Why use another toy?

[Swimbait2009]

Hi guys,

Forgive my ignorance, but I've been wondering why people don't use the same electronics for locating fish that we use in the warm months? Why are the ice units called flashers? First year really ice fishing, so I'm learning all I can!

Thanks!

Seth

[DTro]

That’s a pretty good question and there are several right answers I think.

1. Some guys don’t fish open water, and flashers have been all they have ever used.

2. Up until only a few years ago, LCD screens were not made to withstand the elements of ice fishing and or were not capable (batter paks, tranducers, etc).

3. I don’t know if it’s true, but flashers seem to give you a faster feedback than a digital readout.

4. Good marketing. Why wouldn’t a company want to sell a unit for each season?

5. You need to relearn how to read the LCD display.

I think in the future what might be a breaking point in the whole deal is the integration of GPS functionality in these open water units. If a guy can simply pull his head unit off his boat and throw it on a battery pak for the ice, and it is built to hold up in the winter, you’ll be seeing more and more of that.

It’s going to be hard to change a technology (flashers) that has been such a staple in the industry though. Flashers won’t be going anywhere soon.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I've often wondered the same myself.

Last winter I saw a guy using his LCD sonar on the ice. He had a home made battery unit, case, transducer, etc. It was big and bulky but it gave him depth. He said it didn't work very well as a fish locater.

I've used my FL-8 on the bow of my boat and it worked well. I'm hoping it's only a matter of time before the technology Dtro spoke about is on the market for just removing the head unit from your boat and sticking it on a portable ice unit.

I like having toys.

[JimBuck]

I run my 522i from the boat on the ice during the winter months. It's incredibly handy for keeping track of gps spots and using a chip on the ice can really make things easier. As for the sonar readout for locating fish, it takes a little tweaking, but I really enjoy using mine. Zoom functions are really handy for focusing in on certain parts of the water column. I feel like flasher's give out a stronger signal but If I'm spending some money on a boat sonar/gps, I might as well get all the use I can. With all the recent developments in tech. on the water, I'm cool with getting a new unit in a few years.

[Chode2235]

I use my summer Lowrance on the ice, and love it. Works better than a flasher IMO. But traditions die hard, even/especially in Ice fishing.

Besides the flasher guys make a good unit too. Choice is never bad, and I am thankful to be able to easily use my Lowrance Ice Machine all winter.

[CJH]

I think originally the open water transducers needed movement, whereas the ice ones don't. Not really sure how that applies nowadays, but I know my buddy has a Lowrance he uses ice fishing and he has separate open water and ice transducers.

He seems to like it alot.

[Chef]

I've used my Vexilar in my boats for years.

[BK19]

I would say the main reason is flashers are in real time no delays

[walleyewild]

I have a vex FL8 and a lowrance lms337 that I use ice fishing.

I actually like the 337 better then the vex for th simple fact that there is some history on the display, if you have your lcd setup so it shows the sonar bar on the right side of the display it is real time and works the same way as a flasher, just have to learn how to interpit the data showing on the right.

I set mine up on a Genz blue box and got the ice ducer and float from Thorne Brothers, I have a vehicle charger that is a 1 amp charger made by strikemaster for using it in the truck, I like having a 5" display for the GPS in the vehicle.

I have an iFinder hunt too but when driving on the ice it is easier to see the 337 zoomed out at 1 or 2 tenths of a mile then the iFinder display.

I have thought about mounting my LCX25 to the blue box but I think that would be a little overkill, but it is always an option.

WW

[g_anoka]

30 years ago we did. Took the LCD off the boat, rigged up the transducer so it would shoot down the hole, made up a homemade carry case, hooked it up to the trolling motor battery in a sled and drug it all over the lake. People really thought we were nuts until we started catching more fish then anyone. In a couple years we upgraded to motorcycle batteries, they didn't take the cold well, but they were alot lighter. Of course now I have a flasher. Truth is, they are just better on the ice. But you can use your unit from the boat on the ice, or vice versa.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I sit here trying to think of valid points but I cant think of too much. The only things I can think of is the simplicity of flashers and their durability.

Simplicity, Turn a flasher on, turn the gain knob and your fishing, simple. Open water units have more button and screens to navigate which can be quite putzy with gloves or cold hands. Also with ice fishing you're basicly watching your unit nonstop while fishing so you dont need a scrolling screen to get cluttered with old data. It actually bothers me looking at all those lines from fish and old jigging actions.

Im pretty careful with my gear but still have dropped my flasher several times Im not sure how many falls to the ice an lcd unit could take.

I guess price is another factor. You can get a flasher with no bells and wistles for cheap. You would have a hard time getting a good lcd setup for icefishing for anywhere near the same price.

[deadeye]

Lots of good points.

I started off using a lcd in a home made "ice box" and I was able to see the fish, the bottom and sometimes my lure. It was crude and fidgety for ice fishing but out on the boat it did just fine. It seemed like for ice fishing I always had to adjust something. It ended up dying in some really cold weather so that ended me using those in the winter.

Now that I have been using the flasher for ice fishing it would be tough to get me to go back to the lcd. The flashers are much more durable and do better in the cold. Like stated above, its much more simple and with a turn of a dial you are set. Fidgeting with settings in the cold just didn't appeal to me.

The main reason I wont use a flasher in the boat is because you have to adjust the depth manually. Some of the lakes I fish a drop off can be from 5-60 feet in a few yards. So trying to keep up with a manual dial while fishing and controlling the boat just doesn't work. In the boat its nice to scroll back and see a spot that that you have gone over. My eyes cant be on the fishfinder all the time so a bit of on screen memory is nice to have. Sometimes a little spot on the bottom is the where the fish are and with a flasher, if you blink, you will miss it.

[shizzy]

I just like not having to remove any equipment. LCD stays on the boat and my flasher stays in its case ready to be grabbed and tossed in to the sled.