Vexilar or Marcum for open water

[AndyM]

My question is, Does anybody use thier flasher for ice fishing during the open water season as well. I have a Marcum LX3, and was wondering if it is worth the $90 to get a high speed transducer kit? I've seen this topic in here before but cannot locate it. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

[harvey lee]

I know several people that have mounted their Vex on the boat. I believe the Vexilars work better on a boat than the MarCums. Thats just what I have heard.

[Ed Carlson]

A flasher is a very good and dependable tool on the boat, I recommend it.

Since you own a MarCum LX-3 the addition of the summer kit is a wise cost effective addition. You gain a second sonar for $90, versus buying another unit at a much higher cost.

Flashers excel on the bow as a real time sonar, but are equally useful on the transom for many situations.

I have ran Vexilar's on the bow or on my transom, or in dash, or various combination of all of the above for 25 years or more, so my experience with flashers on a boat is based from that perspective.

MarCum users here on FM.com may have more first hand experience to share of the use of a LX-3 on there boat that may be more directly helpful to you.

[AndyM]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the information

[Deitz Dittrich]

lke others have said.. if you are in the need of a unit.. its a no brainer.. I really only use mine on float trips.. but thats only because I have 2 Hummbird 997 in the boat.. but when in a canoe or other, I always bring the MarCum.. it does a fine job!

[Hammy]

Deitz- Any advice for rigging up for the canoe? Do you shoot through the hull or hang over into the water? I read somewhere a fella' made a ring of caulk around a pop can bottom, took the can out, filled the caulk ring with water and placed the transducer in the ring. Thoughts?

Thanks

[Burnham]

i just got my first boat with electronics a couple weeks ago. its set up for an eagle accura 240 and has the hookups for an fl8. i have no idea if my eagle is considered a good or bad graph but so far im growing a liking to it. i threw my vex on the other day and it doesnt get a reading unless i turn the gain all the way to about 10 and once i reach 15 mph it doesnt pick up the bottom. i have it hooked up to the 6 volt battery still and then there is the cord running down to the transducer. could it just not be enough power from the little battery and i need to run it to the big one?? just kind of dumbfounded as to what it could be..

[mr_jman]

I can see where they would be nice to at least graph fish in the water column, but I don't see how well it would work compared to using it during ice season. Are you able to pick up a reading for your bait and see how fish react to it still? I know several types of transducers are out there that may work better, but unless you are vertical jigging and its calm I guess I don't see how on a windy day you would be able to keep your bait within the cone angle? I'm all for doing it with my Vex, and even just to see fish in the water column at a precise depth makes it worth it, but I still have those other questions that I posted on.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Deitz- Any advice for rigging up for the canoe? Do you shoot through the hull or hang over into the water? I read somewhere a fella' made a ring of caulk around a pop can bottom, took the can out, filled the caulk ring with water and placed the transducer in the ring. Thoughts?

Thanks

you can do it either way... but the caulk ring does work.. the only thing that I dont like about the caulk trick is you can often hear the clicking of the tranceducer through the boat..

[Ed Carlson]

You do need a good flat contact surface if you do it in a Kayak, canoe or boat. Any void under the transducer, even with water in it, lessens the quality of the of sound waves traveling through the hull.

Best case scenario is to use the ACE Epoxy kit from Vexilar to get that sure contact to the hull, and prep the area first.

When I have used a slap on mount like the "caulk mount method" mentioned above I found it beneficial to add a thin piece of felt under the transducer. This felt under the ducer will absorb water and eliminate any void under the puck resulting in a better signal transference through the hull.

Better yet is to also add a bag of sand or a small bag of lead shot on top of the puck style ducer and the wet felt to keep it firm and flat, and the result is better contact and signal penetration as well as return. The added eight helps to eliminate any voids.

In a boat, be it aluminum or glass, the sump area is the best place to mount this system. As generally (but not in all cases) the hull is a single layer there and it is a better place to shoot through and acquire a good return signal at all speeds. In a canoe or Kayak, some place mid beam would be a more beneficial mounting position in hull.

On most all of these applications a Trolling motor mount add on kit would do well for fishing.

For thicker hull aluminum boats, like a River Pro for instance, the Vexilar Alumaducer kit is well advised for all FL series units, and will get very good results also mounted in the sump.

One last method/option for a sonar/flasher, the US-1 and US-2 Minnkota system offers the opportunity to add the Vexilar adapter and utilize the transducer in the trolling motor. Very handy, works extremely well if you already own a US compatible trolling motor system.

[EBass]

I have my Vex on the bow. I do have the universal sonar built in on my Minnkota, but that's why I got it. It's a slick combo.

I did run the Vex on the stern with the high speed ducer before and that worked great too.

Flashers are great in open water.

[ole matty]

I used flasher almost all summer last year on bow and I loved it. I primary use it for reading weedline. Since I bought 858c hb I don't see the use of it anymore. So I m selling the troll motor mount and transducer.

[ozzie]

I have a fl-20 and fl-12 and thought of buying the 9/19 degree puck style combo to attach to the trolling motor.....has anyone used this style and attached it to the trolling motor and if so what are the pro's and con's....Thanks....I have a lowrance 522 already in the back but would like another read and since I have 800+ dollars worth of flashers sitting in a closet for the summer I though this would be a good idea to get some use out of them in the summer

[Acemac]

I bring my showdown along when i fish in my buddies ranger It is great in the bow and works with all his other electronics running. I like it because it shows right what is under me not whats under the back of the boat or behind the boat.

[Ed Carlson]

I have a fl-20 and fl-12 and thought of buying the 9/19 degree puck style combo to attach to the trolling motor.....has anyone used this style and attached it to the trolling motor and if so what are the pro's and con's....Thanks....I have a lowrance 522 already in the back but would like another read and since I have 800+ dollars worth of flashers sitting in a closet for the summer I though this would be a good idea to get some use out of them in the summer

You can mount a Vexilar TB0045 12/20 switchable Duel Beam transducer on the transom, or on a trolling motor. With a flip of a switch, you can go from wide to narrow as required. The dual beam switchable transducer runs $99.

You can also get a complete TK kit with all the accessories needed to set up a bow or transom Vexilar FL unit.

The Vexilar TK-245 kit (Fits FL-12 and FL-20 head units) can be ordered directly from Vexilar, that would include the gimble bracket, power cord and switchable TB0045 12/20 degree transducer, everything needed to set up a open water use station just add the FL-20 head unit you already own. This TK duel beam kit will run about $140.

[ozzie]

can't I just buy the mountable puck style transducer for $99 and plug it into the head unit of my ice set up and just use the power from that and save my self set-up time (running it to the battery) and money???......I guess running it to the battery wouldn't be much work but I already have power for the unit and a case and all that good stuff......Thanks

[Ed Carlson]

Sure you can, that is an good option too. But the convenience of the whole mount and power already there and wired in is worth going to the TK-Kit in my opinion.

Your the best judge of what you need, so if the portable Vex Pro or Ultra Pack as is will serve you well on the boat...go for it. Seen that configuration done often on weekend use boats and also with the Vexilar suction cup mount adapter for the transducer for rental and/or fly in trips.

[hamms-scooter]

I run my fl-8se through the hull.I put some water in an old leech container from bait shop and put ducer in there. reads through thin container and hull no problems! I love my vex for open water wont go with out it!

[SCHAAKATTACK]

Can a Vex FL-18 do the same job? I know I would need to buy transducer kit. How do they work at higher speeds? Are current boat does not have a depth gauge and if it's possible this may give me both readings. Anyone have pics of there Vex mounted in the boat?

[hamms-scooter]

My dad does this with his fl-18 all the time... Just put water in the back of your boat and set the transducer down.Instant reading of the bottom and water coloumn. Don't even use the boats locater anymore....

[Norm1980]

the humminbird unit i bought for my boat has the option to bring up a flasher screen. ive used it a couple times when im just fishing out of the back of the boat and it seems to do a decent job of picking up my jig. if im moving much over a couple mph its not worth using

[SCHAAKATTACK]

I'll have to try that next time out. Our boat is an older fiberglass hull so if it doesn't work I'll just have to get the transducer kit to mount out back.

[hamms-scooter]

That would probably be your best bet with fiberglass. Fleet fm has all the transducers...

[ozzie]

I just went on Vexilar's HSOforum and ordered the 9/19 dual beam puck and then a suction cup bracket and now I can mount it on the trolling motor and take it with me and have a portable unit!!!

[Froggy4371]

I use my fl-8 slt on our trolling motor all the time when walleye fishing. I have the open water transducer and just zip tie it to our trolling motor. Love it then everyone in the back of the boat can see the other depth finder and I have one for staying on reef's. I do not care so much about finding fish on it as they always hug the bottom. I just want it to stay on structure and not have anyone ask How deep is it? And my reply is ALWAYS "to the bottom". We are jig fishing so it DON"T matter.

Froggy