Vexilar FL18 or Hummingbird ICE 55

[T Fisher]

After using the new Hummingbird I have come to the conclusion that the Hummingbird is a better unit. After you get to use it a while, familarity is key. There is more buttons and functions then the FL18 user friendly with the hand book. With 2400 watts vs 800 watts of the Vexilar and the digital display showing depth constant on I like it.

Forgot to mention zoom in on any part of the water colum.

[BillM]

I finally got a portable pack for my Humminbird 747c and with some help from my bud Dave we got me all squared away in about 2mins out in Simcoe. Talk about fun, seeing those fish come off the bottom and chase your bait is an absolute blast.. I'd much rather look at that screen then a flasher.

[Steel28]

I finally got a portable pack for my Humminbird 747c and with some help from my bud Dave we got me all squared away in about 2mins out in Simcoe. Talk about fun, seeing those fish come off the bottom and chase your bait is an absolute blast.. I'd much rather look at that screen then a flasher.

 

+1

[T Fisher]

It's like watching tv at 11:30pm then buying a paper in the morning and reading the same news that you heard 8 hours earlyer. A flasher is in real time real time is NOW not 5 seconds ago.

[Sinker]

It's like watching tv at 11:30pm then buying a paper in the morning and reading the same news that you heard 8 hours earlyer. A flasher is in real time real time is NOW not 5 seconds ago.

 

Any decent graph will display in real time if you set it up right.

 

I don't understand what you flasher guys are talking about when you say graphs don't display in real time.......have you tried one thru the ice? Just askin.......

 

I can see every movement of my jig, and mark every fish, in real time on my graph. There is history on the screen, but if you turn up your chart and ping speed, its gone in a second. What happened 5 seconds ago is gone in 5 seconds

 

S.

[T Fisher]

You are wrong Sinker. Your fish finder LCD has to process the info then display it on the screen from right to left. That take's time, time is important to me, we are talking seconds but that maks a difference a big difference.

[irishfield]

I think you need to sit in front of my 102C for a bit fisher... there's no delay when I lift a 1/16 jig at 95 feet ! Your flasher has to process transducer readings.. to electron flow.. to screen blink no different than a finder.

[BillM]

You are wrong Sinker. Your fish finder LCD has to process the info then display it on the screen from right to left. That take's time, time is important to me, we are talking seconds but that maks a difference a big difference.

 

Dude, no offense but it's time to use a decent graph..

 

I can jig in 100ft of water and see everything on my Humminbird in real time.... Rod goes up, jig 2ft off the bottom goes up, rod goes down, jig goes back down.

 

I pulled a whitey 20ft off the bottom last saturday and got it to commit in about 76ft of water.. I dunno how much more 'real time' it gets.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

:jerry: :jerry:

 

i bought a flasher, but that's because i trust them more in -30 than an lcd screen'd device, and in the back of a snowmachine trailer...lol

 

otherwise this is nothing more than a HILARIOUS pissing content that happens almost weekly on here! lol!

Edited February 3, 2010 by Dr. Salvelinus

[dave524]

Disagree with the LCD graph, unless you are fishing on a flat bottom. You'll lose your ability to see your jig if there is any structure down there until it clears the top of the structure.

 

edit: try googling " fish finder dead zone " or just look here, one of the better explanations

 

http://www.a-guide-to-florida-bass-fishing...ish-finder.html

Edited February 3, 2010 by dave524

[Sinker]

You'll lose your ability to see your jig if there is any structure down there until it clears the top of the structure.

 

This is correct. Sometimes even weeds will do it. I don't run into that problem very often though. I've seen flashers do the same thing on a steep drop.

 

They both have benifits, and they all get the job done, but the time we're talking here isn't even measureable.

 

S.

[JPD]

Dr. Pretty much hit it on the head... it's really about temperature. LCD screens will not perform as well in super cold temps even though some companies have come out with "cold temp versions". The regular graphs do work well and with the ping speed set high will actually be very comparable to a flasher in regards to "real time" and are easier to interpret for someone who has never used a flasher but I prefer the flasher when ice fishing. The battery lasts a lot longer with a flasher as well since they aren't as power hungry as the bigger graphs. Not really a factor for a day trip but when you go for a few days and have no way to recharge, flashers excel IMO.

 

JP

[Sinker]

Dr. Pretty much hit it on the head... it's really about temperature. LCD screens will not perform as well in super cold temps even though some companies have come out with "cold temp versions". The regular graphs do work well and with the ping speed set high will actually be very comparable to a flasher in regards to "real time" and are easier to interpret for someone who has never used a flasher but I prefer the flasher when ice fishing. The battery lasts a lot longer with a flasher as well since they aren't as power hungry as the bigger graphs. Not really a factor for a day trip but when you go for a few days and have no way to recharge, flashers excel IMO.

 

JP

 

Well put. I use a bottom of the line graph, solely because it uses less battery power than a bigger unit. It has all the options I need, and that's about it. I can run it for 3 days of fishing, no problem, even in winter. I've used a bigger colour graph with GPS, and it just burns thru the batts. Even in -30C, once the sun gets on my lowrance, its just the same as a summer day. It still marks fish fine when its minus 10 million, but doesn't have as much detail on my jig. Works for me!

 

S.

[irishfield]

I can go 3 full days (when fishing with Lloyd.. that's 7 am to 6pm) in -30C temps using my 102C. If I turn the screen intensity down one (ie middle brightness) it will last 4 days. I have two 8ah's in the case... so if I only had one I'd get about 1/2 that mileage. Performance doesn't change anything considerable whether it's outside in the open in those temps.. or in the hut with the heat on.

[trapshooter]

Disagree with the LCD graph, unless you are fishing on a flat bottom. You'll lose your ability to see your jig if there is any structure down there until it clears the top of the structure.

 

edit: try googling " fish finder dead zone " or just look here, one of the better explanations

 

http://www.a-guide-to-florida-bass-fishing...ish-finder.html

 

 

Flashers have a dead zone when you're fishing a sharp drop off too. I had one last week while fishing lake trout on the edge of a reef.

 

I still prefer a flasher myself. This is like tiller vs. console... it's all personal preference and what works for you.

[Billy Bob]

I would rather have my Lowrance 520 graph with GPS and mapping.......oh, BTW it also can be used as a FLASHER if you want, as it has that mode to choose from not to mention ICE MODE.