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Does the zoom give you any big advantage if you usually fish in water 15’ or les?
Ok so I read all the posts and thought I would see what is available for sale for the Vexilar FL-18. I was surprised to see all the different FL-18. There was the Fish Finder, the Ice Pro, the 12 Degree, the Pro Pack II, the Genz Pack and the Genz Pack 12 Degree.Can anyone give me a quick explanation of these different FL-18? I really don’t want to be a pain ita but this all of a sudden got very confusing for someone who is looking to get his first flasher.Thanks to all, the info has been very useful.
I use Marcum and I'll say that it is not required to use Zoom on the first setting of 20'. It is rare that I would fish exactly 20' bottom and to say that first 3' of blindness just below the transducer is of any use. Zoom is a handicap on that first setting.
If the fish are in the bottom 5 feet I'm using zoom, unless it's only 5 ft deep you see more of what's going on. if you're always fishing suspended fish I could see not having it, gotta spend a decent amount of $ to be able to zoom in on suspended fish
I couldn't disagree with this more. Zoom is a huge difference. The only time I don't have bottom zoom on is if I'm in 6ft or less. Zoom is never a handicap......unless u have a unit where it can't display the entire water column and bottom zoom at the same time. A simple example I'll use is when fishing upper red lake. A lot of times a person is in 9-15 ft depths. By having the 6ft bottom zoom on one side and the full water column on the other it allows a person to pick off mud flap crappies when they come in Suspended. Yet allows a person to better detect the bottom hugging walleyes that need to be teased up over to bite. Sometimes it's a 5min deal to get them teased up. Not all sonars have a 3ft blind spot.
Will the ICE 35 fit in a 5 gal pail?
I don't know if you have any experience with flashers or have a preference between the traditional style flasher or the graph style but the Showdown is a super simple machine to use, the top of the screen is the top of the water column and the bottom is the bottom of the water column, anything in between is either your jig or a fish. Some guys don't like it because it's not a color display but I don't mind that. I've had mine for going on four or five years, like it a lot, and haven't had any issues with it. The main reason I got it was because I never used a flasher before and found looking at a multicolored circle confusing. Yeah the multicolor display is nice but it wasn't a make or break issue for me. If you're looking to stay with the traditional style flasher I'd go with the Marcum M1 or M3 flashers. The M3 is around $450 but if you watch for deals you can get it on sale cheaper. When it comes to the different brands it's pretty much a Ford, Chevy, Dodge type of thing. I'm not a fan of Vexilars but they are good machines and work well. One of the biggest things is don't beat the crap out of the machine and it'll last you a long time.
2 guys i ice fish with both have showdowns they bought at farm and fleet on clearance 2 years ago. both are "upgrading" to flashers this year. they do do their job but they much rather prefered the color scheme of the vex/marcums they've seen.
I bought a showdown on clearance for $99 sold it two years later for $250. Best day ever is when I sold it. The unit worked fine, but just a cheaply made, and poorly thought out unit. Here is the problems/issues I found with it.1. In cold it needs the heater turned on to keep the unit running without lag....heater drains battery faster, but works. When it's really cold the unit slows down.2. The plastic arm to hold the transducer breaks like a tooth pick in the cold.3. When in zoom mode you can't see the full water column....only the zoomed area.5. Buttons wear easy and new face plate is required.6. No multi beam transducer7. Blows fuses easy8. Fits down an 8in hole.
the unit can’t slow down. There’s no motor. When I raise my jig, it shows it in REAL TIME. Upgraded to an aluminum arm. Upgraded to a bigger fuse. My showdown helps me catch fish. period
anything is better than nothing thats for sure. i just think there is better product to be had for the money. i'd rather use a 20 yr old fl8.
are you talking about not being able to mark anything within three feet of your transducer.