Flasher compared to portable depth finder?

[waxworm]

Exactly how much am I missing using my Cuda portable depth finder through the ice? I mean, I can still see suspended fish, bottom structure, and most things you see using it out of the boat anyway. There's all this talk about the importance of a flasher for ice fishing, but I think that the info that this provides, plus being able to use it year round, may be enough to sway me from spending the $ a flasher. What do you guys think?

[hanson1287]

I think you are missing a heck of alot without having a flasher. With a flasher itll show when a fish sits directly below you and stays there, it allows you to zoom in on a certain channel of the water column your fishing. You can see the exact depth of your jig and when you are jigging it and you can watch the fish move towards your jig on them. In my opinion I would opt to spend the money on a flasher. I found a heck of a deal on mine last february I picked up the LX-1 for about $125...you dont need top of the line flashers to get the solid use out of them.

[Pat K]

With a flasher you can watch a crappie come up after your jig as it drops, when the fish and jig are at the same level, set the hook and you have a fish. Wait for your knot to hit your ice buster and you have an empty hook and the crappie is swimming of with a free meal.

With the "picture" on the Cuda you will be focusing on what happened a second ago not what's happening now.

[Sandmannd]

Waxworm, have you used the cuda ice fishing? Where did you find the ice adaptors for it? I was wanting to give it a try this year. I have an underwater camera so I can see my jig with that. Was looking for a cheap solution until I can afford a good flasher.

[jbird68]

What about the new Vertical Pixel Graph (VPG) from Aqua vu or one of the Ice Machines from Lowrance. The VPG has a heater for the LCD screen so things don't slow down.

[jigging-matt]

When I first started ice fishing I got an eagle fish graph because of the price. Didn't think it would make that big of a deal. After going out once with friends that had flashers and seeing how the could see their jig and how much easier that they had it. I returned the graph and purchased a flasher. One of the smartest things I have done. Hands down a much better peice of equipment.

[nluchau]

Can you see your jig with a Cuda? Didn't think so.

Anyway a flasher is an excellent choice and you will never leave home without it when you go ice fishing.

[nluchau]

Oh by the way. I would get a Vexilar over a Marcum. Just my $.02 (I'm not trying to hijack and create a Vex/Marcum discussion though.)

[IceWrangler]

With out a doubt... A flasher. Instant time verus delayed time. If you get a chance fish behind a friends flasher, then fish behind a portable graph style. I think you see for your self.

[Ralph Wiggum]

You flasher guys and your "delay" concept . I fish with a Lowrance X67c and there is no delay whatsoever. Works great--you couldn't get me to trade it. And, yes, I can see my jig. I can see a bobber stop if I tie one a few feet above my jig, too. And I can usually tell if there is still a waxworm on my jig, as well. It's that sensitive.

I don't know how the Cuda would perform, though. If it's LCD (I think it is) it might slow down in the cold and cause these "delays" you hear of.

I'd say that it can't hurt to try it out. If you don't like how it works, by all means invest in a flasher or TFT machine.

[IceWrangler]

Quote:

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You flasher guys and your "delay" concept

. I fish with a Lowrance X67c and there is no delay whatsoever. Works great--you couldn't get me to trade it. And, yes, I can see my jig. I can see a bobber stop if I tie one a few feet above my jig, too. And I can usually tell if there is still a waxworm on my jig, as well. It's that sensitive.

I don't know how the Cuda would perform, though. If it's LCD (I think it is) it might slow down in the cold and cause these "delays" you hear of.

I'd say that it can't hurt to try it out. If you don't like how it works, by all means invest in a flasher or TFT machine.

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I can see mine with in 3/4 of an Inch

And I don't have to worry about LCD freezing up.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I don't know what you're getting at with the 3/4" comment, but an X67c IS NOT LCD. The screen is TFT, which is unaffected by cold.

All I'm saying is that you don't have to drop $479 to catch more fish. Any depth finder is going to help your chances.

[CNY Tim]

I think we tend to forget sometimes that a fish finder regardless what brand is just a tool. I too started with an Eagle Fish I.D. 128 mounted to a genz box. No it wasn't real time and the colder it got the s-l-o-w-e-r- it got but it would show my jig and a fish coming up to it. What the flasher provides is instantaneous feedback and better definition, and probably the most important feature is the fishes reaction or non-reaction to the bait, the flicker factor. I can refine my presentations so much better with my Marcum LX-5. Jiggle, flip, steady, swim, pound, chase, drop all this detail is given by my MarCum instantly.

What's enjoyable with any unit is getting to know and use all the functions. Taking that information and becoming as productive as you can with it.

I don't have any experience with the x67c or VPG so I don't know anything about TFT or heated LCD's so I can't comment.

Spend time with your unit on the ice and learn a little bit more about it on each trip. The multitudes of techniques to catch fish is immense regardless what unit you use. Heck I like to sight fish alot too and find myself doing more every year. Sonar is a tool, just like your rod, reel and line. Get comfortable with it and gain confidence each and every trip.

[Luck e 1]

I have a lowrance unit that has a flasher page on it and it does OK (not great, but OK. I can see my jig and I can see fish, but not as clearly)...but it still doesn't read as well as the flasher. It does the job and when you are on a tight budget it works...but you can tell the difference. That being said, I continue to use my portable fish finder for ice fishing because I am saving up to get a gas auger, and I can't afford both. Then I can use my portable fish finder in the summer as well.

Bottom line: flashers are better for ice fishing. but you make do with what you got and enjoy the ice fishing.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Luke,

I don't like the Lowrance in flasher mode. I tend to use mine in graph mode and I like it a lot better.

[John Henderson]

No doubt a flasher! I have had the old stand by Vexilar FL8 for over 10 years and still on the first battery! I could upgrade to the FL18 or now the FL12 AND 20 but I have never had an issue locating fish with the FL8 and love the fact that I can trust it and depend on it.

[EJ]

Well Ralph, looks like you and I are in the minority that prefer the extra info a guy gets from a graph. I love using my 102C for ice fishing. Instant feedback, pick up small jigs in deep water, can see seperation as well as a flasher. What we can see that you cannot with a flasher is the "RECORD" of how the fish is approaching your jig and how it reacts to your jigging. This allows you to adjust accordingly. You do see the same reaction on a flasher, but it is nice to have the action scrolling for a few seconds to analyze the information.

EJ

[waxworm]

Quote:

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Waxworm, have you used the cuda ice fishing? Where did you find the ice adaptors for it? I was wanting to give it a try this year. I have an underwater camera so I can see my jig with that. Was looking for a cheap solution until I can afford a good flasher.

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Yea i've used it ice fishing last season, I didn't buy any adapter, I just used the shaft that bolts on to the back of the boat and stuck it in the water. I didn't fish with it in the water, i just used it to find the depth and see how deep the fish were, and just stuck in in every now and then to try and keep my lure where the fish were. pretty simple idea but I think it still helps until I can afford a vexilar.