If you could only have one: Underwater Camera or Vexilar?

[TroutYammer]

My wife has a tight budget for Christmas this year and wants to know if you could only have one (Vexilar or UnderWater Camera) which would you choose? I already have a Marcum LX-i (small flashlight shaped depth finder) which is great for scouting depth before drilling holes.

I primarily chase walleyes (never go after pan fish or crappies). Any help on this will be greatly appreciated.

[GRAND DAD]

Hands down a FLASHER

[Deitz Dittrich]

An underwater camera is a great tool... but I dont think you will find one person who will tell you to buy one of those first over a flasher... A flasher (no matter the brand) will tell you far more information from top to bottom than a camera...

Once you have the flasher... save up for the camera.. they are a ton of fun and will help you catch more fish.

[Eric Wettschreck]

What these guys said.

Flasher.

[CrappieAttitude]

I would go fishing without a house, fish with an old school jiggle stick, but I would never in a million years want to go fishing again without my flasher. They are worth their weight in gold.

CA

[TroutYammer]

Wow...I think I see how this vote is going. Really appreciate the input. Thanks.

[jigging-matt]

Flasher, hands down.

[JigginIsLife]

i dont know about you but you get way more info from the lake with a flasher So by a long shot FLASHER

[CSP88]

VEXILAR

Chad

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

FL20 go to the top of the food chain!

[Lisa Almquist]

A MARCUM flasher....okay have it your way, A Vexilar then. HEHEHEHEE (we need an evil grinning emoticon!)

[Bassman]

Vexilar

[mvanotterloo]

Any type of flasher will do...but yes defintely a flasher

[Duffman]

When getting into ice-fishing I spaced out my major purchases over a few years and went in this order;

1. Flasher

2. Portable icehouse

3. Power Auger

4. Underwater Camera

I'd still go in the same order if I was starting out again.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

Quote:

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A MARCUM flasher....okay have it your way, A Vexilar

---

The only thing I have found bad to say about a Marcum is that it isn't a Vexilar. I'm just predjudice i guess. My shrink says it will take time to grow out of. LOL!

[Lisa Almquist]

I'm sure your therapist just meant that when you become more mature and responsible you'll get a Marcum right?

Joking...joking.....LOL

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

Not sure, always figured the guy was full of $H!T. LOL

[luckydave]

A camera is a lot of fun, but a flasher is a lot more valuable for ice fishing. In fact, a flasher is priceless!!

[JigginIsLife]

here is another suggestion if you like to go fishing and arnt to serious and have a kid with you...deffinatly the camera it will keep them occupied.

[livintofish]

first off as stated by many FLASHER....and also I'm not so sure a flasher wouldn't keep the kids entertained too. Seeing your jig and then a fish....you jig up a foot......the fish comes up.......fish loses interest.......you jig aggresively...........fish suddenly moves up........WHAM........your rod bends and your pulling him up. In my book there isn't much more exciting than that. The element of surprise is good. The camera is a lot of fun though and also a good learning tool. WE NEED ICE!!!

[maros91]

No doubt, flasher

[FishGUY]

Flasher: LX-5

[Jim Almquist]

The flasher will make you a better ICE fisherman right away cause you will know your depth before you drill a hole.It will tell if there is fish down and it will tell you how they will react to your lure. If they don't like it they won,t stick around for long and you will know it's time to change lures. I use and LOVE my Marcum LX5 but any flasher is better then NONE.

[timjones]

I have the Marcum LX-5 flasher and the Vexilar Scout SRT underwater camera. I use the flasher to get me to the depth I want and to put me on fish. If they aren't taking what I am offering I will use the camera to see what is down there and how they are reacting to what I am using and how I am using it. The flasher is a must to get you to the fish. Worry about looking at them later.

[ilovehardwater]

A few years back a co-worker took me out ice fishing for the first time since I was a small child. He had one of these flashers with him, well needless to say I did not catch a single fish while he was killing huge slabs. Now, I'm the one who brings people out and outfishes them. Do yourself a favor and get the flasher first.....look around on the net and you can find the flasher that will best suit your needs. I have owned a vexilar for going on 3 years and it has worked flawless for me. I recently purchaced a gently used marcum on HSOList and I'm eager to use it this winter. If you are looking for walleyes I would highly suggest a flasher with a bottom zoom feature. Get the camera for christmas next year..............

Good luck with your purchace and good fishing. BT