Locator Recommendation?

[eyepatrol]

Now that I've read this forum, you guys have me thinking of ice fishing...ugh!

Anyhow, what locator would you recommend for ice fishing that would cost somewhere around the $100 - $150 mark (if you can even get one that cheap)? I get lots of gift certificates to Gander Mt. for my b-day in late November and am thinking this year I'll get a locator.

Thanks in advance.

[Gissert]

You are probably not going to find one new for that price. If you are serious about ice fishing, I suggest buying a good unit and crying only once on the purchase price.

The Marcum LX-3 unit is an excellent choice, and is the unit that gets the most reccommendations here.

I personaly have a Vexilar FL-8 and the newer model FL-18, which again, are excellent units. My FL8 has served me well for a decade of hard fishing. If I did not have these two units already, I would get a Marcum in a heartbeat. The Marcum has a bit better target separation.

You cannot go wrong with either one, really.

Sometimes you can find units on hsolist. One word of information about the older Vexilar FL-8 models: They can be hard to view in direct sunlight when fishing outside a shelter. Inside the shelter is no problem. The FL-18 and the Marcum have brighter displays and seeing them in the sun is no problem.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=576491&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1#Post579821

Actually, ChuckN has a Hondex FL8 (Identical to Vexilar)for sale on the link above. It looks to be in excellent condition, and is in your price range. It would have the sunlight viewing issues that I mentioned, but I just put a one pound coffee can over the face when I am fishing outside and that shades it so you can read the dial. If you are fishing inside a shelter, you can see the display no problem.

[Eric Wettschreck]

It's a little early for the Marcum vs Vex debates.

Gissert is right, either one will serve you well.

[hanson]

I just sold my old Zercom Colorpoint to a guy for $100. I also included Zercom's open water high speed transducer. I had the unit for over 6 years. Its always worked flawlessly. I definitely gave him a good deal, I just wanted it out of the house.

So there are flashers out there in your price range but you are definitely looking at something used. hsolist is a pretty good place to look as well as FishingMinnesota's classifieds forums.

I currently run a Marcum LX-3.

[Gus]

This one is a little more than your price range but it should be a great unit as well. According to Marcum's HSOforum the LX1 is the same unit as the LX3 just without the zoom feature. I use a vex FL8 currently and it catches me fish just fine. If you can't stomach the price of a FL18 or LX3 just go with the FL8 or LX1. You'll still be plenty happy.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=575198&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

oh- and the newer FL-8's do have the brighter screen like the FL-18's. Not sure what year they made the change but I know last years models had it.

[The Grebe]

Boilerguy... Never to early to start preparing for the big game!

[Eric Wettschreck]

So true Gissert. I see you're getting some early scouting in.

[Matt Johnson]

The MarCum LX-1 is most definitely a good choice if you're looking at saving a few bucks. A lot of the same great features of the LX-3, minus a few of the bells and whistles. I personally use the MarCum LX-3 right now. However, the MarCum LX-1 will get the job done just fine. The MarCum LX-1 has a similar concept as the Vexilar FL-8 (although they are two entirely different units), they both have a predecessor in the MarCum LX-3 and Vexilar FL-18, and they both mark fish, as well as the bottom and your jig. For a starter unit, the LX-1 or FL-8 are both tough to beat. They will run you a little more than $100-150, but then again you get what you pay for I guess. I started out with a FL-8 and I used it for years. If you're looking at spending $150, you're going to have to look for a used unit or else a stripped down model of a different brand. LCD units that you use in your boat can work for ice fishing, but I'd personally much rather prefer a flasher sonar unit. LCD units need some fine tuning and modifications to make them ready for out on the ice (unless you go with the Lowrance LCD/Flasher unit-in-one, but it's gonna cost you a few more $). The flasher style units are "real time" locators that will give you an instant reading, no delayed responses. The LCD will have a slight delay (in most models) and you don't get the chance to depict the exact mood of the fish below you. They will still mark the bottom just fine though and they will give you an accurate depth. The flasher unit should be your fish "mood indicator." You can tell how aggressive fish are by having the instant read-out, you can also tell how they react to the different techniques and presentations you throw at them. In my opinion, the flasher unit is one of the most important pieces of an ice anglers arsenal (of course you need a rod and reel ).

There are options out there for $150 or less, you just need to check around. And, if push comes to shove, you might be able to find a used FL-8 or LX-1 for a cheap price.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[PERCHJR]

Buy a vexilar, you won't be disappointed!!!

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD FISHING!!!

[eyepatrol]

Thanks SO MUCH for the responses fellas. Looks like it will be the FL-8 or the LX-1. I prefer not to go used, so I'll bite the bullet and go new. I like to ice fish, but am not the hardcore type. Work and family just don't allow for that right now, and that's why I'll probably get one of the two mentioned and not the upgrade models. I agree with you Matt that a flasher is essential to ice fishing. I've got one of those Polarvision depth finders which helps check depth quickly without having to drill holes. I like that A LOT! It indicates fish too, which so far has seemed to be right on. But a flasher...that's key when the holes get drilled and it's time to fish.

Thanks again to everyone for the help!

[Matt Johnson]

Good decision, the LX-1 or FL-8 will both work just fine. Here are a few specs on each to help clear up a few things...

MarCum LX-1

]
• bright, fast, display and interference rejection (IR)
• 1,500 watts of peak-to-peak power
• 20° self-aligning transducer
• Adjustable multi-level (IR) interference rejection, which eliminates scrambled signals from other nearby flasher units giving you a clear read-out
• 2.15" target separation, which enables you to identify bottom-hugging walleye and differentiate between a small school of crappie and a large group of baitfish.
• 3-color display
• High-Speed Real-Time LED Readout
• High Resolution Display
• And the essentials... the LX-1 powerhead, gimbal bracket, electronics shuttle with adjustable transducer arm, self-aligning transducer, power cord, and a 12-volt, 7-amp battery and charger.

Vexilar FL-8

• bright, fast, display and interference rejection (IR)
• 400 Watts Peak-to-Peak
• 2.65" target separation
• High-Speed Real-Time LED Readout
• High Resolution Display: 525 Bits
• 3-color display
• 19° tranducer (standard)
• Plus essentials...

Both the LX-1 and FL-8 have more features than listed above, but those are typically the more commonly requested features. Again, both units will mark the depth, fish and your jig, as well as weed growth and bottom make-up. Both units are different from each other and it comes down to personally preferrence.

I myself would go with the LX-1. Mainly because I like the added power and the IR features it has. Some people will argue that the added power only hinders the units productiveness (shallow water, etc), but I'll go as far as to say it only helps it. Having more power gives you added target separation, which helps you better distinguish bottom hugging fish and schooled-up fish (keep in mind we are comparing the LX-1 and FL-8, so there are no zoom features involved). The added power also gives you a crisp, clear read-out. The IR feature of the LX-1 allows you to literally block-out all opposing signals. You can be fishing only a couple feet from another flasher unit and your screen/signal will be clear and uncluttered. A very nice feature that eliminates a lot of frustration. Don't get me wrong, I used the FL-8 for several years and it is an outstanding unit and if you choose that route you will be happy as well (and my old FL-8 still gets used on guide trips from time to time too), but I've grown a liking to the LX-1 and LX-3 in recent years and I feel my productiveness on the ice has experienced those same growths.

Again, whatever you choose just make sure you've looked at both units and get a better understanding of what each one presents. Ask around and get a few more opinions as well, everyone is different. But if I might add one more thing, I can guarentee you that after you buy a flasher unit, whether it's the LX-1 or FL-8, your time spent on the ice will be more productive and you will never go back to not using one ever again. You WILL see almost immediate gains by using a flasher unit when ice fishing. And they are a heck of a lot of fun!

If there are anymore questions you might have feel free to ask them here. Someone will help. Good luck!

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Gissert]

Great post, Matt.

Has Marcum come out with a dual beam transducer yet? If so, I think my FL-18 might be on hsolist this fall.

[Matt Johnson]

Dual beam huh, I'm not sure on the answer to that question, but I'll see what I can find out and get back with an answer ASAP...

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[Gissert]

The dual 9/19 beam is the one thing that I would really miss if I were to sell my FL-18. I really like the 9 degree cone when in close proximity to another person, or in deep water.

When my wife and I fish inside of a portable, we don't have interferance problems, but it drives me nuts when I see her lure on my screen. When I go to 9 degrees, I don't see her presentation at all.

[eyepatrol]

Matt

Thanks a lot for the info. I might have to go with the Tim Allen theory of "more power!" and get the LX-1, but I'll look at both of them. Come to think of it, I think one of my co-workers has an FL-8 and another has the LX-1. Something I'll have to check with those guys on.

Thanks again!

[CNY Tim]

I can't get any word out of MarCum as far as new additions to the MarCum family this fall... I mean.., What do you expect from military engineers? Not that I need anymore tech stuff as I'm pretty much set with my LX-3 and LX-i but as Gissert mentioned earlier a narrower beam transducer for the LX-1 and LX-3 would probably help generate more MarCum interest for those guys wishing for a narrower beam that are sitting on the fence waiting to pull the trigger. As far as I'm concerned the 20 deg. standard transducer that comes with both LX's is fine for me.

I like a good surprise as much as anyone and will just have to wait and see what other innovations MarCum will bring to the table this fall.

There are a bunch of guys around here with first year LX-3's and they will be fishing into there 4th year with them and they have delivered for them trip after trip, on ice or boat.

I think back to when this all started in a basement in Monticello, Minnesota and where this company has come since then and how promising the future looks ahead. What a journey! Satisfaction on my part was just spreading the word about the most technologically advanced 3 color flasher in the industry. I wanted everyone to experience the joy of using this unit and it's uncanny advancements in zoom plus it's crisp target display. This ice fishing tool speaks loudly for itself on it's own now... I'm just glad I could help...

I have first hand knowledge of how popular these units are in the ice fishing industry. Just the first test year alone the response was so overwhelming that MarCum needed two more LX-3 production runs just to keep up with requests across the north east and mid west, simply unbelieveable...

The zoom options and enhancements on the user friendly LX-3 will blow you away, knockout I.R., crisp display, no fail auto battery charger, rugged soft pack, bullet proof 2 year warranty with excellent customer service, U.S. manufactured and built and above all my word. I maybe a MarCum Prostaff now but I was just a fisherman with a new sonar that couldn't keep a secret. The secrets out!

Anyhow if I hear anything I'll let you guys know unless it's top secret... LOL

[CNY Tim]

Nice talking to you the other day... I'm glad to hear Bushwac (Jeff) is doing well. The dark side has been the bright side for a while now, LOL. I'll keep in touch and keep an eye out if your boss hires someone like that "Milton" guy from that movie "Office Space."

[trapperdirk]

Well CNYTIM I'm glad you were as excited about the LX-3 as you were, and helped spread the word because I for one am very happy with my purchase and just as excited about it to share the news with others of what this relative newcomer to the table has to offer . I also had some oppurtunities last winter to run it beside its competitors units and it became aware immediately why Marcum will give them all a run for their money because of the better tech involved . No issues ever with interference and that crispness in display was mindboggling to go along with the handy moveable,adjustable zoom window .

I also had no issues with the 20 degree transducer ever, but heh if Marcum decides to offer another I will be going along on the ride too for those occassions where it might be warranted .Also the DCS charging system was another plus and peace of mind .No clips or having to worry about overcharging, just plug it in and forget about it till you go out fishing .

Hole hopping even with zoom on is a breeze and unless your changing to another depth range there is little need to adjust . I've heard it often that the zoom is only required in the bottom six feet like the competitors have, which to me is nonsense or just an excuse . I can define targets separately in a larger window anywhere in the water table and many times ones that are suspended higher . I don't see a blob of numerous fish but I can see individual fish however many there may be .Every lcd has an adjustable,moveable zoom , and if they are of no use then why would we as fisherman still bother with the feature .? It is us as fishermen and consumers that dictate what the market needs are . The competitors units work well and all will get the job done, but I have no need to restrict or limit myself of features if the ease of use is the same ,price is comparable or less, and its built as solid as the others plus a good warranty .More should give the Marcum a try and compare its attributes with the competition because this tidy package deserves the respect it is due .

TD

[CNY Tim]

What's up my Northern tier friend? Well said Dirk, very well said...

Blobs are something you do not have with the LX-3. The LX-3's ability to capture and seperate multiple targets in zoom are fantastic. If you like zoom in a ice fishing flasher the LX-3 is king.

[trapperdirk]

I'm doing very well Tim and can't wait to hit the ice again especially after some of this humid weather we are having .

Now to add a bit to the moveable,adjustable zoom of the Marcum . I fished a laker lake last winter that contained smelt which are bigtime close schoolers . I saw them show up on the screen for quite some time in 50 fow but up 20ft .I zoomed that portion of the water and what showed mostly just a thick line in regular mode when zoomed turned into many individual,separate lines .

You betcha it helps, and for fun I jigged a few up, but knowing that these were a school of smelt because of the separation shown by the zoom window told me exactly what I was in for and to downsize my bait .

Of course I changed back to a bigger bait knowing that the lakers would be hunting these baitfish but had I not been able to zoom I would have continued to think it was a bigger fish because of the thickness of line or would have been guessing they were bait .

The LX-3 since I was using the zoom that I could move, took the guessing out of it . It showed me FACT and without the zoom it would have took longer to come to my conclusion that they were bait where when I used the zoom it was immediately .

It's definately useful for me and being able to hone in and separate objects at all ranges by the push of a button is an awesome feature that takes the guess work out .

I had someone fish with me last winter that had never icefished before and within minutes showed her how to use the Marcum . Sometimes she would yell that there was a line up higher and some smaller lines too . I told her too zoom it which she did , and those lines became more defined and her next answer would be yup they are baifish .Not an immediate conclusion she would have come to without the zoom and one that was moveable and stuck on the bottom 6 ft .

I'm not a Marcum rep or have any affiliation with them other than to own this unit but I have absolutely no problem as you can see, in promoting this quality product, and I have run my own tests beside the competition, and hopefully wasn't biased , because even those who owned the others could tell the difference and looked at the Marcum LX-3 in a different light because no matter which unit was beside it, the LX-3 excelled and had absolutely no issues while under certain circumstances theirs did .

I'm not much of a crowd fisherman, but if it happens, I have no reservations that my Marcum LX-3 will standup to ANY challenges and shine without even a thought of interference issues either, and if I cause theirs probs, then TOO BAD, get a Marcum . LOL

TD

[CNY Tim]

Righto... There are multiple scenarios ice fishing where a a 6' zoom is not nearly enough to include the lakers, and smelt you mentioned, but also crappies, walleyes and perch especially in clear water lakes. Not only have I caught perch schooled up over 6' off the bottom but walleyes too. BigJohnnyIce and I ran into this on Oneida early ice last year. The MarCum zoom takes all the guess work out of it. When your on a school of perch it takes only a couple of fish to get in a rythmn. The LX-3 in zoom gives you the clarity to divide and conquer those larger fish. It allows you to be more effective in the strike zone. My first walleye that came up upon my spoon looked at the bait and didn't hit it at all when I stopped it. The second walleye I changed my presentation by just constantly flipping the spoon and whammo. Every walleye after that just slammed it, no more lookers. Have I caught more walleyes with my MarCum? Yes it's not even close...

[Hoyter]

My only comment regarding the Vex vs. Marcum debate is make sure the transducer cable is long enough. I have an FL-8, FL-8SE, and now an FL-18 (thanks to the Gander Mountain sale for a $300 ProPack).

I have only been around a Marcum one time while ice fishing. I took a buddy to URL for some crappie action. He had a Marcum (LX1 I think). We fished out of my dad's hard sided house. Our Vexilar's were working fine but my buddy couldn't see anything. After monkeying around with it for awhile we realized his transducer cable wasn't long enough to reach the bottom of the ice unless we put the unit below the floor and right next to the hole. Our Vex's had plenty of cable to reach while sitting on the floor anywhere around the hole. (Major design flaw in my opninion for a unit mainly used for ice fishing!) Needless to say, my buddy fished with one of my Vex's that weekend and had a great time catching monster crappies!

Remember, URL in a hard sided house will need 4' of cable.

[hanson]

Hoyter-

Very True. Marcum has a transducer cord extension available. You'll have all the cord you could ever need after you hook that up.

The only time that I have ever needed a longer cord on my Marcum is in my hardside house on Upper Red when the ice is thick (late season) like you mentioned.

I surely wouldn't let the shorter transducer cord be the deciding factor between a Vex or Marcum purchase.

[CNY Tim]

Hi Chris - As you stated extension cords are available but not requested very often. From my recollection the LX-3 has been out 3 years now and out of the many fisherman I know whom own these units there was only one request for an extension and that was for my Canadian friend, other than that the standard LX-3 package is still superior and more affordable compared to the FL-18 Ultra Pack. $100 off a vex is a great deal but if you look at that unit compared to the LX-3 it is probably what the 18 should have sold for from the get go. There were just too many ice fishing scenarios when I was fishing the FL-18 that Normal mode was more the norm than the frustrations of the 18's zoom. MarCum's options and larger zoom window have been fantastic and deliver zoom performance that are head over heals more fisher friendly than the FL-18. Fish houses are not as popular out east as they are in the midwest, that could be the reason as well for the lack of requests for a longer cord. Were more run and gun style out here. I owned an FL-18 and own a LX-3 and there's just more options and quality in the LX-3's base package. The LX-3's zoom functions is what makes this unit stand alone that's the main reason it's so popular and gaining market share. The LX-3 is a quality product that's technically advanced, superbly designed, R&D'd and built in the U.S..

Even if you throw the zoom out the window per say the LX-1 and LX-3 deliver better target separation than the FL8SE or FL-18 in normal mode. Non-zoom mode with the LX-1 and LX-3 delivers a clear crisp display that captures individual signals better than the ho hum Vexilar "blobs". Does it matter that much target separation to the average fisherman, probably not. But comparatively priced would you purchase a black and white TV. if you could get a color T.V. for the same price. That's the difference. MarCum delivers the separation you need that cuts the clutter and defines the targets. That's critical information in regards to target feedback. Like so many that have made the move to MarCum, after the first couple of experiences with there unit the response has been the same. "I don't know why I waited so long before I made the switch?"

[fishinrookie]

a good place to find bargins on used stuff is your local Pawn shop, I found a LX3 their and only paid $185. it does not hurt to ask for a lower price and they want to move inventory, so try it out. also, watch the local auction listing for sporting goods, they will usually list if there is a specific fish finder. one spot is Fish Lectronics in the Twin Cities, they fix all fish finders and sell new and used. good luck, scott