In the market for a VEX

[Hood]

I want to ice more and bigger fish and I know its not gonna happen by just staring long and hard at tipups all day.I really want to buy one of these but know absolutely NOTHING about them. I have done some homework and need some expert advice from those of you who use them rather than just the list of features from the retailers. What is the difference between the fl8 and fl18? What is dual beam? What is interface rejection? What are they talking about with degree angles? Are the pro packs or genz things worth the extra buck? What should their price range be in case I run across a good deal? Is there anything else I should know before buying one? Im sure these are elementary to most of you but I just want to understand what I am buying....maybe someone can show me how to use it one the ice when it gets safe....Ill be sure to have some well marinated venison to cook up:) Thanks a million in advance..... Harry

[killitandgrillit]

I'll try to answer what I can, but I'm not a "pro", just a regular guy who uses a Vex.

The big diff between the FL-8 and 18 is the difference in how deep they will read. Unless you are fishing Loch Ness and need to see 100 feet down, save your cash and go with the FL-8.

The gentz pack is nice, I have one, but the softside tote case is handy too.

The "degree" rating has to do with how wide of an angle the trans sends out a signal. The wider the angle, the bigger portion of the bottom you will be able to read. Usually a 19 degree is good for ice fishing.

Interferance rejection is so that you can fish side by side with a buddy using a Vex and not get interference between the two machines.

If you can find one used, 200 bucks is a dandy price. Dont be suprised to pay more this time of the year.

Come up to the U.P., and I'll show you how to use it as well. Nah, it's not hard. Thin green lines are either your jig or baitfish. Solid red line is the bottom of the lake. Red lines above the bottom are fish. The wider the line, the bigger/closer the fish is to your bait. The closer the fish gets to the line that represents your bait, the closer they are. Pretty simple- never even read the manual.

[fishingking]

oka y there is a whole section on electronics http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=74.0

neways ill answer your questions as short as poss and the best of my ability

First off i own a fl-18 genz pack  and i know alot of people who own the fl-18 pro pack

the fl-8 does not have bottom zoom (zooms in to 1/2 " id in the bottom 6 ft of the water column) the fl-18 does and i believe the 8's dont go as deep as the 18's for example if your gonna be fishing in the 150 fow plus on the king then you may want to consider the 18

dual beam i believe is on the pro packs where u can choose a 12 degree or 18 degree  transducer beam

interface rejection is a must  ( I feel) im not sure if the fl-8's have them but the fl-18's do genz and pro packs simply the Gain knob on top is a button as well and u can press the knob to change the frequency u are on for instance your fishing next to someone  and you are getting interference well u can press the knob so many times untill u find a diff freq that doesnt give u interfernece from the other guys vex

degree angle are how far your fish finder will read i dont know the actual formula but lets just say that a 12 degree beam at a 100 feet of water will show a 10 ft diameter of the water column on the bottom of the lake and the 18 degree may show 15 ft remember the beam from each degrre angle looks like a traingle so its skinny on top and gets wider the deeper you go so i believe the bigger beam 18 degree is better for suspended fish in deep water (100 plus)


personally i feel the bottom zoom option on the genz/pro packs are worth the extra bucks Ussually there arent many deals this time of year but maybe if your lucky u may get one cheaper on ebay  sometimes they are cheaper sometimes they are more on ebay      but for me i personally like to look at the item im buying at a store  esp when your talking 300-400 bucks



There are enough guys in your area that will teach u how to use it bigred, robb, camo fishm, slipbob all those guys own some type of flasher

I'm no pro but I
hope this helps


FK