Help me understand please???

[MT-Ed]

I originally started out with a flasher many many many years ago. I then graduated to a bottom line lcd, and after that pooped out, went to a HB digital. I read so many place where guys prefer the flashers for icefishing, but I just don't get it!! With the digitals I have a "history" of whats showing up on the "flasher". I certainly liked the flasher, but it required my CONSTANT viewing or I could miss something. Why do so many guys prefer the flashers on the ice?

[muskyon46]

Good ? I really like my eagle 642c in the ice mode works great and if something goes by while I'm watching my rods or whatever I can see what went thru for a few seconds later

[C P]

I think most people have there eyes on there rod most of the time as it is anyways. I know I do. If im jigging Im watching my jig on my vex all the time and that puts the tip of my pole in my direct line of sight with my flasher.

Never used an lcd on ice. Bought a real nice humminbird for the boat this year. Maybe ill have to try it out on the ice sometime.

[Hard Ice]

lcd gives you in a delayed time and a flasher gives it to you in real time..
such as you move your jig up and down with a flasher you can see it move as with a lcd its slower but they both do the same thing one just better in cold weather......

[northern fisher]

I tried them both and I liked my flasher better but that is strickly a personal thing,they both do the job.I prefer my longbow to my compound,in the end the results are the same,the deer walks away laughing   sorry my mind started to wander

[ducati]

I don't know, just personal preference I guess.  I purchased an X67C because of the price and dual use in my boat, I was told that once you use the sonar mode you will never want to use a flasher again, well I like the sonar mode but I am still a fan of the flasher mode and use it just as much as the sonar mode and my wife actually prefers my FL8 over the X67C which is just fine with me....  

[Gamedog1]

I rather see whats happeming down there now, than what happened 3-4 seconds ago, when they come out with something the tells me the future? Then I'll switch from my flasher. 

[CharlieBrn]

I've used both and certainly the LCD served its purpose at the time.  Sometimes with LCD when it displays fish might be, but could also be, plankton, school of minnows, weeds etc where the flasher is a little more dipictive in it's display.  Also the time lapse as others mentioned is probably the biggest difference for me.

[eriksat1]

LCD are not as good in the real cold, and when in a boat moving they are great. Moving checking out spots with a graph type display is the way to go in a boat in open water. But ice fishing sitting still in one spot you can't beat a real time flasher. A fish could come in sniff your bait and move off again before you would even know what happened on a lcd graph.

[silvah]

LCD are not as good in the real cold, and when in a boat moving they are great. Moving checking out spots with a graph type display is the way to go in a boat in open water. But ice fishing sitting still in one spot you can't beat a real time flasher. A fish could come in sniff your bait and move off again before you would even know what happened on a lcd graph.

LOL... so so wrong..

[CharlieBrn]

A good thing I've found with the LCD and depend on it constantly for open water fishing is using it to locate structure etc.  You cant beat it for that purpose alone. If theres structure, there's fish.  Both are great to have in your arsenal.

[eriksat1]

LOL... so so wrong..

Why is it then that a showdown has to have a built in heater to keep the display from freezing? And if you have a lcd with a flasher mode, why not just get a flasher? I guess if your money is so tight you need the same unit for ice and boat I guess I might be able to see it.

[Gordo]

If only you could have both of them together on one screen. That would be the ticket.

[princecraft]

LOL... so so wrong..

X5

[silvah]

Why is it then that a showdown has to have a built in heater to keep the display from freezing? And if you have a lcd with a flasher mode, why not just get a flasher? I guess if your money is so tight you need the same unit for ice and boat I guess I might be able to see it.

So you haven't tried one? Interesting comments considering what you said earlier. I could go buy a flasher right now if I wanted one, so if that was supposed to be a burn of some kind you are barking up the wrong tree. I prefer fishfinders in graph mode. They work better for me and certainly have no delay. We have some of the coldest winters south of the 60 and it still works fine. Amazing, huh?

The misinformation that go on in these threads sometimes is amazing. Just because you have a given device and it works well for you doesn't mean it is the best and it certainly doesn't mean that it will work the best for everyone else.

[eriksat1]

yea yea, I know lcds are trying to take over the scene and make flashers obsolete, the big marketing push is on. Ive had both, but trying to ice fish with a older lcd graph is no contest compared to a flasher.

[adkbrookie]

i have an lx5 and it does actually have a very slight delay, maybe 1/4 of a second. figured it out when i would watch fish on it as they would fly up from the bottom to meet the jig on the drop. I was missing fish b/c they were biting the jig before the flasher showed them getting to the jig. that was on the 60ft scale, perch fishing.

[CharlieBrn]

X5

Gordo, actually I think you can, well almost.  I think the unit by Cuda/Humingbird has something like that except it's an LCD/Sonar.  Haven't used it on the ice yet but that does give me an idea to play with it and see how that performs.

[eriksat1]

Silva aren't you the young kid who just started ice fishing a few years ago? But now your the know it all??

[princecraft]

LCD are not as good in the real cold, and when in a boat moving they are great. Moving checking out spots with a graph type display is the way to go in a boat in open water. But ice fishing sitting still in one spot you can't beat a real time flasher. A fish could come in sniff your bait and move off again before you would even know what happened on a lcd graph.

You obviously don't have a clue to what you are talking about.......

[silvah]

Silva aren't you the young kid who just started ice fishing a few years ago? But now your the know it all??

No, I am not. No idea who you think I am or what would give you that idea.

[BlueDuck]

I much prefer the flasher.  Real time view is important to me.  If the fish are agressive you can watch the colors turn  green, yellow and set the hook on red.   I like seeing my hook in relation to the fish. 

[eriksat1]

You obviously don't have a clue to what you are talking about.......

Take any devise with a lcd display put it in your freezer and tell me how good the display is?

[GCD]

Take any devise with a lcd display put it in your freezer and tell me how good the display is?

Both Humminbird sonar units on my boat are exposed to the cold (I don't take them off the boat) and have worked well in the upper teens and low 20's.

Maybe the older models used to have issues with the cold, but the newer ones work just fine.

[eriksat1]

That is considered warm weather where I ice fish.

Even in the Marcum showdown manual I read it has a "ICE" mode for extreme cold weather use, it is a built in screen heater. So don't tell me lcd are great for cold weather use, it's just not so.

[ducati]

I have a vex FL8 and just bought a X67C, I was a little worried about the lag after reading all the information on these units but I gotta say I haven't noticed any such thing, although the coldest conditions I have used it in have only been down to 10 degress (colder than my freezer), I don't know maybe there is a lag in these units but apparantely there is a greater lag in my brain....because I can't tell.  Well I will be taking it night icing up here were the temperature's average between -20 to -30 degree's, guess that will bring out any lag in it if there is any.

[chfishon]

I think a lot of people just want something that is proven to work because when u are on the ice that is the last thing u want to worry about is your fish finder not working..I almost got a lx7 but talked myself out of it because i didn't want to be a Guenna pig for its first season out and now a lot of people are having problems with them..So i bought another vex but upgraded to the double vision because i know it works

[eriksat1]

I'm sure the days of our traditional flashers are numbered and will go the way of the 2 cycle out board motor, as technology and cheaper manufacturing cost of lcd's take over. Anyway I'll leave you guys to argue it out, I'm loading up the truck and heading out on the ice. Think I'll try for some Perch today. And I'm taking my LX-5 .

[ice dawg]

I'm sure the days of our traditional flashers are numbered and will go the way of the 2 cycle out board motor, as technology and cheaper manufacturing cost of lcd's take over. Anyway I'll leave you guys to argue it out, I'm loading up the truck and heading out on the ice. Think I'll try for some Perch today. And I'm taking my LX-5 .

So, what do ya think about the new LX7s??

[princecraft]

Take any devise with a lcd display put it in your freezer and tell me how good the display is?

First off, the new units have displays with TFT technology, not LCD that are good to -20F.  I have been running a x67c for the last 8 years without a problem.  I have never seen any lag in either the flasher mode or the graph mode.  I speak for myself, but if the temp is below -0F, I will be sitting inside a portable and the temp. isn't that cold inside anyway.  Good luck on your fishing today...