LX-3 and Weeds

[Trashguy]

My brother got one for Christmas and tried it last weekend for the first time and had trouble seeing fish in the weeds. He was using a 1/16 ounce "Glow Devil"(they work great on sunfish too), so he had a pretty good junk of metal hooked to his line and was fishing in about nine feet of water with a fair amount of cabbage weeds. If he set his gain to show a yellow bait/lure, it would not show most of the fish (7-9" sunfish) and if he increased the gain so his lure would turn red/orange, the display became way to cluttered to use. It worked much better in deeper water without weeds. So my question is how does your LX-3 work in the weeds for you?

Let me state that he and I have used FL8's for the last ten years, so the problem is not that he doesn't know how to use his locator and my FL8 worked fine that same day and lake.

He wrote Marcum support and they replied (in 2 hours!) that they had never had a problem like this and that he should exchange the unit for another one.

He is going to return it and likes the unit very much, but is worried about the above problem. He is thinking of going the FL18 though.

Thanks for any input,
Larry

[Rick]

Hi Trashguy,
your post is confusing a little. I'm not sure it's possible to have the gain set so that it shows your 1/16 oz Glow Devils and doesn't show the sunfish. I've never seen or heard of anything like what you are describing in either a Vexilar or MarCum.

I have both units and they both work fine in the situation you describe.

Maybe your brother was in a particularly thick stand of cabbage will can be difficult for any depthfinder. That can be difficult even for experienced users.

Sounds like he did the right thing in setting the gain so the lure showed as a yellow line, so I definitely believe you both know what you are doing.

It's just very difficult to comprehend something that will show the lure and not the fish. I really don't see how that would be possible.

[Trashguy]

Rick,

I would have said it could have been just allot of weeds in just that one hole too, but it was the same for two days in 25-30 different holes. I even tried it myself and had the same problem. Lure is green, spring bobber bends, fish on, but did not show up on flasher. There is another problem where the display will jump round for not rhyme or reason at different times. Turning it off and on would sometimes help and sometimes not. I have read on this forum that a few others have had this problem and exchanged their unit and the new one worked fine. Maybe he just has a bad unit and that is part of his not seeing the fish problem.

Thanks for your help,
Larry

[Scott Steil]

"Lure is Green" "Display jumping around" Sounds like a FL-18 you have there. I have yet to see Green on my LX-3. Maybe you have one of those LX-18's? LOL

Seriously though, jiggings spoons are not the easiest things to see on a flasher, not a lot of horizontal surface area. However, if you can see your jig/spoon or whatever, you should easily be able to see a 7" gill in the hole.

I fish in weeds all the time and marking fish is not a issue.

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Mille Lacs Guide Service
(320)293-3287
www.millelacsguideservice.com

[Trashguy]

You got me, I meant to say yellow

The more detailed mark might explain part of his problem though. Maybe it will just take a little more getting used to, being it is different than the old FL8.

Thanks guys,
Larry

[Surface Tension]

I've been quite happy with my MarCum in the weeds. I don't see the need to adjust the gain to get rid of them on the display.
I adjust the gain to see the tops of the weeds as to where they show up as a yellow line separated from the bottom. This gives the ability to see my jig and any fish coming in. As far as not showing fish how many times have we lifted our jig and watched it rise only to see a fish were our jig was sitting. I've used the Vex for years and found that you don't read the MarCum like you would a Vex. With the higher definition you get a very detailed mark instead of blob when a fish comes in.

[Dan DAN the fisherman]

Fishing in 9' of water your cone is covering less than 3' of bottom and if the fish are suspended even less. The fish are coming in so fast to the lure that its very hard to see them that quickly. If you blink you lose!
Dan

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