Am I the only one without sonar?

[HuskerBen]

HammerHandle, I like the way you think. That's why I shoot a longbow.

I don't have a flasher. I might get one someday, if I somehow come across a couple hundred dollars that I don't need to spend on stupid stuff like my mortgage and food and car insurance.

I have a Smartcast sonar that someone gave me a couple years ago. I use it to determine the depth I'm fishing, and the fish indicator occasionally works. So until I get something better (if that ever happens), that's what I'll use. And if that breaks down, it's back to using my rope with knots tied every foot.

[Hammer Handle]

Some people pay big bucks to join a health club to get fit.

Me, I can chisel several holes before I find the perfect one.

But, if I know the lake...90% of the time I find the spot on the first hole.

I keep telling my wife that I need to go fishing so I can lose some weight!

[FishinChad]

 Originally Posted By: vermilionwally

I dont have a flasher and ive outfished my buddy that has one everytime we have went out this year. You guys are lucky you didnt have to ice fish back in the day before they had flashers if you wont fish without one .

Your buddy must really not know what he is doing, I guarantee I would outfish anyone that doesnt have a flasher if we are fishing suspended crappies, maybe you never fish suspended fish? I spent plenty of my life without one and caught fish, but its the 21st century and the advantages of having one are far too much pass on.

Many times you wouldnt even know there was fish coming and going under your hole if you didnt have one and you would just think there is no fish there. I broke mine this year and had to buy a new one within a week even though I didnt really have the money, so yes,its that important.

[UdeLakeTom]

All I have is a fishing buddy....stick it in the hole...it helps some, but really I can't see the expense for a flasher. I won't use it enough. But then some have cars in their garage for looks and not to use. Isn't nice we can all have our different opinions about how it is best to fish. Yes, I would like a flasher, but I can't justify it too myself.

[moosedrool]

Up until 2 years ago I didn't have one.

My friend would bring his fl8 on crappie hunting trips and I'd be yelling from my house wondering what depth they were coming through at. I picked up an lx3 and everything changed. My "luck" improved and best of all, my daughters love fishing with dad for 4-5 hours instead of 1. There's nothing better than when we get on some crappies and I'm running between their holes taking fish off for them. It's the best investment I've made in a long time.

10 years from now maybe using a new fangled flasher will be old school to them.

[Sifty]

I would'nt leave home without one.

Sifty

[Burnham]

i got a fl8 a couple weeks ago, ive used it about 5 times and now i dont know if i could even go ice fishing without it

[Burnham]

now i need a power auger ..well i have a friend that has one so right now we are using his auger and my flasher

[South_Metro_Slayer]

i dont have a sonar and i catch fish and find fish were otheres arnt fishin, but i ll tell u what i will have one next year, first i bought the shack then the powered auger, next im buying a gps, then the vex, then the camera, and then maybe a 4 wheeler, and some new jigs, for now ive been using my bosses aqua view, pretty sweet its like another planet down there the camera is pretty sweet when youre lookin to find structure in an unknown lake,

[Mike Stark]

wow...i did not expect this much of a response...i think you all did it...im in the market for a flasher....anyone got one for sale?

i know i look on the "for sale" forum

thanks for all the info!!!

mike

[Sandmannd]

You can find them on this site in the for sale space and look on Craig's List. That's where I got my FL8 last year for $175 with extra battery.

South Metro Slayer, I would get a flasher before the GPS. IMO it doesn't matter if you can mark a drop on the GPS if you can't see the fish.

[aanderud]

 Originally Posted By: Sandmannd

You can find them on this site in the for sale space and look on Craig's List. That's where I got my FL8 last year for $175 with extra battery.

South Metro Slayer, I would get a flasher before the GPS. IMO it doesn't matter if you can mark a drop on the GPS if you can't see the fish.

I agree, the GPS is much overrated compared to the flasher. I mean yeah, having both would be great but definitely buy the flasher first. No question there.

[rockman]

Many here have already given the positive attributes of using/having the flasher vs. not,but for me it's have it, or go home.Years back I was intending on a day of fishing the Horseshoe chain, only to find once I got to the lake that I did not put the battery back in the Ice Box with my FL-8, after charging it.I drove all the way to St. Cloud to Fleet Farm to buy another battery,problem then solved.My first flasher was the Lowrance Green Box,and although not as nice as a FL-8, it did the job for one ice fishing season. Better to have a Green Box than nothing, period.

[slipperybob]

At least have one flasher per icehouse.

[rockman]

Absolutely! I might just have to add a FL-20 to the other vexilars I already have to avoid any future issues!

[irishwalleye]

Lets put it this way. After taking soooo many newbies out onto the ice this year, I had to go purchase a second unit just to loan to whoever is fishing with me. Adds to their success and enjoyment which lets me be out there even more.

I like to call it my favorite little video game.

[fishersofmen]

Fishing without a flasher is comparable to fishing without a boat.....makes your task a lot easier and more enjoyable.

[Kyle Sandberg]

Until this year, I didn't have a flasher of my own. Now that I've got one, I've really got into fishing. Even though you may not catch all the fish you see, to me its more about getting them to react to the bait and almost like playing a video game. I'd the flasher before the GPS too.

[vermilionwally]

 Originally Posted By: juggs

Wally--Your friend needs fishing lessons.

I aint arguing that LOL. I just think some people take these things a little to seriosly. If you quit fishing because your vex battery goes dead, i dont even know what to say to that. Im not saying i wouldnt want a vex, i just cant afford one and i can catch plenty of fish without it.

[fishinJohn]

Where I live the two most popular places to fish are over about two or three feet of water. Most people don't have a flasher and catch their limit many times out. I know these people think those who go looking around and using expensive equipment are dumb. I disagree seeing as I don't like fishing elbow to elbow but I think I could catch more fish if I left the sonar at home and fished in the crowds. If I forget to charge my battery I just find a shallow spot where I know fish are and judge their mood by bites or no bites. It can be more frustrating using the flasher and seeing sniffers all day though! That said, I almost never forget to charge the battery.

[kwiggy]

 Originally Posted By: irishwalleye

Lets put it this way. After taking soooo many newbies out onto the ice this year, I had to go purchase a second unit just to loan to whoever is fishing with me. Adds to their success and enjoyment which lets me be out there even more.

I like to call it my favorite little video game.

Oh my!!! I couldn't wait to start using my FL-20. I took my 10yr old out and guess what... I wasn't using my flasher... he was. I was thankful for the 20 so I could somewhat see from an angle, but it still wasn't in my hole. I am hoping to add a used one to my arsenal so I can get my 20 back from my son. I love watching my son catch fish as much as catching them myself so it still is worth the purchase. It keeps him out on the ice longer too, so that is a big benefit.

[Se Mn FishSlayer]

i broke down and got a vexliar fl 8 two weeks ago and have outfished my friends that dont have one 10 to 1 the last 3 times we went out. now i wont go fishing with out it. you should get one.

[Sandmannd]

 Originally Posted By: kwiggy

I took my 10yr old out and guess what... I wasn't using my flasher... he was. I was thankful for the 20 so I could somewhat see from an angle, but it still wasn't in my hole. I am hoping to add a used one to my arsenal so I can get my 20 back from my son. I love watching my son catch fish as much as catching them myself so it still is worth the purchase. It keeps him out on the ice longer too, so that is a big benefit.

What I do when I take someone without one with me, I drill a hole in the center of our two. It's not ideal, but we can both see the fish and both see our lures.

[mrklean]

I fished a few years without it then i got a vex for cheap and will never fish without one again, it blew my mind how much they helped, now i know if there really arent fish down there.

[Hammer Handle]

I think the "need" to fish with all this high tech equipment is driving the younger generation from fishing.

I coach some sports, and I was talking about fishing with teenagers. One said "I can't afford to fish". I said "What?" and he came back with he has tackle and a pole and even a boat to use, but no fish locator, big motor, real nice boat, camera, GPS, etc.

Is this what TV and we are teaching our kids?

Give me a boat, oars, a couple of lures and a pole...and I am ready to fish!! It is not about "looking the part" or having the equipment try to find fish for you. It is about getting out there and getting away from it all. And, finding and catching a fish is MUCH more rewarding when you do it yourself.