Flasher/Fish Finder

[Hutchmt]

I've been looking through old posts, but it seems that the most I can find are outdated by a few years.  I'm just looking on any input on flashers/fish finders from everyone.  My budget is about $400 and right now I'm tossing around the Marcum M1 or Humminbird Ice 35.  Also, for whatever reason I'm intrigued by the Garmin Striker 4, mainly because of the graph setting on it and the price ain't too bad either.  If anyone has some feedback on any of these or something else let me hear it, hope to make a decision soon!

[mtcommonwalleyeguy]

Well here are my experiences--
Humminbird- No experience, I'm not sure, but I'm sure they're fine.
MarCum- No experience, but I heard once the fellas who started it a few years ago were Vexilar workers in some capacity before they started MarCum.
Vexilar- Excellent, excellent products. Have experience with the fl8 and the fl18. Dad has an fl8, and they're awesome.
Garmin Striker 4- I own this one. I strap it to my 8.5 ft river boat in the spring. I haven't used it for ice fishing yet, but plan to pick up a transducer sometime. I can tell ya that the graph mode seems to work well out of the boat, so I'm sure with the conical transducer, it would work well. The traditional mode works really well, also. I actually prefer it to my Lowrance 3x DSI I have in my 16' lake boat.
Currently, I use a FishHunter Pro. One of those little floaty balls that connects via wifi to my phone. It works surprisingly well, but you really have to keep your phone warm or it'll die and you're SOL. Thus, why I'd like to get the ice transducer for my Striker 4.

What I can say for sure, they'll all work. The more you spend, say, upgrading from the fl8 to the fl18, the stronger and better view you'll get, but the "low-end" ones WILL work well, so you're pretty much no lose!

Hope that helps!

[burkdog24]

I use a Vexilar and love it. Extremely dependable and are built to last for years. I have a striker 4 but it will require you to buy an ice fishing transducer. It only comes with the open water transducer you attach to your boat. Also it's not going to come with advance features like auto zoom like the Vexilar does.

[dekatronic]

You just opened up a big can of worms! Like the Ford/Chevy debate there's lots of strong opinions on which is better, but each company makes a decent product.

To put another thought out there, you might consider looking at something that you can use during winter and summer. The reason I mention this is because technology has improved in the last few years where you'll find a lot of manufacturers are now offering units that are able to do double duty. Some Garmin and Lowrance units are examples of those.

[whiptail]

You just opened up a big can of worms! Like the Ford/Chevy debate there's lots of strong opinions on which is better, but each company makes a decent product.

To put another thought out there, you might consider looking at something that you can use during winter and summer. The reason I mention this is because technology has improved in the last few years where you'll find a lot of manufacturers are now offering units that are able to do double duty. Some Garmin and Lowrance units are examples of those.

I personally have an Vexilar  fl18 and 20 My son uses a Marcum showdown and I have a Lowrance  elite 4 each one is great unit, but on that note a Vexilar is bullet proof ie takes a licken and keeps on ticken. Vexilars service is great when there is a problem and they hold there value. All in all its your choice. I have to agree with Burkdog.

[Hutchmt]

Thanks for the info everyone, mich appreciated!

[3300]

having a graph is nice. it will show the direction the fish is moving even if they are subtle changes. it also helps with signal strength better than flashers can.

if you can get a dual beam it will serve you better than a single beam can. for example weed beds. the wide beam will make a line for the top of the weeds in a larger area than you are fishing. this make what we call clutter or useless information that essentially blinds the sonar. so switching to narrow beam helps in this situation by focusing into a smaller area of the weeds. the same thing will happen, but it will lessen the clutter some. fishing this way, you only need to see your bait and if a fish is "looking" or not.

looking into the digital unit you looked at is the right move, imo. i have had flashers (ice-55) and i much prefer digital units over them. marcum has far more digital units in the field than mechanical flashers. you can call them and ask and they would be happy to give you the numbers. other companies are holding onto old tech (flashers) and hoping consumers will too.

here's an image of a crappie eating in plankton in the dark and it finding my jig. (steady blue line near bottom) you can see it's reaction to it because of the graph. looking at the more conventional line format, you can't see it as well. it shows only a line at that time and zero history of what it was doing to draw a picture of what it's going to be doing.
it was above my jig eating and then saw my jig and came under it and then up to it and then hook set.


there is zero delay on these units.

[jiggywifit]

I have had an FL-8 for years and couldn't imagine needing anything more than that. You can see everything.

[squatch]

I have used a vexilar fl8 for close to 20 years. This year will be my first with a Lowrance Hook 4 ice machine. I chose that for the GPS and the fact I can use  Navionics chip in it. I also use a Fish Hunter that is awesome, but battery life in the phone is a problem. I use a 10" tablet with it and carry a portable charger. The 10 inch display is really cool.

[Hutchmt]

I went with the Garmin Striker DV5 with ice transducer.  One more week and I'll be able to bust it out.

[Lsranger406]

I've got a humminbird ice 35 and a helix 5. The helix is bad a** if you want chart plotting,lake maps, and to save waypoints for good fishing days. I use the helix for more of a stay I. The house base camp type machine. The 35 is my go to for hole hopping. Marks fish perfectly. No interference from my helix. It's fast to set up. Works flawlessly. Battery life is very good. Fish all weekend on a charge. All in all love the humminbird units.

[bearnoob]

I bought the Ice 35 last year and love it.

I was considering the showdown and the Garmin Striker 4 as well. I got scared away from the showdown after reading about problems with condensation building up in the case. I ruled out the striker because I did not want to mess with the boat transducer or purchase a dedicated ice transducer for it.

I know there are advantages to a graph because it shows history, but I saw a delay in every YouTube video I watched and there are is instant feedback with a dedicated flasher.

The ice 35 had a ton of features compared to vexilars without  the price of a marcum. I don't feel like I am missing out by not having the extras of the ice 45/55.

FYI, for depth map/gps/chart stuff I bought the boating USA (Navionics) app for my phone. Also highly recommend that. I think price has gone up for it but it is seriously best fishing purchase I ever made.

[Vandal78]

I've got a humminbird ice 35 and a helix 5. The helix is bad a** if you want chart plotting,lake maps, and to save waypoints for good fishing days. I use the helix for more of a stay I. The house base camp type machine. The 35 is my go to for hole hopping. Marks fish perfectly. No interference from my helix. It's fast to set up. Works flawlessly. Battery life is very good. Fish all weekend on a charge. All in all love the humminbird units.

What settings do you run on your Helix 5? I only got to use mine once late last year on Macks in 160-200 ft of water and it worked like a dream.

[elkstalker]

I bought a garmin striker unit last year, someday may upgrade to a flasher, but used the garmin perch, walleye, and trout fishing last season and had a blast with it.  Fished down to 45 feet and was still able to see my jig/spoon.

[fridayfish]

maybe you don't want one at all. it gets old quick just staring at a screen all day when you should be enjoying the scenery. and theres something about getting a bite when your not expecting it that you lose when you see the fish ahead of time. I fish shallow water mostly so I really don't need it.

[montanabob]

maybe you don't want one at all. it gets old quick just staring at a screen all day when you should be enjoying the scenery. and theres something about getting a bite when your not expecting it that you lose when you see the fish ahead of time. I fish shallow water mostly so I really don't need it.

I don't really believe that.  Even fishing in 20 feet of water, the flasher comes in handy.  I can tell when the fish are low, high, moving it, etc.   It can change a so-so trip into a productive day.  Do you need to spend 2000 dollars on the newest, most bestest OMG flasher?  No.  I bought a well used vexilar FL-8 on ebay about 8 years ago for 50-60 bucks.  I bought a new transducer and off I went.   Still using it today.  I also have an FL-18 or something like that and other than having the zoom, it's the same flasher.  Why did I buy another flasher?  Cause the guys was selling the thing for almost nothing, so I had to.  Now I have one and dad has one.  So, we all win.   But buy a flasher.  Big water, little water, it helps.
 

[mtcommonwalleyeguy]

Something not to discount, but if you have a flasher (not the stupid wifi floaty ball like I have), you can pour some water on clear ice and check your depth before even drilling a hole.

[vicster]

Ive got the ice 35 as well.  Ive had it for 3 years and still think it is the best bang for your buck on the market.  Ive caught suspended pike minnows 80 ft down in 95 ft of water so it can handle deeper water than most people fish, it has a dual beam so you can get a wide cone in shallow water and a narrower one for deep water so you know your not marking fish 15 ft from your hole.  It also has a zoom that you can move through the water column which is nice for lite biting suspended kokanee all the way down to bottom hugging perch.  Not a lot of frills but plenty of features, don't think anything else comes close in the 300 dollar range.  The marcums and Vex's are great units I have experience with and if money wasn't a issue there are a couple of models I'd love to own.  What ever you decide just get something... It will be a game changer for you!
     

[MattyP123]

I don't have anything to compare to but I have the Hummingbird ice 55 and have no complaints.

Same.

[Hutchmt]

I had the Deeper Pro last season and actually thought it did a pretty reasonable job.  Having not had a flasher/graph of my own before this, it was a game changer for me.  I've used a friends Vexilar in the past and actually liked the graph mode of the Deeper over your traditional flasher.  However, I sold it help pay for my Ion Auger...luckily the ice gods pitied my choice of an auger over a fish finder and sent me some gift cards for Christmas.  Part of the reason I went with the Garmin Striker 5 was having the graph mode in mind.  I was able to get it with the ice fishing set up at about $50 under MSRP.  Not a lot of reviews on it out there, but hopefully after I get mine and use it a bit I can put something on here for those who have any questions about it. 

[BK_Fisherman]

The Garmin Striker is a good unit, and you can't go wrong for the price point. As far as value is concerned, any unit that provides a lcd graph mode, flasher mode, lake maps, and gps capabilities that can also be used on open water gives you the best bang for the buck overall. I have a Garmin echoMap CHIRP 93SV that I converted to for ice fishing with the new Garmin ICE bundle they came out with this year. Excited to try it out.

[DucksAndDogs]

I bought a Marcum LX-6s this year before I found this site and now I’m wondering if that was a good move, or not.  I feel like I did a fair amount of research before settling on that unit; but, there seems to be TONS of real world experience on this site that I didn’t get a chance to review before pulling the trigger.

It’s my first unit.  Up until now I’ve just punched a hole, crossed my fingers, and cracked a beer.  I feel like now I’ll at least have an idea of what’s down there.  Just hope I got a decent unit.  Seeing a lot of chatter about Vexilars on here and Humminbirds but not much about the Marcums.  Not much I can do about it now.

[BK_Fisherman]

Marcums are phenomenal units and have quite a following. I used the Marcum LX-9 last year for ice fishing and loved it. Sadly, I was using it for open water jigging and it took an expensive tumble off the side of the boat..... Vexilar, Marcum, Humminbird, they all make quality units at various price points. I don't really view one as "better" than the other. It's all about the individual and what features are important to you and your style of fishing. Again, the difference between flasher vs. no flasher is the true difference maker.

[Hutchmt]

I've been out twice now this season without anything.  After using just the Deeper last season, its completely different not having anything.  I can tell I'm missing something and right now not being able to see beneath me...its almost like hunting with your eyes closed.  One more day and my unit will be here.

[207 in the 406]

Ive got the ice 35 as well....  What ever you decide just get something... It will be a game changer for you!

Same here. Wouldn't be sad if someone gave me a Vex or Marcum, but the Ice 35 changed my ice fishing life.

[missoulafish]

I was using it for open water jigging and it took an expensive tumble off the side of the boat

OUCHEEEE!!!!!!

[xman]

Got the Hummingbird 35 last year.  Works well battery life is good.  Is not a super fancy flasher but it marks fish and shows you where you are in the water column.  buddy has a Markum that cost twice as much has more impressive graphics and seems to provide the same information.  I would go with the bird again

[MontanaMatt]

Save up for the vexilar fl-28...

[Blue Tiger]

I want a fish finder that has a 6-8 foot or even more transducer circle at 10 foot of water.I fish less than 10 foot and never over 12 feet with some current that can drag my jig away from the hole up to 2-3 feet away.Tried the Marcum LX5 once and couldn't see the jig half the time so got rid of it.Like the idea of a graph,I remember rigging up an old hummingbird boat fish finder up once for ice,the ones that showed a fish instead of just a dark color.A big fish showed as a big fish and a smaller fish was smaller fish simple,worked great but it was a pond so no current.

I bought a Marcum LX-6s this year before I found this site and now I’m wondering if that was a good move, or not.  I feel like I did a fair amount of research before settling on that unit; but, there seems to be TONS of real world experience on this site that I didn’t get a chance to review before pulling the trigger.

It’s my first unit.  Up until now I’ve just punched a hole, crossed my fingers, and cracked a beer.  I feel like now I’ll at least have an idea of what’s down there.  Just hope I got a decent unit.  Seeing a lot of chatter about Vexilars on here and Humminbirds but not much about the Marcums.  Not much I can do about it now.

The LX6 looks like an awesome unit,got the graph/flasher combo with alot of bells and whistles.I would not second guess that purchase one bit.Ive been fishing blindly (no electronics) for years now,and only see a few here that use them.If I could get that transducer with a huge radius at a small depth I would pull the trigger again in a heart beat.

[IcedMiner]

I've been using the Hummingbird Ice 35 for about a year, and don't know if I would go with that one again.  it work okay, and I have picked up a few extra fish with it, but I have never been able to get the same clarity and resolution with it as I have seen with some of the Marcum or Vlexiar units.  It works well enought that I have not purchased a different unit yet, but likely will once I get back working stateside again and can spend more time on the ice.