Humminbird Ice 45

[SDSPORTSMAN20]

 Hey guys, new on the page! I'm thinking about buying a Humminbird ICE 45 Flasher for this ice season. How is the unit overall? How would you compare it to a Marcum or Vexilar? Etc. 

[leechlake]

I fished with Brian Brosdahl a few years ago.  I have a Vex but he is sponsored by Humminbird.  I used a 55 one day and really liked it.  It was easy to use too.  I'd think the 45 would be a good unit as well.  Go for it.

[GillAssasin13]

Welcome! I can't speak for the 45, but I did fish with an Ice 35 last year. Got an awesome deal on it at Fleet, and was fairly confident it would work me after looking at a ton of videos / reviews. I'll be honest, I've never fished a flasher before this one. However, there was zero learning curve. I bought it, put it together, and it worked like a champ all season. I'd buy another or recommend it in a heart beat.

My fishing partner has a Marcum ($600 one - not sure on model?) that he bought last year. Very nice unit without question, but for $300 more I wouldn't recommend it after fishing side by side with the Ice 35, just my personal opinion. I was at zero disadvantage all year. Plus, he had issues when it would snow or get cold with the LCD screen, the Ice 35 does not have this so the elements had no affect. Aside from that, the Humminbird units have very large screens compared to others, this was a major selling point for me. Very easy to see the screen / fish.

The one thing I'd recommend is taking the support cable off (or not using it). It makes the transducer sit sideways. Also, I found no need for the foam float and made a custom aluminum arm to hold the cable straight in the hole. Well worth it. Good luck with your decision, I really like mine!

[Scott O.]

I've been using the Bird 45 for 6 seasons now and I can not complain about it.  Easy to use, easy to see LCD screen, love the digital depth so there's no guessing, long battery life, and I can see the fish and my lure well.  The only problem I've ever had is fishing on ledges where the depth changes rapidly and it has a hard time finding the bottom, but that I've heard is common with other brands as well.  The only unit that I would ever own besides this is the Vex 28, but its over $250 more so for the $400, it's hard to find a unit with the same great features without paying a lot more.  Go for the Bird 45.