Has anyone used an "lcd" graph for ice fishing ?

[zooplankton]

I have a old eagle LCD graph, I was wondering if it is really worth trying to use?
I do have an Fl-8se..... love it !, I am trying this for a friend.

[muzzy]

I used to have a old Humming Bird that I have used, if your in a warm fish house, they work fine, they are not "real time" though,but if your out side where its below 32 degrees, that liquid crystal tend's to drag across the screen,it slow's way down. your buddy would be better off with an old "RAY JEFFERSON" (GREEN BOX)

[WPT]

I have a FishMark 320 that I use in my portable shack and it works great.  Except when I'm fishing without a shack I never have a need for a flasher anymore.

[SeaDog1]

Yes! I bought one of those portable ones from Sportsman Guide.
Reg. $49.95 but got mine on special for $39.95
Works quite well. Very light and has a lanyard, and I can hang it around my neck and inside my chest high bib pants to keep it and the LCD screen warm. I drill some holes then attach the transponder wire and go around to the holes to see whats there. Granted there is a very small lag time on the screen but in reality I don't need the real time such as from the bigger flasher units. If fish show up, I note the size, and the depth. Then fish. The point is finding where the fish are. Don't need to watch my jig or a fish on the flasher. If your at or near the correct depth, your in buisness. The main thing is to jiggle, wiggle, jerk, shiver what ever your using to get them to bite. Pretty easy. If the marks are small on the LDC screen then you can pretty much assume the fish are gills, perch, or crappie. Mid size marks could be trout or salmon. Large size marks could be Large trout, salmon, walleye, or pike. Depends on the water your fishing and what you know swims in it.
I like the little portable because it's compact and I can shoot and scoot till I find where the fish are.
Everyone has their own preference. This just happens to be mine and works well.

[fishin4fun]

I have a old eagle LCD graph, I was wondering if it is really worth trying to use?
I do have an Fl-8se..... love it !, I am trying this for a friend.

  i was wondering about my old Eagle portable also, wasn't sure about the real cold..

[cliff]

yeah I use a eagle fish easy 2 It's almost real time maybe a second or so slow. I don't have any problems with the lcd until it gets near zero and I'm out of my shanty,in that case it starts getting sluggish. I dont know about the older ones, Mine is about 4 years old

[hollis]

You bet,..I have two, I would say that if your LCD is not real time or if the screen freezes up that its pretty old technology. I have a Zercom and a matrix. Both react so fast that my or any of my friends reflexs can't keep up with it. Both are good to -20.
I like then so much better than flashers. I gave my Vex to a friend. I'll never go back (yea the colors were fun, But I understand many companies are coming out with cheaper color LCD's.) I haven't taken my $1,800 side scan Hummingbird yet, as I don't have a good way to protect it yet,  but if I get the time to set it up I'm going to try it.
I don't know why people hear keep speaking like flashers are so wonderful. They keep up with the old idea that LCD's are slow and don't work in the cold. (true with older units)

[skulldugary]

I use a Eagle Magna 2 portable and like the others said it's not real time,never really had a problem in the cold with it.Can't compare to a flasher though.I'll be picking up a FL-20 before next year.

[MuskyHunter]

I use a Humminbird LCR portable and it works great. I bought it used on e-bay 3yrs ago, I have no idea of exactly how old it is. I turn the scroll speed low and the sensitivity high and  I can watch a teardrop jig move with my arm movement. It works for me, and I really have had no trouble as far as the cold being a problem. Now, I also bought a Hawkeye handheld portable...useless in temps under 35-40...Had an Eagle fish id 2 about 15yrs ago, that also worked fine on graph mode for jigging.

[fishin4fun]

i know all the feedback tells me to try mine, thanks ---see ya out there

[Lobes]

One drawback of the older units was when someone pulled up with A Vexilar they threw so much power it caused huge interference to the LCD's making them useless.

                                           
NBG

[wile.e.1]

Hi folks, good timing on this thread. I am heading up to nip**censored**ing next week and borrowed a friends portable finder.  Cant wait to try it out. I always wondered why people did not like the lcd type finder...(at least on this site) The 1 on my boat works fine to me, maybe I'm a cave man but I like hearing a beep, seeing the size of the fish, bringing the bait or lure to that depth and hopefully hookin up. Oh yeah, I guess I am a cheap cave man too,  Those flashers seem to be a bit pricey and I figure if I already have a unit and it works OK, why bother?. All that being said...If any are interested , I can post some feedback on how it worked out when I return from the great white north.....Man,  I cant wait

[DonW]

Been using a small handheld one, that I bought used. It marks fish and tells bottom structure and depth. I think it works pretty well. I just ordered a Showdown, so this will be a backup.

Tight Lines,
DonW

[zooplankton]

Thanks Men for all the reply's, I will take the "LCD" graph out this weekend & give it a try!
 I'll keep you posted on the performance as compared to the vexilar fl-8se........Tight lines

[dirk327]

I have an old zercom rts that has served me very well.  I can't fish around other flashers though because of the interference.  The new showdown vertical graph supposedly has addressed this issue and works great.  WIth a built in heater for the lcd I am not sure you can go wrong.  Now I just need a few hundred extra dollars!

[dabluz]

For those who want to use an LCD screen when it's cold, it's very simple to make an insulated box to put the screen inside.  You put a plexiglass lid on the box in order to see the screen and you can put the plexiglass on a hinge in order to select any buttons.  Place a motorcyle batterie inside the box with the LCD screen and add a 12 volt automotive bulb to the inside of the box under the screen and place the switch for the bulb outside the box.  The automotive bulb will heat the inside of the box.  Adding a small thermometer under the plexiglass will allow you to turn off the bulb when the inside of the box is warm enough.

A nice insulated box for such a setup could even be a small insulated plastic cooler.  You could even glue in some extra styrofoam inside the box to make it even better insulated.  Cut a hole in the lid of the box and put a small plate of plexiglass in order to see the screen.  This would be much lighter than a wooden box.