Using a MarCum/Vexilar in open water?

[Skunked-Rookie]

A few weeks ago I was watching a fishing program, (I think Tony Dean) they were on Devils lake using a Vexilar in open water. Is this something common?

[Jim Hudson]

yup.. you can mount the unit to your bow or console with an open water conversion kit... getting either a transom ducer or a puck ducer for your bow mount... works pretty slick but a word of advice, if you do run the unit on the bow, make sure you run the power cables back to your cracking battery cause if you run the power off your trolling motor batteries you will probably get interfernece... something I learned, so now I have to re-run my leads..

[CrappieJohn]

You can do the same with a Marcum....any flasher for that matter. I use the flasher more than the graph since I am only interested in following structure.

[CorynTracySellHomes]

Darn it!

The word is out! I LOVE using my flasher on the bow! It is just like ice fishing......Especialy verticaly jigging, you can see your jig and how the fish are reacting to it! SO!, NO absolutely do NOT put your flasher on the bow!!!

Cory Frantzick

[SteveWilson]

I plan on using my Vexilar on the bow this summer. Since I have a Minnkota with a transducer I only need to buy an adapter lead for it as well as a power lead. I already have a Johny Ray mount and main motor battery power (for a Lowrance X125) at the bow so it should be a fairly cheap conversion.

[barnyard]

I only have flashers in my boat. I have an FL8 at the stern and a Zercom LCF 40 on the bow. I have had graphs, but believe that now that I am used to a flasher that I will never own another graph.

Tom B

[Paul Waldowski]

Steve Wilson,

Shoot me an e-mail please.

[ChuckN]

I've had 2 flashers (bow/console) in my boat along with an Lowrance(s). I only use the LCD graph to watch the history of what I pass over. 95% of the time my eyes are on the flasher only because they do not lie.

A good tip for flashers. Find a smaller coffee can, cut the bottom out, spray paint it FLAT black on the inside and out. No more sun glare issues, and works sweet!

[crewdog]

got a liitle different question in relation to graphs-I had a head unit go out on a fishing trip and ran into town and bought a little better one (wife not very happy) that used the same tranducer set up. my question is will I get interference if I get the older head unit fixed and use both units at the same time (ie one on the bow with the trolling motor and the other on the stern)

[knoppers]

I use my marcum year round. I put my marcum on the bow of my boat, transducer mounted to the trolling motor, of course you have to buy the transducer, which was 60 bucks. but this unit rocks on the bow, you can see it great in direct sunlight.

crewdog

I have a indash lowrance flasher, when I turn on my lowrance graph, it interfears with the flasher, but the flasher does not interfear with the graph, the flasher is mounted in the hull, and the graph is mounted off the back. I think it comes down to the power thats being used, the graph has much more power than this flasher. but I can run the marcum flasher on the bow while the graph is on, and neither one interfears.

[chunkytrout]

Lets take it a step further then. I do not run electric motors on my trolling rig. My plan is to have the LX3 and my old LCD at the console with the LX3's ducer up front and the latter in the rear for history's sake. The hull is fiberglass. What's the best method for shooting through the hull? Is it viable at all? Any other alternatives?

[jerkin'm]

The ducer will shoot through the fiberglass, but make sure it is in a flat spot w/no flotation material underneath. Use epoxy to glue it down since it gives the best solid contact. I did my own last summer in the back of my boat. Pain in the butt to take everything out, including the built in gas tank, but reads at just about wide open speed.

[Feldy]

I just got the conversion cable for my LX-3 on the universal sonar. Hope it works. A guy from Fish Lectronics in Minneapolis rigged it up for me. I loved it in the winter and can't wait to jig with it in the river.