slick2526 Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 How many of you view having a under water camera as a essential part of your ice fishing strategy? Would you choose using yours over your flasher? I am old school and I have never had a flasher besides a FL8. I have had three different ones, always been reliable even when buying them used, and have never let me down. I have seen the ones with zoom and its a nice feature but I dont think it is necessary. I do like the better target separation and that is making want to get a new flasher next year. The FL8 will never be replaced and I will always have it sitting around for back up. I think a under water camera is nice for finding green vegitation. I have no problem reading my FL8 and understanding whats on the bottom or if I am in weeds or on the edge of the weeds. I have seen some advantages on light biting fish using a camera but It still hasnt made me rush out to buy one.Getting to the point I have been looking at both a Aqua-view Micro and a Marcum LX5. Buying them both new would almost put me in the same price range as a Marcum LX9. I just dont know If can bite the bullet and pay that much for something like this. Honestly if the LX9 had a GPS set up that I could use my lake master chip in I would be all over it. I think the unit is over priced the way it sits. If I found one used for the right price I might think about purchasing it. It starts making me think just stick with my trusty FL8 and buy a aqua view micro.If it was you would you upgrade your flasher or buy a under water camera? Try to sell me on the LX9 if you can. I have been looking pretty hard at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott O. Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 Ya know what. If your current flasher is working great for you and hasn't given you any problems, I'd stick with it and get the Micro camera. I've got the Micro and like to use it to check on weed/bottom conditions and to see how fish are reacting to my presentation. As nice as it would be to upgrade to another flasher, my Bird 45 works great for what I need so I didn't see the need to spend hundreds of dollars on a newer unit right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick2526 Posted January 9, 2014 Author Share Posted January 9, 2014 thanks Scott. I am leaning this way also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackhawkxp Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I own a LX7 and it is a nice unit. I bought it before he LX9 was out. I haven't jumped on the upgrade because most of the lakes i have fished on don't have very good water clarity. Now if i won the lottery i would get one in a heartbeat. I like my LX7 and it has some neat features but honestly i think my sons LX5 is more than adequate. If money is not an issue i don't think you would be disappointed with the LX9. You are pretty much getting the best/most recent technology in one package but it comes at a premium price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harvey lee Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have numerous flashers and brands. They all mark fish and they help me ice more fish.I am not into the have to have the latest, greatest as my flashers serve the purpose. Not a huge fan of the zoom feature like others are and really, rarely ever use it. My LX5 has the best target seperation but I find myself using my Bird 55 unit the majority of the time. I like the Bird so thast is the one I typically drop down the hole.Yes, there are newer units that do more but I do not feel I need anything better, at least at this time.I do have a couple underwater camera's and rarely use those also, kinda bulky. I have been thinking about the Micro as it is smaller and look's like a nice unit for the money.Trouble is, for the price of some of these camera's, water clarity is a huge factor and many lakes one cannot use them.I will have a hard time getting the Micro as I just do not use a camera all that much.These units are getting right up there in price and it sure makes one think before they buy if they really do need it.Personally, if you are going to upgrade, I would go with the flasher first if anything or keep your FL8 and get a micro. Kid's love to watch the camera's.Have fun shopping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eurolarva Posted January 9, 2014 Share Posted January 9, 2014 I have an LX5 and an old aquaview scout with the sunfish camera. If I am fishing shallow under 8 ft I prefer to use the camera. If I had a choice I would go with the flasher every time. Camera is good for looking at structure and watching fish on the bottom but worthless for suspended fish. One thing I have noticed with the camera and it might just be my imagination but when I am not catching fish in an area I know is good sometimes after I put my camera down it seems like fish want to school with it. There have also been times I wish I had put a stinger hook on. Camera gets hit by northerns quite often. If I were you I would keep the FL8 and get a camera. Not sure how good they are now but the older ones like my Scout are terrible in the sun. Only way I can see anything with it is in a dark fish house Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleFloyd Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I would say the fish flasher is the most important. Buy what you want first. A camera is like an accessory so to speak and they have different purposes. The flasher will tell you that you have fish directly under the ducer. A camera, if you have the water clarity, will tell you what the fish are and how big they are. The camera can also show you the structure, whether there are fish outside the cone angle and other things. Those uses compliment the flasher but cannot replace it.I have been wanting an underwater camera for over 20 years and finally ordered one that will get here tomorrow. I didn't want to spend big bucks on it so I bought one from CFish for 199 dollars. It is B/W and it has the older CRT screen but I feel it will be a good camera to try out and see if it is something I will use enough to justify the dollars on the better color units. It does have the 360 deg panning which I think is a nice feature but otherwise it is pretty bare bones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vitreus Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I have an lx5 and an aqua view micro. First off, you should be able to get those two for less than $700, which is still about $500 less that an lx9 (not sure exactly how much they run now). If I had to choose between one or the other, it's flasher hands down. Keep in mind you have to drop the camera all the way down to the fish each time, which at times scares them away. Not to mention you are only seeing in one direction vs. a flasher which you drop in the water and know instantly if there's fish. The cameras only allow you to see a certain distance, and at night that is cut down greatly, especially if you are in an area where there is an abundance of plankton, detritus, etc. The camera does have its uses: scoping out structure/weeds/bottom content, watching the way fish physically react to your lure presentation, and for taking younger kids fishing, it makes it a little more exciting for them to see the fish. That being said, I only use the camera once in a while really, but I drop the transducer in the water as soon as I have holes drilled. I would place the highest importance on a good flasher with good target separation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick2526 Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 I was feeling the flasher upgrade also. Camera would be nice but I will wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggun Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 I think it depends on what species of fish you are after. I fish walleyes mostly. I mainly (95%) use my camera for determining bottom content and structure, then it comes right back up and I use the flasher. IMO, I don't want the risk of a big fish tangling up in the camera cable or getting spooked by the camera. Bottom line, I use my camera for minutes a day and the flasher all day. With that said, I love and will always have a camera. I think I'd fish with the camera more often if I fished pannie's more. I just feel it doesn't spook them as much as walleyes. I try to be as stealthy of a walleye fisherman as possible and a freaky looking alien spaceship sitting next to my spoon isn't stealthy IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walleye44 Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 How many of you view having a under water camera as a essential part of your ice fishing strategy? Would you choose using yours over your flasher? I am old school and I have never had a flasher besides a FL8. I have had three different ones, always been reliable even when buying them used, and have never let me down. I have seen the ones with zoom and its a nice feature but I dont think it is necessary. I do like the better target separation and that is making want to get a new flasher next year. The FL8 will never be replaced and I will always have it sitting around for back up. I think a under water camera is nice for finding green vegitation. I have no problem reading my FL8 and understanding whats on the bottom or if I am in weeds or on the edge of the weeds. I have seen some advantages on light biting fish using a camera but It still hasnt made me rush out to buy one.Getting to the point I have been looking at both a Aqua-view Micro and a Marcum LX5. Buying them both new would almost put me in the same price range as a Marcum LX9. I just dont know If can bite the bullet and pay that much for something like this. Honestly if the LX9 had a GPS set up that I could use my lake master chip in I would be all over it. I think the unit is over priced the way it sits. If I found one used for the right price I might think about purchasing it. It starts making me think just stick with my trusty FL8 and buy a aqua view micro.If it was you would you upgrade your flasher or buy a under water camera? Try to sell me on the LX9 if you can. I have been looking pretty hard at it. I have a Marcum LX3 with the TC update flasher & an Aqua Vu Micro Plus. I used to be a flasher only type of guy. Now a days. I run the both, but once setup I am looking at the camera all the time. It is so nice to watch the fish suck in your jig & then set the hook. If you have a dead stick, the bobber will not move & your flasher will not tell you 100% it is in the fishes mouth. The LX9 looks like a nice unit, but pricy. If you have a separate flasher & camera, if one goes bad you still have the other. What happens if this unit goes bad? You are out both. That would be my big worry of the dual unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tweeder Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 to me this is an easy one, get the camera..... You seem to be happy with the fl-8, if that is the case stay with it, the new bells and whistles on the flashers newer than your FL-8 can't give you what a camera can. See the type of bottom structure, what type of fish, how they react to your baits, and you will out fish a flasher (during daylight hours ) I have caught so many fish that never moved a bobber or even felt but saw them inhale it on the camera. I haven't found a lake that I haven't been able to use that camera (I really respect Harvey and have read so many of his comments in the past that make so much sense but I have to disagree with that one). I also don't know why you can't just pull the camera up a little higher to use it on suspended fish, I do that all the time so I didn't understand that comment. To me the biggest draw back and really the only one, is they are worthless at night. If you only fish at night then pass, because its not worth it. Again this assumes you like your current flasher, which it sounds like you do. If you have kids or a gal that has any interest, the its an even easier call to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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