Hello and looking for true life info

[Deitz Dittrich]

 Quote:

Dietz,

With all of these toys, How do you decide which one to use on what day? ...only half serious here, but still??

Dude, I totally see where you are coming from on this.. And to be honest I don't have a good answer for you. I work my tail off, hold a couple of different jobs, and don't have any kids. I love my toys! I suppose I could sell the ones I dont use as much, but I get a phone calls quite often and have friends borrow them. They are all nice to have as back ups. And have very fond memories with each of them, and I cant seem to get rid of them...

I also have about 30 rod/reel combos and 7 Bows(archery) So its not something all that new to me.. I tend to buy new stuff and keep what I already owned.

[muc33]

I was a flasher virgin until this season...(now there's a line you won't say too often). I purchased a Lx3tc from the for sale forum from another FM'er. The bonus I got on that is the advise, help and expierience from the previous owner. He has emailed me and I can email him with questions and concerns. Find that at any box store.

As far as working it correctly? Not sure yet if I am doing it right, but It has shown me fish and I have caught them! wooohoooo, I still have learning but like my choice.

Boiler, if it has any buttons or knobs, I can find a way to mess it up, hence TeamOtter giving me my new nickname CCFC. But I enjoy trying!

Along the lines of my first statement. I really like the zoom, because there is nothing better than seeing your flasher in ZOOM!!!!!! hehehehe, thank you folks, I will be here all week, be sure to tip your waitstaff.

Enjoy your choice, the best part is, whatever you decide on, next year or maybe even next week, there will be something out that is bigger, or brighter, or faster, and you will want it, so you can always upgrade.

[MuleShack]

 Originally Posted By: Deitz Dittrich

 Quote:

Dietz,

With all of these toys, How do you decide which one to use on what day? ...only half serious here, but still??

Dude, I totally see where you are coming from on this.. And to be honest I don't have a good answer for you. I work my tail off, hold a couple of different jobs, and don't have any kids. I love my toys! I suppose I could sell the ones I dont use as much, but I get a phone calls quite often and have friends borrow them. They are all nice to have as back ups. And have very fond memories with each of them, and I cant seem to get rid of them...

I also have about 30 rod/reel combos and 7 Bows(archery) So its not something all that new to me.. I tend to buy new stuff and keep what I already owned.

No, really i was just wondering if you had come to any preference of using any certain one for a specific species or lake type...thats all.

[Burnham]

i have never fished with zoom, and i am perfectly fine without it, i have a vex fl-8se...i know that if i fished with a zoom that i probably wouldnt want to fish without it, soo thats part of the reason i dont want to fish with one...cuz i cant buy another lol...i will say that with or without zoom and vexilar or marcum that you will see a world of a difference in the amount of fish you catch.. you will be happy with either brand

[Deitz Dittrich]

 Quote:

No, really i was just wondering if you had come to any preference of using any certain one for a specific species or lake type...thats all.

If its just me going, I will take the Lx-5.. I cant remember taking one of the other units, unless I was in the mood for another unit. All things the same, the 5 is the best in my opinion. When with friends, I will often let them use the LX5- then its more of a flip the coin deal as to which I will bring.. if fishing suspended crappies, I will grab the 3 or the Showdown becuase of the moveable zoom...My wife if she comes with, she almost always grabs the showdown.. as she likes its screen the best. When I have friends call to borrow a unit, they usually ask if they can use the FL-18 as its the one they hear the most about I suppose/.

[Surface Tension]

Been using sonar for 30 years.

As far as flashers go, I have a LX5 and FL-18. Before those I owned the LX3 and FL-8 SLT.

Either brand will do you well. Getting rid of clutter will be easier to do with any of the MarCums. The next obvious difference is the display. MarCum uses a finer, crisper display.

Some folks like that, others like the bold look.

Lets narrow it down to your price range. Entry level sounders for MarCum and Vex would be the VX-1 at $249 and FL8se at $319.

These is a no nonsense prices, so you can walk into any shop and buy either unit for that amount.

One feature the VX-1 has over the FL-8se is bottom zoom.

Next the VX-1 will work well in shallow and deep water.

One difference over the FL8se and Vex's higher up models is LP(low power)option. You will want to get the suppression cable for the FL8se for shallow water use. Those can be had for around $30. What does the LP mode or suppression cable do? It reduces the output power for shallow water and fishing in weeds. Using the Vex in LP mode (or with S cable) will allow you to see through those weeds and your jig, targets, and bottom won't show as a hot red mark. It also helps tremendously in reducing interference from nearby flashers because you'll able to fine tune your gain.

So the FL8se with suppression cable closes the gap between the VX-1 as far as technological stand point. The $100 price difference after buying the S-cable is huge. Not to mention the bottom zoom you'll get with the VX-1.

Both MarCum and Vexilar have very good customer service so you can rest assured either company will stand behind their product.

[SDWalleye]

Thank you everyone for your honest opinion. I really appreciate it...especially not being familiar with each one's "quirks". One more question? Do all of the Marcums have low power mode? Which Vexilars have it already?

[walleyeslammer]

I dont have anything against a vexilar, but I have a marcum LX5 and I must say it is an excellent unit. The adjustable zoom is awesome as you can pinpoint suspended fish. Also the .5 inch seperation is pretty nice. With a jigging spoon in deep water I still get two lines for my lure one is the spoon then just below it is the minnow head. Pretty sweet deal, but like other people say, get what your budget says and you will not ever fish without a flasher again

[Rick]

SDWalleye, MarCum doesn't need the low power mode.

[MuleShack]

With already having the Lx5, I might get an Lx1 next year for the wife to use. She came along with me once this year and l showed her how to read the flasher when we were out hole hopping for Tonka panfish. She was alot more interested and actually trying to "fish" rather than just holding the rod type of thing. Might just get her to go out more often with her own locator. I'm going to assume that 2 marcums wont cause interference if fishing in the same house. It will also become my friend so I could have one in each hole if she doesn't want to come.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Mule- depending on the depth of water and the bottom content, You may have to deal with some interfierence issues on the LX-1... However, you should be able to clear much of it up.. The deeper water and harder bottom you will be fishing the harder problem with it you will have.