Camera or flasher which would you use?

[vivlamored]

 I'm gonna buy one or the other which would you get

[ChenBassHead]

Flasher, no doubt.  I own both, and the camera is fun, but overall it's more of a pain in the arse than anything else.  The flasher is much more versatile. 

-Zach

[mrlongbeard1]

I'd buy the flasher first,I use a Lowrance x67c graph that I like quite well. But learn to read them then think about the camera.

[last5oh_302]

Camera, hands down. Just the entertainment value alone is reason enough. It's also a fantastic tool.

[crappiekid24]

I would defiantly go with the flasher! The camera is fun to play with and watch the fish hit.The flasher will give you a look at the whole water column while the camera only gives you a part of the water column. I own a flasher and my buddy owns a camera. He now wants a flasher.

[GatorBait]

It comes down to this. A camera is great where you have light, and clear to semi-dirty water, you can easily adjust bait presentation, and depth to fish likings and be able to enjoy what you couldn't otherwise see. There are different versions of cameras that allow night fishing, but they are poor for day fishing, and vice versa for the other version.

The flasher is a versatile tool that doesn't rely on lighting conditions, and water clarity. Once you know how ur flasher works you can effectively catch just as many fish with it as a camera.

I personally have both and I honestly use my camera 10:1 just because I fish a lot of shallow lakes for panfish and enjoy working different presentations and bait to see how the fish react. With out the camera my success rate does drop, it's just a nice tool to have to help you catch more fish. The kids also enjoy the camera and helps them understand the true mechanics of fishing by seeing what they are doing.

[Icetester]

get both.  100 cam   250 sonar!   best of both worlds!

[Lobes]

I always recommend people get the flasher first. The flasher gives you the most information in one package. As mentioned above you read the entire column of water all at once. It tells you the exact position of your bait in relation to the fish, and much more. As far as electronics it is very easy to learn what you're looking at right from the start. You can start out with your power settings at mid-point and start fishing from there.

                                                  
NBG

[Tombo]

Flasher for sure,Camera is fun,especially for kids but can depend on a lot of variables-light conditions,depth,water clarity and as said before,it doesn't show the entire water column. The flasher always works. get the flasher first and then work on getting the camera.

[Pasquatch]

Camera, hands down. Just the entertainment value alone is reason enough. It's also a fantastic tool.

Just curious, do you own a flasher?

I agree with most of the guys on here, a flasher is the most important piece of electronics to an icefisherman.

[WHITETAIL111]

For panfish....when the fish are on the bite, I love the flasher.  You can move from hole to hole and "quickly" determine which holes to start out in.  No fish?  Move to the next hole...No fish move to the next hole...Fish...stop and fish.   Its that fast.  No taking time sending down the camera to "see" whats around.  You litterally put the floating iceducer in the hole and look at the screen.  Although I don't own one personally, I think the camera is a great tool for when the bite is negative and you may have to coax the fish into biting.  With the camera you can see how perch reacts to say....a chartreuse teardrop with a spike vs a sweedish pimple with a minnow head.  If you can "see" the fish' reaction it can help in pinpointing what they may be feeding on and you can switch lures/presentations fast trying to find just the right lure they may be interested in that day.  Lets face it, when the bite is on you can send just about anything down there and they'll hit.  But what seperates those true "jig fishermen" from the average joe is just knowing what presentations will make those negative biters come take a sniff.  The camera, in my opinion, is a necessary tool "somedays" when the bite is off.  I'd get the flasher first and later get a camera.  Just my 2c?

[PWR BAIT]

Flasher

[curtdintc]

I'm gonna buy one or the other which would you get

I would personaly get a flasher they don't fib. And are quick and easy. Camera's are fun and sometime useful to see who being the pest down there. But I have both and I use the Camera maybe 4 times a year, my FLASHER is always with me

[purduebass]

Why choose?  Just get both! I bought the flasher first and for sure use it more, but the camera is a great tool also.  I don't think you could make a bad choice, they are both great tools that will for SURE increase your success on the ice.  Just my two cents, I would get a flasher first if you could only get one.
PURDUEBASS

[last5oh_302]

Just curious, do you own a flasher?

I agree with most of the guys on here, a flasher is the most important piece of electronics to an icefisherman.

Not at the moment, no, but I've been fortunate enough to get to use several of them, all Vex's. There's no doubt they're a great tool, especially for running and gunning. For me though, I usually setup my shelter when I find a location and I rarely move, other than moving within close proximity of my home base, so to speak. I fish in a shelter 90% of the time, and for me the camera is much more entertaining than a flasher. Those reasons have already been covered by others in this thread in regards to the pro's of using a camera. I also fish with my 10 year old son, and again, the entertainment value of the camera is priceless.
It's all a matter of personal preference really, and for me it's the camera.

[kizoom]

I would also recommend purchasing a flasher first. It will tell you the water depth instantly.  Once you get use to it you can see the under water structure such as tree limbs, weeds and of course fish.

 Now... once I get setup and the fish are running a certain depth I will turn on the camera, turn off the flasher and watch them react to the bait. Many times I have seen fish on my flasher that have come and gone but I did not know why, with the flasher I can at least answer some of those questions.

Good luck with your decision, either one of these units will result in more fun and fish!

[panfishman13]

i've been fishing once with a flasher and i couldn't tell what was going on! all i saw were colored lines. but the camera is so much easier to understand! you turn it on put it under the ice and look around! that simple! go with the camera.

[snaggerr]

I personally had a employee show me at gander how to use a vex fl18 and had it 2 years wont fish w/out it.I made a handle for transducer and also use on my small boat.Its simple if shown properly.

[Pasquatch]

Not at the moment, no, but I've been fortunate enough to get to use several of them, all Vex's. There's no doubt they're a great tool, especially for running and gunning. For me though, I usually setup my shelter when I find a location and I rarely move, other than moving within close proximity of my home base, so to speak. I fish in a shelter 90% of the time, and for me the camera is much more entertaining than a flasher. Those reasons have already been covered by others in this thread in regards to the pro's of using a camera. I also fish with my 10 year old son, and again, the entertainment value of the camera is priceless.
It's all a matter of personal preference really, and for me it's the camera.

Fair enough, I can certainly see where an Aqua-Vu or similar camera would really be a great piece of equipment with the style of fishing that you  do. They certainly are cool, I was just wondering if you had access to both. Thanks for the input.

-Wes