Lowrance x67c ice machine

[crowkiller]

how dod ya have it set up? auto depth range or manual? also where was the sensitivity set? if oits too high, weeds and fish could actually change the bottom reading.....i wont be going back to vex thats for sure 
manual depth split zoom 2x ,sensitivity about 75% in ice veiw, ping speed 100% screen speed 100% just play with sensitivity depending on lure n bait size

               billybono

[billybono]

sorry not you    the guy who retuned his    i havent had any problems with mine


                           billybono

[crowkiller]

10/4

[beagledogxxx]

I have had no problems with the x67c ice machine.  No problems from extreme cold, battery life, interferance with vexilars, auto depth ranges or anything.  To the "Scientist teacher"? of 35 years,  either the unit was defective or you didn't give it a chance. 

[hunters08]

More info that was greatly appreciated!

[fom2]

I have used mine for a full season, avg 1 x/wk.  I did a lot of research before purchasing as I wanted a dual purpose locator.  I am very satisfied.  It nicely upgraded the old electronics on my boat and has been a dependable eye on the water column through the winter.  I fished alongside an FL 8 recently with no problem at all.  For the price, quiet operation, dual purpose possibilities, etc., I am very satisfied.

[hawgerdawger]

You all might have addressed this, but I didn't see it anywhere. How does the Lowrance x67c fare in shallow water compared to the Vex Fl-8? I'm hoping to buy a flasher before next season and am starting to lean toward the Lowrance over the Vex.

[busler15]

I love mine! First day I used it I found a 10' drop-off in my home lake that ive fished forever. I had no idea it was there! It seriously changes from 13' to 23' in less than a yard! Cant wait to fish it in summer. Ive used it in waters 40' to 4'. It has a nice 5' setting that will work fine.
I have noticed sometimes that things that are not visible on 99% sensitivity are visible on 75-90 ? any explanation?

Also, who uses their ice machine in the summer? Anyone? Do you use the same transducer? How does it work? How do you set it up? Thanks guys

[Iceman Cometh]

Just got an Icemachine X67C this winter and one thing I noticed was that the battery connectors--(where the wires connect to the connectors)--seemed very thin and weak. Every time I unplug the battery I'm afraid I'm going to pull the wires out of the jacks. What would be the best way to fix this? Electrical Tape?

[wildwood steve]

I love mine! First day I used it I found a 10' drop-off in my home lake that ive fished forever. I had no idea it was there! It seriously changes from 13' to 23' in less than a yard! Cant wait to fish it in summer. Ive used it in waters 40' to 4'. It has a nice 5' setting that will work fine.
I have noticed sometimes that things that are not visible on 99% sensitivity are visible on 75-90 ? any explanation?

Also, who uses their ice machine in the summer? Anyone? Do you use the same transducer? How does it work? How do you set it up? Thanks guys

I just got one this summer to use with my kayak. I had to by a seperate transducer (htsu/wsu- I think this is the model #) and it works fine so far. I've picked up arcs, weeds, rising bubbles, and have also used it for vertical jigging.  For me it was the best choice for ice and kayak.

[iceaddiction]

i got mine last year at like 2 pm on a saturday and was fishing and catching fish with it that evening easy and great being a science teacher doesnt make you smart what does kelvins law have to do with a transducer anyway

[pete/ny]

thats a shame we still have some ice in western NY

Wheres this ice???

[mungo544]

yep...nothing you can do about it but move further away


             billybono

Not true.  Press pages/ scroll to to full sonar/enter/press menu/ scroll to sonar features/enter/ scroll to noise rejection/ select medium or high/enter/exit. Sounds complicated but once you do it it's pretty simple. The more you play with this machine the better you will like it. The main thing is to turn off suto depth range and auto sensitivity and then set your upper and lower limits according to your depth and what part of the water column you want to fish. You can do stuff that a flasher just can't do.

[Iceman Cometh]

I had learned from this site how to set up the X67c so that your jig and also the fish show up as lines scrolling across the screen in the graph mode. I have forgotten how to do this? Does anyone know how? I suggest everyone to try this, it's pretty cool. You'll see you jig as a horizontal zizag line and then the fish as a curved line, (when one is coming up to bite), plus you can easily pick up where the other fish are. I prefer this setting to using the sonar.

[mungo544]

I had learned from this site how to set up the X67c so that your jig and also the fish show up as lines scrolling across the screen in the graph mode. I have forgotten how to do this? Does anyone know how? I suggest everyone to try this, it's pretty cool. You'll see you jig as a horizontal zizag line and then the fish as a curved line, (when one is coming up to bite), plus you can easily pick up where the other fish are. I prefer this setting to using the sonar.

You have to jack up your ping speed and chart speed. If you stop your chart speed, your graph will work like a vertical flasher, you will see a horizontal line to the right of your screen that is your bait. When you see other lines show up that is fish. They will rise up to the bait as you jig (hopefully). The best thing you can do to improve the performance of these machines is to set depth range and sensitivity to manual. Then after you get your depth reading, you set upper and lower limits manually. This way your whole screen is zoomed in on a particular spot in the water column. It is especially good in extremely deep water. For example if you are in 30 feet of water and in full auto mode, your screen will show the whole column, from zero to 30 feet, your bait will be tiny. If you are in manual, you can set your upper to 24 and lower to 30. Now your whole screen is focused on the bottom 6 feet of water, your bait will be huge. You won't pick up the bait on your screen till it reaches 24 feet, you will have to adjust your sensitivity down cause the bait will be so big. If you want to see a bigger range of the column just increase your upper limit. or you can start big till you see how deep the fish are holding and then adjust to that range. For example, if you see fish holding at 20 feet, set your upper to 24 and lower to 28. Your screen will show only that range in the column. Try doing that with a flasher. If you move to a different depth hole, you readjust your limits according to the depth. It takes about 5 seconds to do this once you get the hang of it.

[filetandrelease]

I just got my 67 I got alot of interference from my buddies 18 went back in did some adjusting and my world was back on track .I do like what you can do with the zoom

[Iceman Cometh]

mungo544 -- thanks so much for the detailed help. hope you're catching fishy's.

[Higgins]

I have one and I love every thing about it, "  accept it doesn't make ice "

[wally-eye]

Sold my FL18 ultra-pak last spring and bought a new X67 ice machine...........it is by far the best move I have ever made.  Was concerned about selling the vex but I shouldn't have been worried..........no more 1980s technology for me........I've moved to the new century technology...........n o more whirly wheels for me...............reall y wanted the 522 ice machine but my pocket wasn't that deep..........

Oh ya I did throw that stupid rod and plastic arm away and went with a float..............has the rubber stop on the float and fits on the cord nice and fits in the bag just a nice...........funny the little sticker on the float comes right off.......but we all know where it came from, $5.99.

I always use my graphs on top of overturned buckets so the rod wouldn't work...............the little floaty works great and no wet bag.....

[ih772]

Winchester88 has sonar envy.:-)

[iluvcrappie]

I own one and wouldnt sell it for anything there is no way........there are way more options with the Lowrance than any other flasher on the market they are a much better piece of equipment (IMO)

[deeman]

I just picked one up 2 days ago and got it on the ice last night.  Some questions and observations.

Of interesting note, I got mine at Bass Pro.  I went to the ice fish section and looked on the shelves and they have plenty of Vex's and one Marcum on the shelve.  I did not see the X67c.  I went to the counter where they have the GPS and fish finders and saw the X67c in the display.  I asked the sales guy if they had more and he said nope! They are selling very fast and they can't keep them inn stock.  I asked for the display unit and he laughed and said he just spent some time assembling that unit for display and it had not been in the case for more than an hour.  I agreed to take the display and asked him to hold it since I had more shopping to do.  I came back 20 minutes later and the sales guy said "you are lucky you asked me to hold it, i could have sold this thing to three different people".  I paid and as I walked out I glanced down the isle with the Vex's and they looked like the ugly dogs at the shelter that no one wants to bring home. Sad and lonely!!

1. The arm does suck.  I think I have a pool noodle in the attic.

2. As the sun set, the lighted screen was great as a little night light.  I really enjoyed this.

3. I am experiencing with the sensitivity but think I will figure it out.  Two previous posters mentioned two issues I had.  The Science teacher and I shared the issue with the bottom going from 6 to 20 feet in seconds.  I really think my iceducer plastic arm was cock-eyed on the holder and not level therefore placing the steel rod cock-eyed.  Even though the iceduce can swing freely side-to-side it can provide false readings if angled.  The second was that as I reduced sensitivity I saw things that were not visable in high vis.

4. I just now saw the advice to turn off auto depth and auto sensitivity.  I will see if that helps.

5. Battery life seems very economical.  Should blow away a vex type sonar for usage.

6. Gotta love the color display and countless options of this thing.  I have not messed with the upper/lower depth settings. 

All and all a great unit -  the learning curve is beginning.

[Iceman Cometh]

how's the x67 work in 8 feet or less? how about 5 feet or less?

[ih772]

how's the x67 work in 8 feet or less? how about 5 feet or less?

I spend a lot of time in the 5 to 9 foot depth range and it works very well. What are you asking in particular.

[Iceman Cometh]

I had used mine at 10 feet or better, but not 5 feet or less--I plan to fish a lake that is 5 to 8 feet deep at best this winter and I just wondered if that was enough water--2 to 3 feet--to pick up any signals for fish.

[Higgins]

If it's just 5' or less than you don't need a sonar, "JUST LOOK DOWN THE HOLE"   

[deeman]

After more hands-on time I really like this unit.  As suggested I turned off the auto depth and sens.   It does help.  I even advanced to the stage of setting an upper and lower limit in the ice mode.  Works great.  I still need to get more confident/educated at interpreting what I see on the screen to what's under my feet.  Especially the bottom 2-5 feet.  Can't tell if they are fish or the bottom is retracing or what.  The bottom couple feet alwas seems busy and recalculating.  I can only hope it's fish.

I also added a foam float.  I just took some foam packaging material and cut it in a long rectangle.  Slit it down the middle lenght wise, pushed the cable in and added rubberbands around it to snug it up.  Works well and and does not require an additional stopper.  To change depth, I just slide the foam up and down.  Only tried it one day but it works well and beats the heck out of the OEM bracket.

[viciouscircle]

how's the x67 work in 8 feet or less? how about 5 feet or less?

Works fine!

[mungo544]

I had used mine at 10 feet or better, but not 5 feet or less--I plan to fish a lake that is 5 to 8 feet deep at best this winter and I just wondered if that was enough water--2 to 3 feet--to pick up any signals for fish.

Set upper limit to zero, lower limit to five. You can't do less than a 5 foot split between upper and lower. That is asking a lot from a transducer but it is doable. As far as surface noise, you can play with the surface clarity setting. The bottom is where you will have a problem. If it is silty or weedy and only 5 feet to the bottom, you won't pick up your bait very well. With a hard bottom, you will be ok.

[mungo544]

After more hands-on time I really like this unit.  As suggested I turned off the auto depth and sens.   It does help.  I even advanced to the stage of setting an upper and lower limit in the ice mode.  Works great.  I still need to get more confident/educated at interpreting what I see on the screen to what's under my feet.  Especially the bottom 2-5 feet.  Can't tell if they are fish or the bottom is retracing or what.  The bottom couple feet alwas seems busy and recalculating.  I can only hope it's fish.

I also added a foam float.  I just took some foam packaging material and cut it in a long rectangle.  Slit it down the middle lenght wise, pushed the cable in and added rubberbands around it to snug it up.  Works well and and does not require an additional stopper.  To change depth, I just slide the foam up and down.  Only tried it one day but it works well and beats the heck out of the OEM bracket.

If the colors are changing on the bottom there probably is activity down there. If it is going crazy from the getgo, changing depth readings rapidly, check your transducer to make sure it is pointing straight down. Also make sure the bottom of the ducer doesn't have a chunk of slush or ice stuck to it. If a fish is approaching your bait you will see a separate, distinct signal approaching the bait, usually coming from the bottom, but not always. You may see more than one separate signal moving toward your bait that is more than one fish... or you may see the signal disappear suddenly. That means the fish moved away quickly. Usually, when a signal approaches your bait quickly, the fish is definitely going to take the bait, be ready to set the hook. If the signal just hovers there , that means the fish is hovering there , staring at the bait. You may get other signals approaching at that time, and they may wash into each other, that means more than one fish is close to your bait. If it was a large signal to begin with, usually that is a bigger fish, or a school that approached. Whatever you do, if a fish approaches , don't change your jigging motion, that is what attracted the fish in the first place.. I had a habit of stopping my jigging motion as the fish approached.  I made my float out of foam pipe insulation.