picking a flasher

[Creek Kid]

I have an old eagle that is modified to be portable. It shows depth and marks fish. I want to upgrade a vex, showdown or marcum. (leaning towards a marc) Will they all pick up a jig on screen? Or are only the higher end marcs (lx-5) that sensitive? I've borrowed enough vex to know they work well. The discussion on the Marcs & interference is what is swaying me.

[BartmanMN]

They will all show your jig and all work well. Pick one that has features that you like and/or need.

[PerchJerker]

I agree with Bartman. All of the flashrs out there these days are going to do a fine job of picking up your jig and the fish. As you get into higher end, more expensive flashrs, or even just different models, you are going to be gaining additional power and additional features like dual beam, zoom, and smaller target seperations.

You mentioned the ShowDown as one of the locators you're considering, in my opinion the ShowDown is a great performing unit with a really nice collection of features, and an attractive price point.

Hope this helps and good luck.

[palisade1kid]

It really depends on how much you fish around other fishers that have flashers.

It got to the point that I could not deal with the interference hence the switch from Vex to Marcum.

Anyone of them, will work great.

I'm not sure what your looking for but I know I like the moveable zoom feature for zooming in on the top of a pack of suspended crappies. The LX3 & LX5 have that in the Marcum line.

I also like the ability to switch sonar cone angles with the LX5 so that I'm not reading the guys bait sitting next to me.

I also like the super seperation I get with Marcums flashers.

I could go on.Even the VX1 gives you a ton of features for a great price...did I mention they are made here in Mn. not China?

All of the flasher made today are going to show you any bait you drop down a hole and they will mark fish and you'll know where the bottom is....but there's more to think about.

[harvey lee]

One should also look at the Hummingbird line. They play better together than any other flasher I have used and I believe I have used them all.

There are well built and are priced fairly or comparable to the others on the market.

[Chris Barlage]

For the features and the money, marcum all the way. Better IR feature. The ability to move the zoom on the 3 and 5 is great. even the vx-1 had a bottom zoom. Plus the true color display on the 3 and 5 are a big deal also.

[tsande00]

I do really like the ability to move the zoom window with a Marcum. This is great for targeting suspended fish, i.e. Crappies.

[Torgesom]

You're going to get 50 different responses for different reasons. I own a marcum VX-1 and it has served me well. I want to upgrade this year, so I am going with a Bird LCD. Why the bird LCD? It has all the same features as the bird 55 minus the dual beam (it has dual beam, but a 60 degree cone won't do jack on the ice). It also has GPS built in which will get me to the spot I want (half the battle in ice fishing). People seem to love their ice machines and figure I'll give this a try and have a sweet unit for my canoe in the summer (BWCA anyone?).

In a nutshell (in my limited experience, but I've researched a lot on the forums):

Vexilar--been around for ever, pay a pretty penny for it, great customer service (from what I hear), and they are reliable--a lot of people say they have had theirs for 10-15-20 years

Marcum--lots of power, best separation (apparently--this is widely debated--do a search), all come with a soft pack now, made in the US--I'd consider my VX-1 the Jeep of the flasher world--cheap, get's the job done, is reliable (and has zoom on the bottom 5, 10, or 20 feet--anyone else love bringing a walter off the bottom?)

Bird--get a lot for your money--dual beam, movable zoom, huge dial, but have had some issues with ducers last year apparently. Also made in the US according to the big C

Bottom line: Get what you can afford, compare them at a store, look at what features matter to you and go with your gut. Pro's are going to sell their product and say how great it is, but if you're a Favre fan, do you necessarily have to wear Wranglers?

[Creek Kid]

Thanks for all the posts. After lotso research I finally pulled the trigger on a new Marcum VX-1. The $$ to features ratio seemed to be the best. FF had it online for $239. Plus being a "Made in MN" item. Now I just have to wait for hard water!

[tsande00]

Thanks for all the posts. After lotso research I finally pulled the trigger on a new Marcum VX-1. The $$ to features ratio seemed to be the best. FF had it online for $239. Plus being a "Made in MN" item. Now I just have to wait for hard water!

Money for features you did great. $239 for a brand new quality flasher is a great deal.

[BartmanMN]

You got a good deal and will like it. I have that model and it works well. I did add the soft case for mine. Not sure if your's came with it or not.

[Ice_Ice_Baby]

Looks like you already picked a vx-1, great unit will do most everything you will need. That said, I wouldn't trade my lx-5 for anything. If you have the dough, the lx-5 is the best unit out there.

[bobbymalone]

$239 for a brand new quality flasher is a great deal.

Cripes, $239 for a used flasher is a good deal.

I got my FL-18 on Greg's list for $225, haven't seen another one that low yet. FL-8's start to flirt with that kind of price.

Going on 3 years with no problems on my 18.

[MN BassFisher]

I found a brand new in box Humminbird Ice-45 online for $323 with free shipping!! I had to jump on that deal, especially since Humminbird is offering rebates for the Ice-45 and 55 ($45 cash back for the Ice-45, $55 cash back for the Ice-55). So I will wind up paying $278 for a brand new Ice-45. I love that deal, $122 off retail!

[Torgesom]

Where you find that deal?

[blackleech]

If you have the $$ go with the FL-22, simply the best!! And this is comming from a Marcum fan.

[Dothedew]

LX-5 wins my vote... going to buy another one as a backup.

Plus of anything ever goes wrong Versa Electronics is only a few blocks down the road from my place.

[Chris Barlage]

Congrads on the purchase. You will love it.

[MN BassFisher]

Where you find that deal?

If you were asking me, I don't think I can put the HSOforum up. But just search Humminbird Ice-45 in Goooooogle shopping. Sort by low-high. And you'll find the ones going for cheap!

[Creek Kid]

Received my VX-1 Saturday. When's the ice coming?!? So for $239 I got a soft pack too! I was missing the cable stop so we get to see how the CS is. I see it is not on sale anymore. I've borrowed one & agree - the LX5 is top shelf stuff. Couldn't crunch the numbers in the budget though. I'm interested to see how it goes fishing w/my vex pals this year.

[tsande00]

Received my VX-1 Saturday. When's the ice coming?!? So for $239 I got a soft pack too! I was missing the cable stop so we get to see how the CS is. I see it is not on sale anymore. I've borrowed one & agree - the LX5 is top shelf stuff. Couldn't crunch the numbers in the budget though. I'm interested to see how it goes fishing w/my vex pals this year.

Fishing next to them with that Marcum and blasting their units with interference, they might not still be your pals once ice season starts.

Seriously though I've done if a few times with my LX3 next to a FL8 and an FL20...we couldn't get out all the interference but we got it manageable enough to fish.

[MN BassFisher]

Fishing next to them with that Marcum and blasting their units with interference, they might not still be your pals once ice season starts.

Seriously though I've done if a few times with my LX3 next to a FL8 and an FL20...we couldn't get out all the interference but we got it manageable enough to fish.

That's why I'm excited for my Humminbird Ice-45 this winter, all my fishing buddies have Vex's and a few Marcum's. I'm glad the 'Birds play nice with other flashers.