Flasher help!!!

[buddah7]

I just wanted some help deciding if I should buy the Marcum vx-1p or for the same price get a showdown and fish tv camera?? I will be using it mostly on clear lakes and for walleye and panfishing. Thanks for any help!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

If it were me, I'd go for the Marcum VX-1. Here's why....

I know very little about the showdown so I can't honestly comment on that. I have a VX-1, however, it's probably the easiest to use flaser I've seen. Only a couple of buttons, user friendly, and it has the great feature called bottom zoom. It's a good unit.

I've used the Fish TV, and a friend of mine has and sometimes tries to use his Fish TV. I find it a not very good camera. It's a very inexpensive unit and you definately get what you pay for. Nuff said on that. If you want a camera I'd save some pennies and go for a Marcum 380.

Just my opinion, but I've used a lot of different flashers, exception being the showdown, and a lot of different camera. I'm also far from a wealthy dude so I understand the price tag vs quality aspect of ice fishing electronics.

[SP180]

You will find a plethora of opinions. They both will work, buy what you like the most. I use a Marcum, so my opinion is slanted.

[Iambjm]

I have a Aqua Vu camera and hardly use it as I am very disappointed with the picture quality. I just got a flasher and I know I will use that!

Just tried to access the Aqua Vu site and their bandwidth has been exceeded, busy guys.

[robert1965]

you might want to check out lowrance ice machine, multi season unit.

[WinterHaven]

Go with the flasher unit, you will not be disappointed.

[SP180]

As Winterhaven puts it you will not be disappointed with the flasher. After thinking about this today, unless you have a strong reason to not go with the flasher then i would get the marcum. It is the what majority of ice guys use. A few stray from the norm, but not many. Its not that the other units are bad, just not what everyone else is using.

[Eric Wetteland]

If this is your fist fish finder I would not go with a fish tv or a aqua vu. I would stay with anyone of the flashers or the showdown and or the Lowrance. I would think this would be a good starting point for anyone. I also think they are about the same. I would get one work with for some time and if you don't like it sell it and try some other brand.

[Esox_Magnum]

If you fish low light or at night a camera does you little or no good yet a flasher works 24/7. I veiw a Flasher as a tool a camera more of a toy.

[zamboni]

I have heard alot of not so good stuff about that Fish TV camera, being cheap and tough on batteries are the 2 biggest complaints

[Sandmannd]

Get the best flasher you can. I very rarely use my camera. Flashers are a must!!

[buddah7]

Thanks for all the input, you guys are great! I just picked up the new version of the marcum lx-1 at Reeds! Thanks again and see you on the ice!!

[Eric Wettschreck]

I think you made a wise choice. You'll be real happy with this flasher.

[robert1965]

OK now im intrigued. apples and oranges here marcum compared to vex, whats the difference. coming from a lowrance ice machine user, the flasher option on my lowrance is not up to par with a vex. im still learning the graph mode, again though whats the difference with marcum and vex.

[andrew chadwick]

the cabelas lines of underwater camera are very affordable and work great! look into them. I bought one last winter and hav ehad nothing but good luck with it. My only complaint is the pike seem to enjoy biting onto the camera.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Concerning the differences, you may get a lot of different opinions on this. Some guys are very brand loyal, kind of like Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge. Myself, I'm a GM guy.

The 2 major differences I, myself, in my own personal experience on the ice (which I should add is a LOT of ice time) is power, and bottom zoom functions. Now, let me make it clear that MY vex FL-8 is a flasher I bought used, a few years back so it's far from new. It does the job it was made to do and anyone who is just starting out with a flasher would find this unit a heck of a lot better than the clip on lead weighted depth finder. As for the Marcum VX-1, MY VX-1 I feel has more power than MY Vex FL-8. Plus MY VX-1 has bottom zoom which is an awesome feature and MY FL-8 does not. I feel MY VX-1 does a better job of outlining bottom features (mud, hard bottom, etc), and MY VX-1 does a better job of marking fish than MY FL-8. MY FL-8 does the job, but MY VX-1 does it better.

Let's not forget we're talking about starter flasher units here. We're not talking about FL-18's, FL-20's, LX-3's, or LX-5's. We are talking about their baby brothers, aka starter units.

Again, I can't give an honest opinion about the Lowrance units as, admittidly, I don't have a lick of experience with them.

[eurolarva]

Fishing shallow in somewhat clear water for panfish inside a dark portabe I will take the aquaview camera over my flasher any day. I can keep it pointed at my jig and actually watch the bait go into the fishes mouth and not see the bobber move at all. Any other fishing I leave it at home and have my marcum flasher out. When I am sitting on a bucket outside the camera is worthless. Too much sun and the display is miserable.

[Snake River King]

Flasher flasher flasher flasher

[NCLaker]

Fishing shallow in somewhat clear water for panfish inside a dark portabe I will take the aquaview camera over my flasher any day. I can keep it pointed at my jig and actually watch the bait go into the fishes mouth and not see the bobber move at all. Any other fishing I leave it at home and have my marcum flasher out. When I am sitting on a bucket outside the camera is worthless. Too much sun and the display is miserable.

If it is clear and shallow, I will opt for "site" fishing to watch for the fish to take. Just need a shorter pole, darker protable during the daylight - easier then lugging around a camera IMO. If it is dark out, then I compensate by doing a slight lift of the rod tip - any bend on the hook will result in an immediate hook set. I don't own a one, but I would think cameras would be fun for a permanent - Used one once, hard to justify hauling the extra weight/bulk and hassel of setting up if I'm doing a lot of hole hopping. My flasher on the other hand ... I won't go fishing without it.

By the way, I love my Vexilars. Boilerguy makes a good point about the bottom zoom on a FL8 vs the VX1. Not a must, but if targeting bottom huggers in deeper water it really helps. Not usually as important if you are targeting suspended fish IMO. Very happy with my FL20 flat screen/night mode not had any problems w/ interferance using around flashers from vex/marcum. FL18 is my backup or spare if my partner is flasherless - this also is a rock solid unit.

[Ed Carlson]

The 2 best bargains in new off the shelf flashers are the Marcum VX-1, Gander GS-1, Cabela's VX-1, and the FL-8SLT Genz Pack.

The Aqua Vu Scout 2 is still the biggest bargain in a camera. The Fish TV is cheaper but only a value for clear water use when ran from an external power source. The enhanced SR lighting and the rechargeable power offered by the Scout 2 makes it the best value for the $$.