Which Flasher?

[Tracker55]

I have never owned a flasher for ice fishing and the kids have decided I should have one for Christmas. They asked me which one I wanted. I've looked at most of them and have no idea which one to get. I know you all have prefferences and opinions, but i would really like some input. If you were about to buy your first flasher which one would you get. Keep in mind my kids are buying it for me so the most expensive super duper all the bells and whistles model probably isn't too realistic. Something adequate and reliable.

[cichlid_baby]

If you are looking for the best bang for your buck then you have to look at the mid level units like the ...

Humminbird ice 35 or even the 45 unit are gonna be the sweet spots in the market and even more sweeter with the manufacturers rebates. Shop around.. there are some killer deals on these flashers now when you stack the rebates on top of the sale prices.

Take advantage of the price matching policies too that most places honor.

Or check out the LX-3tc if you are a Marcum guy.

[hooked79]

profishingsupply.com

check out the rebates there

they can also answer your questions

[bogeyman1]

Everyone on this site will try to sell the brand they use. They all pretty much do the same thing. I have a Marcum VX1 and it works fine, but after seeing my nephew's Humminbird I kind of like the feature that shows your depth right away on the screen. Looking at the shopper for next week, I see a couple brands are on sale. Good luck, whatever you decide to go with will be the right decision.

[bigbad401]

I love my Humminbird ICE35. Adjustable zoom, big screen, dual beam transducer, and battery meter really nice features to have on a less expensive unit and the ICS35 has them.

[leech~~]

I have never owned a flasher for ice fishing and the kids have decided I should have one for Christmas. They asked me which one I wanted. I've looked at most of them and have no idea which one to get. I know you all have prefferences and opinions, but i would really like some input. If you were about to buy your first flasher which one would you get. Keep in mind my kids are buying it for me so the most expensive super duper all the bells and whistles model probably isn't too realistic. Something adequate and reliable.

What kind of fishing are you going to do most? Shallow-deep?

[FisH_SLaYer24]

The four main units that I would suggest you look at would be the Marcum LX-3tc, the Humminbird Ice-45, the Vexilar FL-18, or the Showdown 5.6 Single/Dual Beam.

Personally, I think the zoom feature is a huge advantage, especially when you find bottom hugging fish or tightly packed schools of fish.

All of the units that I posted offer a zoom feature. The Marcum, Humminbird, and I believe the Showdown are able to zoom to any part of the water column. Whereas, the Vexilar is only able to zoom in on the bottom 6 or 12 ft of the water column.

The Humminbird and Showdown are LCD crystal displays and have an auto depth mode, which means that once your set your transducer into the hole, it will automatically pick up the bottom and read the depth of the water.

I am actually a proud owner of a Vexilar FL-20, but if I were to rank these four units, I would most likely put the FL-18 towards the bottom because you just don't get any of the key options that are offered in the other units. Don't get me wrong, the FL-18 is a good unit, but I would rather be able to zoom to any portion of the water column instead of the bottom 12 feet...

Some other lower end units that offer good features would be the Humminbird Ice-35 and the Marcum VX-1 Pro. They both offer good interference rejection and also, they both have zoom capabilities.

Good Luck in your decision.

[dan z]

If you can find one the marcum vx-1 pro gas great specs for the money. Iam a proud owner of a fl-18

[simple1]

All make good Flashers. So like mentioned above you just need to pick the features important to you. I personally really like dual beam #1 followed by a bigger readable screen.

Simple1

[minnangler]

I also purchased my first flasher a year ago and went through the same process. I made a simple spread sheet comparing the key features of the three entry level flashers that I was interested in. I looked and the vexilar fl 8, hummingbird ice 35 and the marcum vx1p. Once I compared apples to apples it was a simple choice. I went with the marcum vx1p as it had the best features, included a soft case and was the cheapest in price. If you are looking right now check out the marcum vx1p at sportsmans guide!! 224.99 if you are a member plus free shipping.

[icefishingmn]

I have a Vexilar FL-20, it works really good, and vexilars are really durable and reliable , but thats all you need is to see whats going down there!

[Ritt13]

I am a pretty huge fan of the Vexilar fl-18

[vman11]

They're all good in their own way.

Set a budget, go to your local sporting goods store and play with their options.

I have a Vexilar FL20 that I really like. Doesn't seem like I'd need anything more than this but I'm sure some ground breaking technology will come out as the "must have" moving forward.

[Superduty]

If you can't figure out what's going on directly under an 8" hole with a 20 year old FL-8 something is wrong

[Ritt13]

If you can't figure out what's going on directly under an 8" hole with a 20 year old FL-8 something is wrong

This is true, thought it is an old and basic unit, fl-8's work wonders.

[DRH1175]

For a traditional round flasher. Humminbird ice 45 or 55. Or MarCum LX-3tc or LX-5. Are the best deals right now. I think the Big g store has the Ice 45 for $350. The lx-3 is $400 and the other two are $500. The other option that is real popular and I am thinking about getting one as a back up. Is the ShowDown.