Would a vex help me?

[homerj]

I'm still putting off my purchasing of a vex because I don't know if it would help me much. I'm not overly mobile. I usually fish the same lakes and have a good general idea of where I want to fish. I will drill 6 or more holes in a 100' or so foot radius and move between them until I find fish. Sometimes I'll just wait them out. I'm generally happy with my success. Is a vex overkill for my type of fishing? I'm usually after craps, sunnies and norts.

[SuddenlySummer]

Try and rent one first. You'll be surprised.

[GRAND DAD]

They are a must I don't use mine to find the fish I use it to find out what depth they are coming through you cant sit in a spot all day fishing off the bottom and not catch dump because all the fish are coming through 5 feet down in 20 feet of water

[jlm]

Well worth the money, at least for me! I would never fish without electronics again!

[Gofishleech]

IMO, it will help you. I fish leech alot in the winter. Some of that fishing is in 10-12ft and I can see whats going on. I have witnessed how fish react to jigging. The jigging works well to bring them in but if there nose is at the bait and you jig it too hard it will spooke them away. As I have seen this happen I will just quiver the bait when they are close. When I am fishing in depths that I can not see the bottom with the naked eye the vex shows me when they are there so I can minimize my jigging. If the fish leaves I reach over and wake up my dead stick minnow with a little jiggle as I know the fish is in the area.

A vex is worth every penny IMO

Almost forgot the other "must have" reason. Fish are not always on the bottom and vex shows you where they are in the colum. I can,t count how many times I have been fishing 30ft and raised by bait up 5ft to catch a fish that the vex has showed me.This is a common accurence on lake of the woods and they are most often the larger fish.

[metrojoe]

One of the big benefits of using electronics is it’s a huge time saver. You know immediately if your on fish or not and where they are. Fishing crappies in 50 feet of water without electronics is possible but time consuming. If you can afford it, I wouldn’t hesitate.

I haven’t checked lately but I think Rick has a vex for sale.

[Ole1855]

I also think it's a big benefit to check depths through the ice before you drill holes.

Ole

[Dan Thiem]

Just waiting for a bite hoping something is down there is ok, but with a vex you'll know something is down there. Or not.

Frustrating though, you see them and know they are there, you still can't make 'em bite.

[Scoot]

Get one, use it for a year, sell it after if you're not happy. I guarentee you won't sell it (more likely you'll probably upgrade). You will catch more fish with it. It's also fun to know what's happening down there by watching your electronics. I'd almost rather not fish not than go without now that I'm used to using my electronics.

Get one- you'll love it. If you' want to save some money and get a really great unit, try a Marcum LX-1. $100 less than the LX-3, but a really solid unit. Vex FL-8SE is functionally the same unit too. Both rock solid. I'd go for the LX-1.

[larry777]

I don't know how I fished without my vex, it is a must for ice fishing.

[homerj]

I have to confess I fibbed a little. I bought an fl-8 yesterday at FF and was having some buyer remorse. Based on your comments I feel better about the purchase. If a small lake in central mn is frozen enough, I'll be trying it out this weekend. Thanks for all the replies.

[Ole #1]

LOL

Once you use you it, you won't go fishing without it.

Ole

[Northlander]

If you have fished with a flasher and you forget it or your battery runs out you will go crazy. Having a graph shows you fish and how they react to your presentation. Get one and you will love it.

[Jeremy airjer W]

There's no question its an absolute must. I don't know how I fished without it! Don't forget to check out the online actions for some smokin' deals!

[psegriz]

Without reading any of the other posts if you fish crappie, depending on depth I'd say yea. Crappie have a tendancy to suspend and you may not even know they are there. Othere times you may get a bite once in a while, enough to keep you happy. The whole time there could be a whole mess higher or lower and you might not know. Using a sonar will increase the amount of fish you catch. Because you'll have an opportunity by knowing they are there.

[Philo]

No remorse needed. That is the best purchase you will make for ice fishing. I was sceptical at first as well, but after I fished with one I was convinced. You will probably be upgrading next year to the FL-18!

[Duffer]

hook up with some one who has one and check it out they really are worth the money.

[Eric Wettschreck]

I fish pretty much the same way you do. I'm familiar with the lakes and don't stray too far from home.

I just bought a vex and can't wait to take it for a test drive.

[Swamp Scooter]

I thought not when I started but now that I have a couple and use them a lot I would not be as good without them. Knowing the water depth is one thing but you can tell if it is hard or soft too. Any small humps and you will see them and how the fish relate to the structure. One thing I do to make it easier to handle in the shack is drill two holes connected. One for the transducer and the other for a line. Depending on depth you can see everything and still not interfere when you get hooked up. You do not have to put the transducer way down the hole either. You also have a large enough hole to get a big fish out of too. If you are a novice in landing them with all the "junk" around and in the hole this will help out a lot when you get your first fish that you see on the screen.

Nothing worse than finaly getting a decent hook up and then losing it in the hole on your transducer.

You will become attached to it very soon. Good luck

[Finlander]

Just think of watching your vex as a reality video game that gives you rewards for having fun!

[89Bronco]

I got one about 3 years ago and I use mine in the summer now as well. Even if you know where you are going and aren't very mobile (like me) you will see how the fish react to your bait. I remember the times I would go out on LOW with my uncle and have slow days. We'd chalk it up to "no fish" that day or "bad luck." Two years ago we started having "bad luck", but I told him the Vex was lit up like a Christmas tree so there must be fish down there. We switched presentations until they started hitting. A flasher is great just for that reason alone, but you'll also find yourself wanting to explore new territory now that you can "see" under the ice. I know I move around more than I used to now that I have one.

[efgh]

I have been fishing for well over 50 years and when vexs. first came on the mrt.I felt after watching guys fish with their vex., what a waiste of money, 4 years ago my wife gave me a vex. for xmas, I really didn;t think I would like fishing with that thing, took it a few times, really didn;t know how to use it, went fishing with my nephew, he had one, he was catching 3 croppies to my one, took a crash course from him on using the vex. read all the lit. that came with it that nite.I won;t fish with out one now, would advise anyone , borrow the money if you have to, just get a vex, or something simular. you can teach a old dog new tricks......

[Deitz Dittrich]

Nice post Efgh... very well said!. The truth of the fact is, no matter how good you think you are without a flasher of some sort, you still are not as good as you could be. I am one of those folks that if my battery is dead on the flasher, I just plain will not go! I can leave a lot of stuff at home, the flasher is not one of them.

[hip_hop_fisherman]

After finally getting to use one last year, I'll use it no matter where I'm fishing and how well I know the area. It's remarkable how greatly they can improve your chances and success. I don't fish without it!

[MinnetonkaRealtor]

I'm with Exudedude, I just plain don't go fishing if my vex is dead. If it runs out while I'm on the ice, I'll just go home. Now that I've seen the impact it has on my fishing, I just can't "fish in the dark" anymore.