Flasher or Camera

[herefish101]

My plan was to get my wife a Showdown this year, it's only her third year of ice fishing. She always ends up with my darn LX5. Then she hits me with this "I would rather have one of those underwater cameras" and I want her to have fun and all but I think she would be better off with a flasher or a showdown. The question is, do I let her choose her weapon or just get her a flasher because it's more practicle? What do any of your wives prefer? Maybe I can get her a flasher, and just buy one of those cheap cameras, if so, are the cheap cameras even worth a poor word usage?

[toughguy]

Get another flasher. Cameras are just toys IMO. They can be fun and very useful in some situations but a flasher is required equipment.

[Esox_Magnum]

My wife prefers the camera, but has both. Alot would depend on your water clarity and if you just fish during the day or at night to. She uses the camera during the day and we only use the flashers at night since we can sight fish during the day. If shes not with I can sit back and enjoy catching fish on the camera

[hoggs222]

I've used a few of the cheap cameras and was very disappointed. I'd go with a flasher, but a camera is very nice to find rock piles, gravel, etc.

[Esox_Magnum]

I agree buy a quality camera if you go that route, to date I havent seen a brand better than the Marcum line.

[RJMOEN]

What type of fishing are you doing? Shallow, deep, river, lake, species? Flashers are close to pointless in less than 7fow, if youre fishing shallow go camera, there's times we sunny fish and are off their pattern by ten feet. Without the cam we'd be lost. On the other hand if im fishing a river, or in 10ft or more I wouldnt leave home without my flasher.

[Esox_Magnum]

I have no problems with my flasher in water as shallow as 4'.

[palisade1kid]

...so do you have your wife lift or pounding the bait or are you just setting a bobber and watching it float?

If it's the later a camer could be more entertaining for her letting you fish longer.

For me a camera will come in handy for producing videos of what's happening down there. For fishing I'd be almost lost since I've come to depend on it to work the entire water column while lifting the fish enticing the strike.

If I was perch or walleyte fishing I could see that a camera would work well but when fishing suspended fish or fish that are spread out through out the water column like crappies will do in the deep water basins a flasher is really the better weapon.

I do know that seeing what's down there will dial me in a bit better.

Both are great tools.....

[PerchJerker]

Alot would depend on your water clarity and if you just fish during the day or at night to.

I think this is the most important point that's been brought up so far.

If her fishing is going to be in conditions where the camera will work well ---- ie. daylight, clear water, fishing near the bottom so you can see the bait on the camera (instead of fishing the whole water column so you couldn't see the bait the whole time) --- then the camera would get my vote. Especially since you already have a flashr for hole hopping and locating fish and spots to set-up ---- a camera is a great complement to a flashr as long as you're in conditions and situations where the camera will work well.

But ..... if you're fishing at night, or in stained water, or jigging through the whole water column, or fishing for walleyes which can be camera-shy at times ..... then a camera is not going to be very useful and a 2nd flashr would be a better way to go. Also, if you're doing a lot of hole hopping and moving around, the camera will be a chore to set up and pack up each time you move.

So in the end, it really should come down to where / when / how she fishes .... and that should tell you whether a flashr or a camera is better for her. Good luck.

[magnum mike]

I had a good camera and I'm glad I'm rid of it. Water clarity is HUGE. There are very few lakes that have water clear enough to make them useful. Aiming them and keeping them aimed is a pain. Having a cord all the way down the water column creates a big risk of tangling in your line. A panfish that lays on its' side or a northern that takes a victory lap before coming up will make a man size mess you won't want to repeat.

[wildsmallie]

If you had to get one, a sonar is for what to get, but why not get both? Yeah, there's times when a camera is of no use, but when conditions are good for viewing, they greatly increase the fun factor. You do want your wife to have fun, right?

[Jmarksman]

I like both, they both tell you a ton. If it was me I be geting my wife a a flasher than a camera to "share" down the road!

[trapperdirk]

If you have to move often to stay on or find fish , your wife's infatuation with a camera won't last for very long especially if the water is of any depth . If buying a camera, get the quality of a proven manufacturer such as Marcum .

TD

[CNY Tim]

Showdown is a nice little unit for the price, $25 rebate if ordered through to Dec 31st. Here some video of the SHowdown in action. Looking forward to my dual beam 5.6!

[tip_upclyma]

Buying a Camera= YOU NOT GETTING TO FISH WITH YOUR LX5 AGAIN THIS YEAR

That camera will be cool for about 5 minutes....and that is it.

[tsande00]

She would probably love one of those Lawrence X67c ice machines. Problem with those is it probably won't work if she is fishing right next to your Marcum due to interference.

I personally don't care for the history that is left behind on the sonar mode and the flasher option is a joke compared to a real flasher, but they are useful AND something to "play" with.

Just another idea to toss into the mix...

[servocam]

Doing what my wife asks is preferred solution. I have learned she is "right" 95% of the times, so life is good. However, this one falls in to that 5% where she is wrong. Either way, you are giong to have to buy her both because there is no right solution

[herefish101]

I was able to score a aquaview quad from one of my buddies, he hated it and never used it so he sold it to me for fifty bucks, scince I got that so cheap I can still afford to get her a flasher. I love it when things work out. I CANT WAIT FOR ICE! See ya'll out there.

[theicehooker]

agreed. Camaras are to searching bottom structure and seeing what your fishing over. Also to see what is on the flasher NOT BITING (sheephead)

Flashers are REQUIRED for fishing. GET FLASHER

[Esox_Magnum]

Our camera gets far more use than the flashers, keep in mind we fish gin clear water and have no need for the flashers during the day since we can sight fish down to about 30'

[herefish101]

Our camera gets far more use than the flashers, keep in mind we fish gin clear water and have no need for the flashers during the day since we can sight fish down to about 30'

water that clear it would be hard not to take a glass and drink it, Ice cold, ahhhhh.

[rodmoen]

i generally only use a camera under 8-10 fow and only use a flasher over 8-10 fow. since I fish shallow and deep water both frequently I have both, sounds like you already have an lx5, so you know the advantage of that, but being able to see the panfish, perch and crappies on the camera is awesome, being able to see fish reaction can help you perfect your technique, also its neet to watch all the fish take off and spin your camera so your staring face to face with a huge pike! also watched a 45-50" pike kill a 18-20"er, it was like wild Ransom!!