Electronics

[CO_ICE_POSSE]

Having never OWNED electronics for ice before - I'm giving up the cash this year as I've witnessed it definitely makes a positive difference with 'have' vs. have not

So, I've done a lot of research on flasher vs digital - like to hear about actual local experiences

Vex FL-18 vs. Showdown 5.6 dual beam-I'm an I.T. guy & I like benefits of digital

Read MANY accounts of previous problems with showdown units + called Chris @ Marcum.  Marcum states all ills (batteries, chargers, Software, ducer beams, etc) are cured - 2011/2012 products should be best ever

What I'd like to know is  - can showdowns be harsh on fish and fisherman alike -

FISH - read report of 2x pros in colorado who experienced showdown's power(8,000
         watts) was effecting yield/catch.  1 guy with a vex fl-18 and 1x with Showdown
         using same jig/bait and the showdown's sonar power(8K watts) effected the fish

         Vex guy doing great & other not so much  They switched holes (took their elec.
         unit and pole to new hole) and same results. They switch electronics and vex
         guy who was doing great no longer doing very well with showdown - with same
         bait, line, depth, presentation, just diff. electronics makes you wonder, right?

FISHERMAN  - read reports of the showdown introducing interference upon others
          around you with flashers that have less or no interference rejection algorithm
          software built in. This may only matter if it's a real deal and you're on a dense
          / packed body of water where you're forced to huddle too close

From experienced Vex & Showdown users, what parts do you find as fact or fiction

[Husker95]

I have a Marcum LX3 TC which is a “Flasher” same as the Vex and wouldn’t trade it for a Showdown.  The colors are very bright, even in a dark hut and after using it for a short time, you get used to the colors, bars and rhythm of the thing.  I can tell what kind of bottom I am fishing over, see even a very small jig and see fish that move into the cone and up to my jig.  Also, my eyes don’t get fatigued/sore from looking at it all day as some have said.  I have only had interference a few times and my flasher has a setting to clean that up - i think the Vexes would have the same thing.  There are strong opinions on this either way, but I have never seen my flasher scare/spook fish.  I have heard good things about the showdown and considered one when I was getting ready to buy electronics a couple years ago, but for me the showdown would give what I am looking for when moving on open water in a boat.  For sitting stationary on the ice, I like a flasher. 

[_colorado]

I've never owned a marcum but I have owned FL-8 and now have am FL-20.  A few years ago I was fishing in shallow water (<6'), just prospecting around.  I laid down on the ice and looked down the hole because I was getting a lot of fish activity on the Vex but no hookups (this was with the F-20).  I saw that there was a school of small cutties in the area that were darting in on my jig but, when they got within an inch or so, they rolled to the side as if they felt something.  I pulled the transducer out of the water and landed a couple (that's how I was able to tell they were cutties).  Then I switched the FL-20 into low power mode, which I should have been using in that condition, and they didn't appear to be as affected.  At least that's how I remember it in 2011.  If you search the archives on this forum, you can find this story when it happened.

The bottom line is still very simple.  The fish's lateral line is sensitive to acoustic waves and that's what an ultrasonic wave is.  The nearer a fish is to a transducer the larger the amplitude of the wave will be that impinges on the lateral line.  Whether it affects the behavior of the fish probably varies based on a lot of factors related to both geometry and physics of the ultrasonic wave, and the fish. 

When I sight fish I don't use a Vex, I use my Aqua-Vu camera.  When I can't see the bottom then I will use the Vex.  Good luck wiht your decision.

[ducati]

If you are an IT kind of guy you might want to look at something along the lines of a Lowrance X67, Humminbird 385 etc..  The beauty of flasher's such as Marcum and Vexilar are there durability and simplicity IMO.  I have a Fl8 Vex that I have used for years and I love the thing, I also just purchased a Lowrance X67 that I haven't had a chance to use yet.  My problem is I am not an IT kind of guy and wonder if I got in over my head with the X67  .  Anyway, as far as the showdown is concerned, I used one once and it worked but it wasn't for me.  I will also add that unless you are just dead set on a Vexilar if you are choosing the mechanical flasher route I would look at a Marcum VX-1 or Humminbird Ice35, both are much cheaper than an FL-18 yet provide more feature's.

[_colorado]

This will sound like I'm a gear whore but I also have a Lowrance X67C for my boat.  It has the flasher option and advertises that it can be used for ice fishing with a separate stand/battery.  You'll need a different downlooking transducer.  I've used it in flasher mode on my boat while drifting and I wasn't all that crazy about that mode.  It had the 'look' of a flasher but it wasn't as easy to adjust the sensitivity (call up menus) as it is on a Vex (simply turn a knob).  The display is significantly smaller than a real flasher as well but it does have a bottom zoom feature (as I recall).  However, I wouldn't really consider the X67 for ice fishing.  Just my two cents.

[Davesterx]

While there may be anecdotal evidence on a blog and by some forum posters that fish are affected by sonar, there is no empirical evidence to suggest that it, in fact, is the contributing factor to a perceived reduction in catching fish. There are a TON of factors at play when we fish so it would be very difficult except in controlled conditions to ascertain whether fish are impacted by sonar. So with all of that science mumbo jumbo out of the way, I would suggest that you don't take anything anyone says (including me) at face value it is their opinion and like most things not really based on any science facts.

After reading up on this to educate myself, I bought a Marcum LX-5 and look forward to running my own tests this Winter.

(I'm a new poster to this forum so I hope I'm not stepping on anyone's toes with my post here! It is not meant to flame anyone and their personal opinions. This is just mine.)
v/r
Dave

[Dog-duster]

After reading what you're looking for and your color vision difficulty I'd guess the Showdown dual beam may be a good way to go. I like having the option to go to the narrow beam in deep water. Though I've never fished one I don't care for how the display looks personally but this unit isn't for me and I'm sure if I used one that's all I had I'd get used to it. I just got a X67c but have yet to get it out on the ice so I can't say how I like it compared to my ICE45. It does have settings to tune out more of the red and there is a gray scale setting too. Green is relatively easy to avoid in most the X67s color schemes and there are a couple that have neither. The downside to red and green blindness is that those are two super common colors in flashers so they're going to be tough to find alternates for. The ICE 55 does have a 6 color scheme that you can use but I'm pretty sure it doesn't rule out red or green, just more color varaition on how it returns echoes. I don't think my ICE 45 is as high powered as the Marcum machines are but I've never seen any evidence personally that fish were ever turned away by the flasher by itself. Whatever flasher you choose, it will make a huge difference in how many you catch and how you present your jigs/ spoons to the fish.

[Good Sam]

I think you will like the Showdown.  I have a Showdown and a Lowrance M68C.  The Lowrance does have a flasher mode, but the wife likes the regular sonar.  I used the Showdown most of last season, and I could see 2 waxies on the treble hook seperate from the spoon. 

[Husker95]

Whatever you decide, order as soon as possible.  It has been my sad experience on getting other needed items (flipover, auger, flasher, etc) that most retailers only get X number of ice items per season.  There is a HUGE rush from late-Oct through the end of the year and then they're gone for another calendar year.  Just my .02. 

Husker

[MJS]

  I don't think you can go wrong with either Vexilar or Marcum, the main thing is learn how to use it and read what the flasher is showing you to catch more fish and to read the structure on the bottom.
Good luck, the season has started WooHoo Antero is HOT!!!!!!!!!