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MarCum LX-3 Test Report


CNY Tim

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I caught 7 keeper crappies 10 - 13.5" and kept a dozen nice gills and 3 big perch. Caught alot of small perch today. 5" any where we walked on the lake with 4" of snow on top. We fished 8' to 16' best depth was 15'. Crappie were riding at about 10' along with the nicer gills. You had to keep it off the bottom on that lake or you'll get nailed with dink perch. Not a great trip as far as bluegill action but it was great to use my MarCum and we can fish close with Vexilars and no problems 1 I.R. off, 1 on I.R and one on I.R. plus one no problems. I had the zoom on 10' when I was fishin 15' and it was awesome. Funny seeing your jig and fish on both sides of the screen. Gotta train my eyes a little more to stay on the left side. What the zoom feature allowed me to do was keep the bait away from the smaller fish and the decent gills and crappies when they popped on the zoom I thought they were bass or pike, awesome machine. I am glad it's compatable with Vexilars that was a big issue.

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Did any of you pic up a copy of the new 2003 In-Fisherman's Ice Fishing Magazine? On page 16 there is an interesting article which addresses the amt of anglers and their success using electronic aids to increase perch catch rates. They sampled 742 angler groups at Slought Lake in South Dakota and found two important things...

1- Percentage of Anglers using various technology..
73% us none, 20% use flashers, 5% use LCD and 2% use UW cameras

2nd they looked at the number of perch caught per angler per hour they found...
non tech users - 2.25 fish per hour
Electronic users - 2.51
Flasher users- 2.84

With that said....Angles using flashers catch more fish...WHY?
-because they can target schools of fish quicker
-and it could be assumed that if they are using flashers they might use more high tech equipment like ultralite lines, graphite poles, gps untits, portable fish houses, etc.

One thing the study does point out is that flahers users do catch more fish. Not a lot more but more.

Before everyone starts up again with this is best or that is best lets remember only a small portion of us actually use this equipment. It seems like everyone has it and we can't imagine fishing without it but just because you have it does not guarantee success. How many times have we looked at a flasher and nothing was bitting. smile.gif

Guys...get back to basics... learning about the fish you are going for and developing a pattern as to why they are where they are is most important. Not if you can zoom in this or that feet. Like in deer hunting scouting and just spending time doing what we all love ICE FISHING is what really matters.
Well that was a long enough.... FISH ON and good posts!!! smile.gif

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To answer your questions about the FL-18 CNY Tim -

No, the 9 degree transducer is not really needed in water less than 40 ft. You can use it, but you are covering a lot less area under you. You might want it if you fish alot of steep breaks, as the dead zone is a lot smaller. Dead zone is the stuff you can't see because the flasher marks the highest point on a steep break as the bottom.

The FL-18 standard transducer is a 12 degree. The standard on the Fl-8 is a 19 degree. Vexilar went to the intermediate cone angle because it works better with the zoom mode on the FL-18. You can use a 19 degree to cover more area, but the 12 degree is supposed to be the best trade-off between covering a lot of area and still being able to get the detail required for the zoom. I have not used the 12 degree in deep water yet, but the technicians at Vexilar told me it should work just fine down to 200 ft, the maximum depth on the standard range FL-18. I guess I'm a bit skeptical, because I know how well the 9 degree worked in the deep water, and how the 19 degree did not. I guess being only 3 degrees different rather than 10 will make a big difference. The 12 degree works great in the 10-20 ft that I have used it in.

I can't wait to get out in 100+ feet of water and target some lakers. That is the main reason I went from the FL-8 to the FL-18 - to zoom in on the lakers and whitefish in deep water. Now if we coudl just get some cold weather back to freeze up the deep stuff!!

It may be a month or more, but after I get on the deep water, I will let everyone know how the 12 degree transducer worked.

Tight lines -

ScottO

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i dont keep fish, i average probably keep 5-10 fish all year round and they wont be big fish. i go out with alot of people and let them keep them if they want. personally i hate keeping a ton of fish and killing them. if anyone wants to head out sometime in the metro let me know. good fishing everyone.

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Pig Sticka...
It must be the differences in terminology that we use. When I hear "limit", in my mind I am thinking that is what a person took home instead of the numbers caught. When I say I got a limit of crappie, that usually means I got some fish to clean. Where as if I say I caught two dozen 'eyes and also some pike on tip-ups, chances are they are all still swiming.

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ScottO - Thanks for the info. The 18 has a 6' zoom correct? I was reading that someone was having a problem getting the 12 degree ducer to hang straight. Is this a common problem or just this guy got an out of balance ducer?

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CNY Tim -

THe FL-18 zoom is the bottom 6 feet, no matter what depth you are in.

I've had 3 ice-ducers, my dad 2 and know many other Vex users and none have had the problems described on the other thread here. I know some guys do try to "tune" their ice ducers to be perfectly level - I have never found a need to. Mine have always worked fine. I do not think it is a common problem. I suggested to the person on the other thread to contact Vexilar directly and see what they reccomend. Maybe he got a bad transducder.

ScottO

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ScottO - Gonna split the difference like Dark Cloud did and get the 12 degree ducer... Shopped around and I saved $50 bucks on mine.
FL-18, 12 deg. iceducer, icebox, $351 (inc. shipping). The other prices I had were $400 to $413 which both included shipping.
Now I can see what the heck you guys are squawking about first hand. Should be here before XMAS. Colorpoint's going up on HSOList tonight. Just scoped hsolist they had a colorpoint in there for $250, geez if I can even get close to that for mine that is sweet.
You may ask how my wife knows... She doesn't and when she does I don't care....

Now I can report on both...

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MarCum Report 7: 14 keeper crappies in 35' of water, crappies were coming in anywhere from 3' to to 5' off the bottom. The 10' zoom window got a work out today.
FishDaddy's buddy has a MarCum and he loves it too.

ScottO - I don't know how to technically explain this but the right side of my MarCum when it is in zoom condenses so that I can crisply see the entire water column on the right. The left side amplify's the bottom 10'. Don't ask me why cause I don't know other than that there is less spacing on the right then on the left. The target separation is fantastic in zoom mode. I can't wait to see how this compares with the 18 although I am going to have a problem with the zoom if those crappies are at 5' off the bottom.

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Talked to Dark Cloud last nite asked him about what his screen looks like on his 18 in zoom mode and his condenses as well on the right also the zoom on his is magnified on the left, hmmm.
Sounds like there both the same as far as split/screen picture goes. He sees the value in 10' zoom window and wishes the FL-18 had an adjustable zoom to 12'. I figure the FL-28 will...

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MarCum LX-3 performed well today again. Fishing a reservoir between 15' and 17' of water caught 10 or so nice perch 10-12" one sumo perch 13 7/8", a 12" crappie, 15" walleye and a 14" bullhead. Did not need the 10' window today all fish came off the bottom, 5' window was plenty. Water was murky and the fish bit better late. Glow Devil Red Glow, Shearwater Thumper Glow Perch Pattern, and T.O.I single dot glow bug. I like the fact that I can hole hop and need not adjust at each hole, the unit stays locked in.
IceWalker and his two buddies real enjoyed looking at the screen.

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CNY Tim, wondering if you've had the chance to fish either the Marcum or the FL18 over a bush or brush pile. I have a couple of spots I fish where the crappies sit right inside a pile of brush. My FL8 cannot distigush my jig from the branches and I'm wondering if either of these can.
P.S.
I'll be buying either the Marcum or the FL18 next year and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your expierience here.

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Kidd - Thanks for your comments. I have fished some submerged trees on Young Lake and to be honest with you NO flasher can distinguish your jig from structure or anything else, unless your jig is moving and the structure is stationary and if your fishing a current area it will be worse.

If your stationary over a target with no current, signals will bounce off of brush, limbs, bottom, weeds, fish, etc. The only thing that will distinguish your bait from the structure is movement. What I try to do before I drop a jig is look at the picture that my MarCum is presenting me and determine if those marks are fish or structure. Drop a jig down and see if you have movement from the signals on your screen. If after a couple of minutes there is no movement you could assume it's structure but not necessarily. Jigging is the only way to determine and no flasher can accomplish what your asking maybe an LCD could, I don't know.
How deep are your crappies that you fish normally in that brush pile? Do you have to put that jig right down in there bread basket? Can you work them out of the structure?
The MarCum has a 5'or 10' adjustable zoom., would that help you in this situatation for better target separation 1"? Or would the bottom 6' be enough to see the area that is in question better with the FL-18 that has .5" target separation? You will like the fact with the MarCum LX-3 that if your fishing relatively the same depth you can lock it in and forget it. It's set for the rest of the day. From what I have heard the FL-18 has to be reshuffled through the settings to re zoom when hole hopping, I don't know what this means but will find out shortly.
My FL-18 will be arriving this week and I will be posting results with that as well. From what I hear from others it's a very good unit, extremely versatile, plus you can accesorize it to the max, and the customer service is fantastic.
The reservoir crappies I fished with my Colorpoint came out of thin pine tree brush piles, basically light cover little so I could distinguish fairly well but it can be difficult at times. Look for changes in your flashers signal with associated movement if a branch that is a weak yellow signal turns orange or broadens and flickers that maybe a fish moving in the pile.
I have a buddy who has an FL-18 that fishes reservoir structure brush piles and trees I will talk to him about it but I believe the answer is no. Maybe a camera may be a good option for you. If most of your fishing is brush piles.

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CNY Tim. Thanks for the response. I'm fishing anywhere from 28' to 35' feet over brush piles that rise about 4 - 6' off the bottom. Most of the time I can get the fish (crappies) to come out of the brush but sometimes they bury in there and I need to go after them. What I was hoping to hear is that the brush remains green and these new units keep my jig red. A camera is next to useless as I’m fishing very stained water. The camera is good for 3 feet max.

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Kidd - How much of a flat surface or how much lead is in your jig that you use. A jigging rap, nils, genz worm may help you there. It sounds like a 10' zoom window is right up your alley. A larger surface area on your jig would help deliver a broader spectrum on your flasher yet still minimize your brush.

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I just received an email from MarCum concerning Vexilar personnel allegations of MarCum copying there splitscreen and Interference Rejection.

Tim,
I would ignore the vexilar allegations. We obviously reviewed their patents
and got a read from our attorney prior to going forward with our product
launch. Its not worth wasting time over.


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Fished shallow under 7' of water today iced 15 gills, 13 over 8 and a nice 9.5" slob, no crappies, an 18" largemouth, 21" pickerel and two break offs.
The MarCum functioned flawlessly again today! Did not use zoom just left it in Normal mode today.
Received my FL-18 today but I am waiting on a Genz ice box to mount it too so I can start testing this unit. Long story there..My 18 does not have the update and won't get it until after the season ends. The 12 degree ducer is a weapon of it's own that's one big transducer.
MarCum test 10 Sunday up nort...

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Fished a perch/walleye lake from 13' to 35' of water used the 5' zoom window as the the perch were tight to the bottom and would not come up more than 4'. Only caught two and alot of lookers. Could not move much, the slush and snow on top made it real tough. Fished next to an FL-8SLT in 35' of water and a couple of taps on the IR button and no interference. The MarCum LX-3 was flawless yet again.

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Kidd , I have fished submerged brush etc for Crappies/Gills like you with and FL 8 SLT and cound not distinguish between my jig and branches by color. The way I could tell which was my jig and which was a branch was that the jig moved up/down while the branches remained as constant marks.
I'm not sure any locator could distinguish between fish and brush just by color. I don't think that ( afordable )technology exists to distinguish wood from fish/jigs.

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CNY TIM, I have used my Marcum now about 10 times. the thing is awesome, the target seperation is fantastic. in one of the past post there was talk about signal strength and the fact that you could not tell if it was a small fish or a larger fish on the outside edge of your cone, true. how ever, yesterday fishing gills i could certainlly tell the difference between the large gills and the smaller ones. they were chasing my jig so much i knew they were close to the center on my cone and close to my jig i just pulled it away from the smaller marks and let the larger red/orange marks hit the jig. i caught many more larger gills than the people around me. while they were sorting through gill after gill, i was busy iceing larger fish. the interference factor is totally licked. i have fished within a few feet of vex's and zercon's, there has not been one time where i had even a trace on my display. the display is awesome also. i have had many vex users come over when they see the misfit out on the ice. most all of them have had the same comment, wow! nice display, even the FL18 boy's. i was a little hesitant to get one at first just because of the 20 degree cone, i do fish some deeper water. i was told they will have another transducer next year so i figured what the heck. someone stated they never buy new technology, well i do. if you are not willing to take a chance here and there, we would all be fishing with the same old stuff. if your not willing to take a chance on new things and such. your probally the same type of person that hears " should have been here last week" a lot. i would rather be a trend setter than following in every one else! Tim, thanks for the info. your Marcum using fishing friend, Jeff.

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BUSHWAC - Gills stacked like that... Why didn't you call me? LOL
When I first found out that MarCum had the technology back I was sitting here waiting and anticipating a unit like this.
The colorpoint has always been a favorite of mine and always had a crisper display then the FL-8 and the ability to show fish tight to the bottom. Inconsitencies in the early colorpoint units and no interference rejection hurt.
I hate it when people say that the new MarCum LX-3 is the same old colorpoint.
It isn't even close...
Adjustable zoom, cleanest 3 color display in the industry, high tech-efficient charging system, soft pack that kicks a$$, Interference Rejection that works.
I believe MarCum will be with us for a while and durability and customer service will be tested.
Only MarCum users know how truly awesome this system is... Word of mouth is one thing but seeing this unit in action is the seller. Vex 18 fan's don't want to admit that they saw a MarCum LX-3 on the ice and liked the display better than the FL-18. They won't say it., but they know it and soon the icefishing world will know they should have bought the MarCum...

Stay tuned I will be posting results with the FL-18 shortly.

It's nice going from a guinea pig to a trend setter ain't it?
Take Care Jeff

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CNY Tim...Can you bring along a digital camera to take photos at different stages when you are fishing? Or maybe someone could borrow one for you if you don't have one? I fished this weekend with a friends fl8 on winni for perch and it sucked. The fishing was great but the fl8 did not pick up the perch which were in 32 feet on the bottow and I knew that because the aqua vu camera showed em wink.gif Kinda makes me wonder how many eyes have never showed up!!!

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Holy Cr*p - Now we have two Marcum nuts to deal with. I think we are dealing with the difference between a 9.99888 and a 9.99988 here. Please dont act like your gonna catch any more fish with one or the other. It is nice having competition out there but would I have caught 52 bluegills this morning instead of 48 if I had a Marcum instead of my new 18??? I was able to figure out with the aid of electronics that the fish were shy and wanted a super downsized package on a dark colored jig. And I was able to play keepaway with the smaller gills and ice more jumbos. Probably could have done the same thing with a super 60 or an old paper graph....

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