Flasher usage

[Gills-only]

Looking for opinions on using a flasher. Do u think you should have to learn the basics of how to catch a fish before, purchasing or using a flasher? I know of guys that have never fished before, and buy a flasher, and think they will just jump on their bucket. Have heard many times on this site, “I doubled my catch” how is that possible? Did they catch nothing before, if you caught nothing, then caught one fish , you doubled your catch. Lot of the older guys learned to fish without, as they didn’t have them years ago, those guys who learned without one, usually catch the most fish as they understand how to catch fish. Taught my grandkids to fish without, and they catch fish, now with the flasher they are pretty good at it

[DR.SPECKLER]

I think it makes it so much easier.you can find a location where the fish are instead of just guessing.know where they are  in the water column instead of guessing.seeing what mood the fish are in.i think going old school was kind of like being blind.all my buds that ended up getting flasher after I did caught more fish because a flasher is your eyes under the water.i have always caught fish and consider myself pretty good.but if found spots that produce thru trial and error over many years .

[Stickhick86]

I fished without one for years. Yes I will say it was harder because you didn't know where the fish were but it made you learn where there was cover and the fish seemed to hang out. Now that you know that information and add a flasher to the mix, it is like night and day.

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Looking for opinions on using a flasher. Do u think you should have to learn the basics of how to catch a fish before, purchasing or using a flasher? I know of guys that have never fished before, and buy a flasher, and think they will just jump on their bucket. Have heard many times on this site, “I doubled my catch” how is that possible? Did they catch nothing before, if you caught nothing, then caught one fish , you doubled your catch. Lot of the older guys learned to fish without, as they didn’t have them years ago, those guys who learned without one, usually catch the most fish as they understand how to catch fish. Taught my grandkids to fish without, and they catch fish, now with the flasher they are pretty good at it

I was one of those guys that bought a flasher and a camera back in the day. Actually returned the flasher because I didn't know how to use it. Bought another flasher later and learned how to use it.....wow night and day difference. Wish u tube was has easy to acess back in the day and had informative videos like today. 

I think what the flasher does is it keeps a person more interested and actively jigging calling in fish. Even today a good bobber rig with a back hooked minnow and a lead head are hard to out fish on a lot of days.

[Gills-only]

But most of u guys basically knew how to fish before the flasher was bought. They do help you find the bowls and points, but u still have to know how and when to set the hook!!!

[Stickhick86]

Totally agree with you Gills, I think a person should know how to fish before they buy the flasher. The navionics app paired with a flasher and experience is a deadly combination.

[Gills-only]

Fished with a buddy that had a camera, and all I wanted to do is watch the camera !!

[DR.SPECKLER]

But most of u guys basically knew how to fish before the flasher was bought. They do help you find the bowls and points, but u still have to know how and when to set the hook!!!

I introduced about 4 or 5 guys to icefishing and they didn't know how to fish.they ended up getting flashers after they seen mine and 1 guy out of all of them didn't have a clue.i looked at his screen and there was a pile of suspended specks on his screen.too bad his jig was 3 ft underneath them.lol .I taught him a lesson for life that day..always fish your jig above the fish.hahaha.

[Stickhick86]

Fished with a buddy that had a camera, and all I wanted to do is watch the camera !!

I haven't got one of those cuz I'm afraid I will do the same thing and lose that that feel you need while jigging.

[Fish Butcher]

Basics first, fluff later.

[Bucket Rump]

But most of u guys basically knew how to fish before the flasher was bought. They do help you find the bowls and points, but u still have to know how and when to set the hook!!!

I learned to icefish back in the 1960's going with my Dad and his best fishing buddy using Schooley's and a few lead jigs.  Holes were spudded back then so you didn't move around very much so they taught me read the shoreline for places to spud and then to "fish the hole" from top to bottom.  Lucky for me they were pretty good about helping a kid find the right spots and learn the "tricks" to put fish on the ice.

I often wonder what they would think of all the gear I use now....

[hardwater diehard]

I have been doing "something right" without even knowing it ...

[Seamonkey84]

If they don’t know fish movement pattern or how to tie a hook to the line, then they need to have someone show them, or at least do some arm chair research on YouTube.
Fishing experience aside, having electronics always make ice fishing more fun. It not needed, depending on your fishing style, target species, and knowledge of your water. if you like to setting traps for bass, pike, or trout and just use jigging to pass time between flags, then your fine without any electronics. Just set your traps and jig in between them. Work the whole water column or pound bottom couple feet depending what your targeting. Now if you want to be more active with a jig rod, it’s a lot more fun and productive with sonar or flasher. That way your not working blind since you can’t simply cast and retrieve through an area to find them. Once you figure out how to read the screen and start playing the game, you’ll see what the hype is all about.

[slipperybob]

video game...

LOL the youtube video had the guy said that flashers shoot radiowaves...  

[3300]

i had a 76 year of age friend (passed) and he bought a showdown. had no idea how to use it. his son took it ans later gave him his vex. my friend still had no idea how to use it. i had to set it up for him and show him how to dial it in. he would walk away and start fishing other holes and left the vex in what ever hole i had it set up for him.

i know you don't care to use them either and work fine w/o one. it's kind of like we can do what we want to do and it works, so we don't need any thing esle do so. like folks that say they don't need a strike indicator catch fish w/o one. it is true, just not as effective and you wouldn't know unless you use them.

i found from using them that when you find fish with them you learn the right way to pick them off one by one. you learn to to take them from the top and make them come to you. you learn if you plow thru them and try to work them as if you couldn't see them it more likely will spook them away. w/o eyes in the water to see all of this happening you couldn't learn any of this.  you wouldn't be able to see how far to drop your bait a few feet above them to make them come up to you.

and then there is the obvious benefits such as depth of lake. how far your bait will raise when you crank your reel one time. most times it's one foot per crank. if someone with a sonar says they are x amount of feet down, you'd have to know how many cranks of the reel to bring your bait back up to where they see fish. this spooks fish doing that most times, not always.
then there is the "gee i wounder if fish are even there to try to catch issue that is instantly resolved with sonar. or if by jigging you might be able to call some in and not know if you have because they are the non biting variety.

basics are still involved even with sonar. newbies will learn as we did what those are either by school of hard knocks or by caring people teaching them as they go such as yourself. things like best times to go. slip protection. staying warm. best size or color to use. line size. speed of jigging or tempo and when to stop jigging. when to dead stick. how to land them. ice safety. self rescue. manners.

we were all newbies at one point in time and some times still are in some instances such as targeting a new species of fish. having this site to share or learn that knowledge is a huge benefit for newbies and for many of us that want to improve ourselves.

interesting topic, thanks for starting it!

[Gills-only]

I have a flasher just haven’t had enough time to use it and get used to it. What I was referring to was how many guys knew “how” to fish before they got a flasher ? Anyone can go set on the ice, like they say 20% of the guys catch 80% of the fish !!

[Light liner]

I fished without one for years. Yes I will say it was harder because you didn't know where the fish were but it made you learn where there was cover and the fish seemed to hang out. Now that you know that information and add a flasher to the mix, it is like night and day.

That's a good explanation.

[3300]

i thought you sent your lx5 back and had none. my bad.

so if it's a tally of how many learned before buying a sonar, then i count as +1. i learned before buying one.

[Gills-only]

Got a good buy on a vex couldn’t pass up. Although not a good buy like I had !! Lol

[acmarcus]

Ive spent many days fishing holes that had no fish in them, learned to fish the water columns. I haven't caught more fish with a flasher, but have caught them faster.