LX5 or Ice55

[Sandmannd]

Nice report Dave, thanks.

[northernsportman]

i had the 55 out the other day in 38 fow and had the gain only set at 11-12. it picked the jig up just fine. the jig was a genz bug.

[Dave]

And, you were using the wide beam?

[Bushwacker]

I just bought a LX-5 this year and really have been impressed. I have fished it next to FL-8's, FL-12's, and an FL-18. No problems with interference at all for any of the units. I know Marcum now calls it a "tuned" transducer. I don't know if that makes the difference from the older versions, but the new units seem to have corrected the only problem I have ever heard about LX-5's.

[Shack]

Good report Dave!

So Shack, if you didn't have the LX5 and were buying one, would you give the Bird a try?

I do not know at this time . I have had no on the ice time with the ICE-55 yet and all I can say is I would "say" the LX-5 would be a good buy for ya Sand.

You will not regret it, this I know

Humminbird has taken me by surprise with these new ice units this year. As much as I am a Die Hard Humm guy, if Humm had brought these out last year, I would be owning an ICE-55 out of loyalty to a great, quality product right now .

[WinterHaven]

We sure get Marcum products shoved down our throats on this site.

Well lets put it this way, what can the Vexilars do that the Marcums can't?

But I can mention many things that the Marcums can do that the Vexilars can't.

[pike doctor]

Hummingbird all the way!! I have an ICE 45 and it is awesome. The gain issues probably come from the "support cable" at the demo. It doesnt allow the transducer to hang perfectly level. I have over 100 hours on my 45 and I can pick up #10 jigs with a piece of GULP in 30' of water with the gain set on 4-5. I really would never consider a Marcum unless the price was REALLY good.

[Dave]

Pike Doctor,

Is that using the 19-degree setting? I'd like to learn more about the Birds as much as anyone here.

[793bob]

pike doctor what are you using instead of the support cable.just the foam float straight onto the transducer.

[Neiko]

I had the LX3 and upgraded to the LX5 last year and thought I would be done buying a flasher. Well I had to upgrade 1 more time and got the new LX5 and couldn't be happier. The Ice did intrigue me but there was too many unknowns for me to put that amount of money into a first year product. Hopefully HBird stays committed to the hardwater products because they are a good company and will be major player IMO.

[Bulldoggr]

i had the 55 out the other day in 38 fow and had the gain only set at 11-12. it picked the jig up just fine. the jig was a genz bug.

You had to have your gain that High to see your jig in 38 FOW?

I don't think I have ever turned my gain up any higher then 2. I believe i was in 35 feet .

Thats interesting to know

[pike doctor]

pike doctor what are you using instead of the support cable.just the foam float straight onto the transducer.

yes

[pike doctor]

Pike Doctor,

Is that using the 19-degree setting? I'd like to learn more about the Birds as much as anyone here.

yes.

I just really like the unit, just like some guys like their LX5. Dont be intimidated by the Birds. They are really easy to use. Just spend some time reading the manual and make sure you get the transducer hanging straight WHEN ITS IN THE WATER.

[PerchJerker]

I'm noticing that a lot of guys get hung up comparing the gain settings - the Marcums at 2 or 3, the HBs at 10-20. Don't get hung up on it, don't try to decide that one is better or worse because of the gain setting. As long as the units pick up the baits and show separation they are working like they should.

Fishwater had a great analogy for this in a thread not too long ago --- he compared it to the Spinal Tap amp that went to 11

[northernsportman]

Originally Posted By: northernsportman

i had the 55 out the other day in 38 fow and had the gain only set at 11-12. it picked the jig up just fine. the jig was a genz bug.

You had to have your gain that High to see your jig in 38 FOW?

I don't think I have ever turned my gain up any higher then 2. I believe i was in 35 feet .

Thats interesting to know

is that with the lx5? you need to also consider that HB goes from 1-25.

[KTapper]

I really love my humminbird well worth the price, and it will do anything you need it too.

[Bass Chaser]

The Humminbird Ice 55 hand down with the 6 color pallet hands down will show you more than the 3 color LX-5. With the added colors you can see if the fish is coming towards the bait or moving away from the bait faster as the colors will change sooner than a 3 color flasher allowing you to change your presentation or jigging if you see the fish moving away. This allows me to react faster to the fish then seeing the fish go out of the cone and turn into a lost fish. The bigger face is also easier to read in or out of an ice shelter. And on the days when it is snowing you do not have anything to trap snow like you will with the LX-5 and the shild you have around the screen. Buy an Ice 55 you will not be disappointed.

[793bob]

i've read on other forums that some people are having problems with there ice 55's right out of the box.one day it works fine and the next it doesn't.it this true eddie.i'm interested in one but there has been quite a few negative posts as well with the units being noisy as well.

[hanson]

Well guys... the Humminbirds are pretty fresh to the ice fishing scene obviously and we're just starting to see some reports of some guys getting ice time with them. How many of you were around ice fishing when Marcum first hit the market? That was a fun time, eh?

Anyway, I've got a Humminbird Ice 55 in the truck that I'll be demoing for the next couple weeks. I should be able to give the unit a pretty thorough and diverse workout. Got some walleye/sauger fishing on Lake of the Woods planned (mainly fishing 30' of water, spoons and stuff). Little bit of time on URL and I've also got a good little panfish spot where we'll be giving the small stuff a workout between 10-20' of water.

You have to remember that I'm pretty sold on Marcum (LX-3 & LX-5) and have been for 4-5 years now. Before that was Vex FL-18 & FL-8 and even Zercom Colorpoint. LOL... Colorpoint. Been doing this a little while, eh?

I'll let you know how it works out. Been reading up on the manual and playing with the Ice 55 inside and there are definitely some cool features. We'll see how it plays out on the ice. Stay Tuned!

[CNY Tim]

Chris - Hhmmm sounds like we have the same laundry list of flashers except for the bird Gonna take the new LX-5 for another spin tomorrow. I just love how vibrant the med. strength green signal is this year compared to last years model, less adjusting with the new Auto tune feature.

[muskymatson]

I owned the LX5 last year. Once I saw the 55 I sold the LX5. I like both of them. the bird is so much easier to look at. Yes it's the 1st year however the has been pro staff using them for 3 years. The marcum and vex did not work well together. I fished my 55 next to a fl8 and it was just fine. the six colors isn't the biggest thing to me. Best bang for your buck I think the 45. Thought I'd add my input.

[riverrat56]

I really think that the only once we get past the bells and whistles that the Ice-55 offers, only a few of which the LX-5 doesn't, most importantly the 6 color display. (I feel the back light and adjustable depth scale aren't going to help me catch any more fish, the 6 color display might...) That everyone will realize that the most important thing with a flasher is being able to tell where your bait is in relation ship to the fish. The best way to show this is target seperation. The LX-5 has target seperation down to .75" the Ice-55 only 2.5".

I have lots of lures that are considerably smaller then 2.5".....

[FrontenacPike]

Well I'm currently trying to sell my LX-3TC and I was going to wait until I had it sold to upgrade to a Bird or a new LX-5. I was at my local bait store yesterday and came across a huge deal on both the birds and the LX's. Yeah the bird looked pretty cool, but nobody at the store new anything about them. I've been reading on FM and there just isn't enough info to make a decision like that. I tinkered with the bird, paced around the store and finally came to the conclusion I better stick with something that is proven. I really wanted to get the bird because of all the flashy lights (it really is eye appealing). With the amount of money we are talking about I went with the LX-5. Now the only delima is getting a buyer on my LX-3...hope the wife don't find out!!!

[DTro]

You won't be sorry with the LX-5.

Make sure that you try to use the 48hr rule with your wife.

If you don't know that that is, basically you may make up any story you wish after 48 hours regarding the acquisition. In other words, she gets 48 hours to notice the purchase and complain. If she misses her window, you are home free.

“This old thing,’’ you might say, when, after a week, she finally does notice, “that thing has been here since July.’’

[Shack]

Ah, the 48 hour rule