lowrance lfp 250

[idid35]

 hi, i was wondering if anyone in here has used one of these old lowrances i have a chance to buy one and was wondering if they pick up your ice jig, i dont ice fish that often and dont want to spend to much on one, i have also been looking at some of the "green box" locators. thanks for any help.

[Norman Schrader]

The lfp-250 was a good depth finder in its day which was about 35 years ago.  It is not as powerful as the units of today.  Still, it may be able to see your jig if you are using a larger one and depending on depth.  A couple of things to consider are: 1. It must have a good transducer with it.  If you need to buy a new one, the cost would make it not worth it, if you can even find one.  2.  Lowrance doesn't support this unit anymore, so if you run into any problems, you are pretty much done.  3.  Check the battery board in the battery box for corrosion.  I replaced many of them 20 years ago for this problem.  I was an authorized Lowrance service tech back then.  4.  If you have to pay more than $50, it's not worth it.  You can get a good quality Eagle LCD unit for under $100 and easily convert it to an ice fising unit.  They have more power, a new transducer, and in Fastrack mode, operates much like a flasher.
Good luck.
Norm

[idid35]

hey thanks for the info, i guess i will look for something different , i was interested in this one because it was new but if it wont workk good for ice fishing i dont need it, thanks

[Fishrmn]

Where in the world did you find a new LFP250? 

Fishrmn

[idid35]

hi, its on e-bay right now the person has a new 250 and a 150 and i was wondering if it would work for ice fishing. i have never used one for ice fishing i dont go that often but the last time out i was fishing by a guy that had one and he was hauling them in while i was getting one now and then, he convinced me that they work so i am looking for a cheap one i dont go that often but i know that i want one that locates my jig.

[Fishrmn]

LFP250 brings back fond memories.  First fish finder I owned was a 250.  Quite a novelty back in '78.  Nobody around had anything like it.  Use it on the ice and in a boat until I lost the transducer.  It would have cost almost as much to get a replacement transducer and have it converted to the "phone jack" plug as buying a new fish finder.  Around these parts there weren't any flashers at the time, so I bought a Lowrance LCD graph.  I've never liked a flasher since.  But if I still had the old LFP250 around, I'd still be using it.  I could always see my jig, and the alarm was great for deadsticking.

Fishrmn

[idid35]

hey fishrmn you say you had one and it locaded your ice jig, did it really work very good? you say you have a lcd graph and you wouldnt go back to a flasher does the graph work that much better? i have a piranna 2 in my boat maybe i need to go get that out and convert it for ice. another person said to buy a lcd that that would work better, i havent used anykind of a finder for ice fishing but i watched one guy on the ice with one i think he had a vexilar catching fish one after another so he made a believer out of me but a vex to expensive for me, if i went fishing more i would spend more but on the other hand if i would buy a good finder i might go fishing more, right?  thanks for all the info it is all helpful.

[Fishrmn]

There are a lot of people who will tell you that LCDs aren't real time.  They must be using them incorrectly.  If you will turn the fish ID off, the scroll speed as high as it will go, and the "FasTrack" on, (if it has one) and look at the extreme right hand side of the screen, you can't discern any lag time.  The Showdown is showing the same thing as the "FasTrack", just about 4 times wider than what the "FasTrack" does.  On my LCD I can choose any section of the water column to look at.  You can set the lower limits at any depth and the upper limit at any depth (as long as you are looking at at least 5 feet of water).  Then you can zoom that in at either 2X or 4X magnification, spit screen, or full.  I can tell you when your rat finkie has a wax worm on it or not as deep as 65 feet.  Never tried deeper.  Flashers are okay.  I don't like them.  No history.  They are starting to have zoom capabilities, but that requires a microprocessor, and creates the same type of lag that flasher proponents hate.  We are talking fractions of a second here guys.  If you have an LCD, you could at least try it out to see if it will fit your needs.  Remember: If you will turn the fish ID off, the scroll speed as high as it will go, and the "FasTrack" on, (if it has one) and look at the extreme right hand side of the screen, you can't discern any lag time.

If it doesn't work out, you're not out much.  Then you can try another route, flasher or Showdown.

Fishrmn

[idid35]

well i guess i might have to go outside and uncover my boat and take one of the lcd out of it, there is 2 in it , a piranna 2 and humminbird cant remember which hummingbird it is but the piranna will be the easiest cause that is mounted on trolling motorand see if it works. everybody i talk to says flasher so that is what i have been looking for, all kinds of oldies on e-bay, eagle, humminbird, lowrance, ray jefferson, its take your pick. i was thinking it is time to get something besides my little bobber floating in the water, if it will help me catch fish i am for it.