging rapala. Only down side is can't move fast without putting ducer inside boat. Just like ice fishing except no holes to drill.

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Author Topic: vexilar (Read 9075 times)