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

[rockman]

Vexilar,marcum,flasher,etc....No question about it. I have been fishing with a flasher for about 15 years starting with a Lowrance Green Box,and now on my 3rd Vexilar.I only got a Aqua Vu about 5 years ago.I don't use the camera all the time, but I won't leave the house to go ice fishing without the Vexilar.

[Reynolds]

Flasher

I'll never forget my first experience with a flasher A friend of mine brought with a FL8, and I was absolutely blown away by what I had been missing out on. We drilled more holes that day than I had the whole previous ice season. We searched around and we caught fish , which, was something that I had not been doing a whole lot of previously.

Nowadays I always have my camera and flasher with me, however, there are times when the camera does not get used. I can't say that I've ever stepped out onto the lake with a flasher and not used it immediately after drilling holes.

[pathogen]

Flasher gets my vote too. Once you've fished with one, you'll wonder how you got along without one!

[dougger222]

Owned a hand full of AquVu's and they seem to break rather often. Owned a Zercom Color Point flasher and the bottoms broke the first week of using. My cousin had one too and his bottons did the same thing.

Own a FL8 FL8SLT FL18 and FL20 and my favorite could be the FL8SLT. When Vex brings a new model on the market I'm sure I'll go out and buy one and still use the SLT the most!!!

Another vote for a Vexilar.

[redbandit]

Any of the Lowrance Ice Machines. Versatillity summer/winter, flasher/graph, optional GPS and similar $ compared to other flashers. I've have an x67c and love it.

"Always a black sheep in the bunch." I thought I would quote myself before someone else did.

[cjac]

Vex FL-18 also goes to the bow of my boat every open water season. It's that good. Don't think I'd have it any other way.

Chris

[Big Paulie]

I have to agree with the majority and say flasher. I have both a Vex and Aqua-Vu, the flasher makes every trip the Aqua-vu only goes out when the kids come with.

[Reynolds]

Another thing to remember is that for the most part a camera won't be of much use until a half hour after the sun rises, and won't be much good a half hour before the sun sets due to the angle of the sun. I have the spectral lights for the dark on my aqua vu and all it reveals to me is blizzard of particles.

[FrontenacPike]

Go flasher all the way. I did it backwards and got the camera before the flasher...big mistake. Yeah the camera is fun and a great TOY, but the flasher will get you the fish, hands down. When fishing next to someone who had a flasher, I'd get schooled. I only knew when a fish was near the camera (usually the bottom 3/4 feet). The flasher buddy, knew when a fish was anywhere in the water colum. I typically fish the Mississippi river and any depth over 14 feet the camera is worthless. Water clarity greatly affects the camera's usefullness. I brought the camera to LOW last year, we were fishing at 18 feet and I couldn't see any more than 8 inches off the screen. Needless to say the camera wasn't used at all the whole trip. The flashers worked flawlessly and caught the fish.

[Kyle Sandberg]

Quote:

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Any of the Lowrance Ice Machines. Versatillity summer/winter, flasher/graph, optional GPS and similar $ compared to other flashers. I've have an x67c and love it.

"Always a black sheep in the bunch." I thought I would quote myself before someone else did.

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You're not the only blacke sheep out there. I purchased the x67c at the end of September in time for Mille Lacs and fall fishing and it is awesome. That was the trolling motor puck I used. Shure felt like icefishing looking down at that screen seeing your lure rise and fall... I'm already looking foward to the ice season.

My dad has a vex, I have the Lowarance, both are great units but the Lowarnce can save you a little money (I paid 360 for winter pack and trolling motor puck) and you can also get the x68c with the GPS in it to mark your spot.

You should not make a bad choice in choosing.

[sirsunnyslayer]

If you are ONLY going to fish clear water during the day I would go with a camera first, but if you plan on doing the dusk and dawn thing or cloudier waters then the flasher is the way to go. I use my camera more than my flasher when the conditions are right, but that's not always the case.

[TroutYammer]

Wow...this forum ROCKs! Thank you all for the input...looks like I'll be putting the flasher on my X-mas list this year and then next year I'll ask Santa to bring me an underwater camera.

Thank You All!

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Underwater Camara! No just kidding. The flasher is a much better vallue because you can figure out what depth the fish are at and even where your lure is. Underwater camaras are a great tool but really it is only good if you have the flasher too. Without the flasher you will not know what depth the fish are at so you will have to try to guess by looking at your camara the whole way down. I do highly recomend the camara but a flasher is definately a must. Tally up another vote for a marcum flasher!

Ryan

[BoxMN]

I have a older Aquaview, stills works great. But last winter I got sick of not having a flasher and got an LX5 in January. Wow, now I would not be without the flasher. I always had one with, buddies or bor-in-laws, but having your own is worth its weight in gold... errr, well, close

I'd go flasher all the way, and while I am sold on Marcum, I would say get one with a zoom (fl18 or fl20 if Vex) and the adjustable zoom on lx3 or lx5 would be my top choices. That said, I originally learned to love the bottom zoom on an fl18, but any of them are good, and more versatile than a camera. Have fun!

[stpauliguy]

Hey trout, I personaly would get a camera. That way you can watch everyone else in your house with a flasher catch all the fish!! Which would keep you very busy! (Hopefully) But obviously flashers way to go.

[Dahitman44]

I have the FL-18 and the Marcum 360.

I love the Marcum. I is fun to watch the fish and my kids REALLY love it. But if I had to leave one home it woulod be the camera. The Vexilar is more important, IMO.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Actually- to be honest.. with todays prices you can have both.... Cameras as low as $100(Aqua-Vu Fish TV) and depth finders for around that $200 mark.. Nature Vision Showdown and MarCum VX-1

[crappieflop1212]

I have both, and have to say I would definately get the flasher if you can only go with one. Using the camera can be a lot of work. It is nice to have, but I wouldn't say it catches more fish for you. A flasher on the other hand does in my opinion.

The camera has other uses though. I actually used mine to inspect my chimney at home and found a cracked tile. I determined the repair could be done by myself, thus saving me about a thousand bucks. I'm sure there are other situations similar to this where it could come in handy.

But as far as fishing goes, I would get the flasher.

[Stradic]

Flash-o-reeno!

[NAMASafetyDirector]

VEXILAR FL-18!

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

FL20 all the way!

[fishtank]

Flasher, but I'm waiting on how the FishTV does. It might change my mind for the $99 price tag. I've had an FL-18 for about 3 years (or, ever since it first came out). I have to say, I wouldn't want to be without it.