MarCum LX-3 Test Report

[CNY Tim]

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.

[RK]

Dano2 -
Sorry, missed your question on the previous page.

I don't think anyone has used an LX-3 yet except for maybe the Marcum guys. It just came out this fall. I may try it next year, but I have LCF-40s on my boat so don't really need it for other than ice fishing. I do know some guys that use FL-8s open water and they seem to like them, although bright sunlight can be an issue. So jury is out on open water use...

The LX-3 does not have bottom lock.

Hope this answers your Qs?

Cheers,
RK

[CNY Tim]

Report 12 - Pond, depth fished 8', ice conditions: Getting hairy to say the least.
MarCum LX3, no zoom today. Was on a catching mission today...
First off there was ice on only half the pond and the geese ducks, pintails were all swimming about. The ice was only 3.5" thick but black and mixed with sand. We could not get out past 8' of water and I did not need it I slammed a 1/2 pal of quality sunfish. All kept were 8.5" or better and a few bonus 9.5". I whacked 9 crappies 9 -12" and two solid 13". I schooled the guys that were out there. The guy I fished with caught two bluegills all day. He does not deserve an FL-18, geez what a waste of good equipment. Finesse glow tail plastics, Frostee red glow size 6, Glow devil yellow perch pattern.
I got stuff to do, will check in the morning. Happy New Year guys.

[Dano2]

ALmost put an FL-18 on layaway today,
isn't that funny how they tell you that all the units you see sitting there will probably be gone in a couple days, heh, heh,.
there were about 10. I guess it could be possible.
Anyway, it sounds like the FL-18 is the all around better unit.
What i mean by that is how well it will be for open water.
Sounds like the Marcum is an AWESOME ice fishen unit, but they have a few things to work out, before its the all around.

feed back? heh
I'm sure there will be some eh?

OH, by the way, man I wished I had the vex. OR marcum, last night fishing Pelican, caught a few wallys and missed a couple as well, but it would have been very interesting to see how many other were eyeing my jig, the bite was slow I thought, was out quite awhile for just a few, but maybe I needed to try a different presentation, or depth off the bottem, or somewhere else i dont know, but the flasher sure would have been handy.
Anyone having success with the red glow angle eye?

[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 01-01-2003).]

[Guest]

I don't know if digital pictures of a flasher would work. I don't know all the technical jargon, but I'll try to explain why I think this. The display on a flasher is a LED attached to a wheel spun at a high speed. The picture is updated extremely fast. I've tried to camcord my fl8 and it didn't work. Your eyes see one continuous picture on the screen as it is being updated, but the camcorder shows it as a LED spinning around.

I would think that an instantaneous picture of the screen taken with a camera would show the wheel spinning the LED around. I guess it would depend on how fast the camera is taking the picture vs. how fast the wheel is spinning on the vex/marcum. You might get a blur of the wheel spinning, but not the whole picture as your eyes see it.

Get your film developed and lets find out....

[This message has been edited by flyingfish (edited 01-01-2003).]

[Swill]

Any digital pics yet?

[CNY Tim]

No digital pics but only have a few more pictures to burn with my camera to finish the roll. I have not taken a picture with fish on the screen as I want to fish and not want to dally with a camera but I will try it. The guy that was fishing next to me had an 18 and he put his 19 deg. transducer on anticipating shallow water. He said that he just wasn't marking any fish but I find that hard to believe he was withing 12' of me. Maybe he just did not want to be embarassed not catching, I don't know. The 18 is bright, he had a magnifier on it and it was a bright neon green the week signals a far cry from the FL8SLT, definitely brighter. I guess I should have tried his finder in the two 8' holes I was fishing to see if his unit was picking up the fish that were coming in a foot off the bottom to 4' up. Just two dang busy catching fish and having fun...

sorenson - Happy New Year Bub! Nice talking to you the other day I hope you have things worked out with your point. If not HSOList and get a MarCum.

I like the 20 degree transducer on the MarCum it does a great job on showing a wide picture in shallow water it let's you know quicker that there are are fish on the edge of your cones signal that need to be called in, helps you concentrate on fishing. What's this I am reading in another thread a FL-18 user likes the MarCum better. There will be more converts I am sure. I won't know anything on the MarCum when it comes to open water fishing in a boat. I have an Eagle 128 side mount on my canoe that does just fine for me.

Has anyone tried over 40' for the MarCum yet? Would be interesting to hear some deep water reports...

[CNY Tim]

No reports will be filed on the MarCum LX-3 this weekend by myself. Were getting pounded with big snow in NY and it's not stopping. You guys that can get out have a great weekend on fish. Snowblowing, Labatts Blue and NFL playoff football on tap here.
Later...

[WallEYES]

CNYTIM
Send me your address again, I have some pictures to send you and I can't find your address! [email protected]

[Dano2]

Traded my FL-18 for a LX-3 today.
reason being is I found a different
Vexilar product I want for open water,
(edge)

Other reason being is I have heard enough on
the superior target seperation, not just from this board but from others as well.
This is something I feel is very important, ecspecially for someone just learning to read a flasher.

Now, I must go back and reread these posts so I can learn some things.
Thanks

[CNY Tim]

Dano2 - You won't regret it!!!
The MarCum LX-3 is hands down the best ice fishing flasher on the market and word is getting out. The Marcum LX-3 will show you detail in a crisp thin line display. It's performance thus far has been spectacular. My friends are devote FL-18 fan's and that's great but if they want the best all around (pro pack) value and a flasher that was designed for the serious ice fisherman. The LX-3 blows the FL-18 away. There will be more converts and if your riding the fence don't wait because the MarCum's are selling fast! Like I said it is precision dead on accurate in every feature and is user friendly and has the best charging system in the industry. It's about time some one answered the call.. The technological break through of the LX-3 will be the benchmark of 3 color flashers for years to come! The FL-18 is fine but if your gonna spend a chunk on a 6' zoom window that needs to be re-adjusted every time you switch holes why not have a locked in 5' to 10' adjustable zoom window. And in 80' a 10' or 20' adjustable zoom window.
I have a couple of question for FL-18 users...
Why does Vexilar recommend a 12 degree ice ducer for the zoom mode? Does that mean the zoom mode won't work well with a 9 or 19 degree transducer and what about open water with the 18 will this hamper it's zoom use if your not using a 12 degree in open water situations? Why does the FL-18 400 watts have 1/3 more battery drain than the LX-3 1500 watts when it uses less power? Oh I can answer this question the LX-3 internal components are of better quality and design not only are the technically superior they are battery efficient even with all that power the LX-3 kicks out.
Get a MarCum LX-3 you'll thank me later.

[Guest]

The battery lasts all day on my 18. How much more juice eficiency does a guy need ?
I have a dual beam 9/19 ducer on mine too and the zoom works fine on both the 9/19 for me. Rarely use the 19 anyways as if a fish is gonna bite it's gonna bite. The signal will show up on the 9 degree just as well as the 19. ie: Directly under your ducer. It don't matter to me if I see a fish a couple seconds before hand with a 19 than with the 9 degree.
As far as I know Vex does'nt specificaly recomend the 12 degree ducer. Dunno for sure but if they do it's probably because the 12 is a compromise between the 9 and 19 = An all round use ducer. It's nice to have a choice rather than be stuck with one ducer size I think. NOT that that really matters in general. Does Marcum offer a ducer size other than the 20 ?

Regaurding quality components or lack thereof. My first Vexilar ( FL-8 ) is till going strong after 11 + years in use. Gave it to my dad when I upgraded. The fact it's still going strong pretty much answers the quality components question for me. I guess we'll just have to wait and see ( 10 years + ) how well the Marcums hold up.

If what I've heard is true , the Marcum unit sounds like a pretty good one and it's cool guys are having success with em but I've read/heard nothing that's gonna make me dump my Vex for one. I guess this means I'll remain a non serious icefisherman. LOL

[Guest]

Forgot , before I gave my FL-8 to my dad , I used it on my boat. I use my FL8-SLT on my boat now.

[Cyberfish]

GEEMAN, CNY doesn't fish out of a boat. I am guessing that the short time he gets to use his LX3 every year, that it will probably last forever for him. I will wait n see how people like the LX3 in the summer time and how well it holds up for people who fish over 100 days a year

Set the hook!

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[Guest]

Cyberfish , I know Tim and know he does'nt get to fish out of a boat that often. Bummer.
Just thought I'd throw the boat thing out there for guys who don't have the ching to be able to afford all the electronics/gadgets we WISH we could afford ! LOL
Though the Vex would'nt be my first choice for a boat locator , it gets the job done.

[Dark Cloud]

Geeman -

CNY Tim - I know you, Iv'e fished with you, you are a friend and I just cant figure out why you care if people choose a Marcum over a Vex??? You have nothing to gain if someone buys a Marcum!!! You have no ties to the company! Who cares!!! Competition is great in all aspects of business but like my buddy Geeman says - if in 10 years you can talk about the Marcum the way you do now then we'll listen. Ive had my fl-8 for 11 years and have beat the snot out of it hard and its still ticking. It was just time for an upgrade and I have no regrets in my choice of and 18. Looking forward to seeing your LX-3 in action but I will have no regrets on my purchase.....

[This message has been edited by Dark Cloud (edited 01-04-2003).]

[Guest]

EVERYONE

I KNOW TIM AND DONT THINK HE IS TRYING TO PUSH THE LX-3 ON ANYONE HE IS TESTING IT AND LETTING YOU KNOW HOW GOOD IT IS,DONT JUST SETTLE FOR WHAT HAS BEEN OUT THERE FOR YEARS TRY OR AT LEAST SEE FOR YOUR SELF HOW THE OTHER EXUIPMENT IS AND THEN CHOOSE,I DONT USE EITHER OF THE FLASHERS THAT YOU TALK ABOUT HELL I USE A FISH EASY MADE BY EAGLE AND CAN HOLD MY OWN WITH EITHER THE VEX OR THE LX-3,IVE SEEN BOTH OF THEM IN ACTION ON THE ICE AND IF I WERE TO CHOOSE ONE OF THEM IT WOULD BE THE LX-3.IT JUST SEAMED CRISPER THEN THE FL-18 AND THE ZOOM MODE IS AWSOME, BUT SINCE I DONT HAVE THE BEANS TO GET ONE NOW I WILL JUST KICK BACK WITH MY EAGLE AND KICK ALL YOUR BUTTS.LOL SEE YA

[Cyberfish]

Geeman, what would be your first choice for a boat locator?

Icewalker, bring it on!

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[Guest]

Cyberfish , How much $ can I spend ? LOL
For the money , somthing along the lines of a Lowrance X85 or whatever that has morfed into these days. No sense spending more money on electronics than my boats worth ! LOL
I river fish mostly and the Vex works good enough for me. Not the best but better than going out blind.

[Cyberfish]

Geeman, yeah, that would be a good one, or mabye the Vexilar edge. I would get something like that if I only boat fished, and if I only ice fished, I would get an LX3.
But I think the best all season locator is the FL-18.

Fish Ooon!

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[Dark Cloud]

IceWalker - Paul, I know all about Tim and his testing and I just have to disagree on his "Hands Down" descision. The thing is too darn new and is there a difference between a 9.99 and a 9.98??? Im playing around alot with the zoom on my 18 and while it is nice it is overrated a touch. I think it will be nice on Lake C and O for those deep perch but will it catch me more fish - NO!!! The adjustable zoom is a scamm too, the last thing im gonna do is have the zoom adjusted off the bottom. The charging system is another ??? I havent had any problems as long as I remember to charge it. And people worrying about overcharging is another non-headache. These batteries are designed to trickle charge, you could leave em on for a few days and not hurt a thing, period!
I also feel it was about time someone disagreed with him on some of this stuff.
"ya can only swallow so much before ya puke"
p.s. - Burn all your tip-ups!!!

[Guest]

Dark Cloud , That zoom on the 18 is a + on deeper water and bottom huggers like Perch/Walleyes. That's the one feature that sold me on the 18.

As far as target separation goes I think a guys starting to split hairs when your talking the separation capabilities both units have. Do the minor differences REALLY matter ? As long as your locator tells you there's fish below who cares ? Does it really matter if your locator can tell you how big the fish are swimmin under your hole especialy with panfish ? I mean if a fish you catch is too small you still caught it and can let it go and try your luck again right ?
I guess I can't see the advantage to having an adjustable zoom either. Say your fishin 25 feet of water and are zoomed in on the 10 to 20 foot range. Will you still see fish that come in below or above that range or will you be too focussed on the zoomed in range to notice ? BTW , I've caught myself doing that with my 18. LOL
Technology is a good thing overall but the way locator technology is advancing how long will it be before the technology exists that allows for species specific units or modes ? Will we still be fishing or will we just go harvesting instead.
I know electronics don't make fish bite but to me before too long it will be like knowing what all your gifts are gonna be X-Mas morning before you open em.

Don't get me wrong , the new Tech out there is intreaguing and has it's place for sure and like most of you I'll be right there wanting to know more about the latest gizzmos etc too.
NO DOUBT either I like catching big fish just as much as the next guy but I also like the element of NOT knowing if your gonna pick off a hog or a dink, a Walleye or a Burbot etc.
Take your best shot and let the chips fall where they may. THAT'S what fishin is all about to me.

Bottom line is are we starting to rely too much on electronics to make us better fishermen these days ?

Ahhhh NO ! I'm not ready to give up my Vex ! LOL

[Dano2]

I'm not so sure the purpose of this thread is for vex users to give up on them,
I have said all I am going to MYSELF anyway about them both.
Maybe someone should start a thread on the other types of units for open water,
i know the Vex 8 and 18 seem to be popular, but Myself i'm looking for something more like the vex. edge, something to that effect anyway.
I know what you mean about all the gadgets and gizzmos that are coming out.
I'm not up to speed like alot are on these things, and I had to laugh in scheels yesterday when the guy showed me a beeper type deal that you can hook to your tip ups so when your in your fish house your beeper will go off to let you know you had a strike.
I laughed yesterday, but I suppose I'll have one by next year, heh, heh

[Dark Cloud]

Dano2 - Maybe ya cant see it but this thread has turned into a Chevy vs. Ford thing and the bottom line is it just dosent matter!!! Geeman and I just got sick of the "hands down" dump!!! Things like time on the ice, observing, and having a brain in your head all catch fish, not using abc or x brand anything...
p.s. - Why are IceWalker and Dano defending the Marcum when they have no on-ice experience with either???
Just stirring the pot, he, he, he...

[CNY Tim]

UH Oh! Started a hornet's nest here I think? All I can say is "hands down" ....
Hey you guys this is really good you FL-18 guys should be upset I know I would be if I did not have an LX-3
Relax and who's jumpy now?...
Report whatever...
Fished 12.5' to 34.5' of water on a local lake and caught 7 nice perch and a small eye. Fish came in a foot off the bottom and left the 5' zoom window on all day. What I like about the LX-3 like my Vex is the instantaneous response to my jigs movement as it relates to my flasher. Northland Forage minnow size 8 and glow ratso. Did not mark many pigs and got pestered by some dink perch. Tough moving around with 8" of snow on top.

[Cyberfish]

Did someone say Burbot?
I love them!
Ford rules Chevy drools
First-On-Race-Day
What is the best chevy repair kit?
a hand grenade!

Fish OooooooooooN !!!

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