Advice on buying a flasher

[LostAnotherOne]

Hey guys. I'm purchasing an ice flasher pretty soon and was wondering what is the best brand to go with. I got a $600 limit. Thanks

[BillM]

Have you considered a graph instead? A lot more versatile if you plan on using it during the soft water months.

[TDunn]

Something with zoom if you go with a flasher.

[LostAnotherOne]

I have a fish finder for the boat, but thanks anyways for the idea. Zoom is something that's on my list for the flasher.

[bare foot wader]

agreed on the graph, i find that window of history you have on the screen really helps interpret what you're seeing, and if you miss anything when you're not paying attention...if you can up your budget a little, you can probalby find a deal on an lx7 or 6

Edited November 27, 2014 by bare foot wader

[Terry]

I have a marcum x6, it has zoom and dynamic range

but I don't use it in flasher mode

I use gragh mode , which is like vertical flasher but with history

[Big Cliff]

I just use my HDS 5 and I can switch between flasher and graph depending on what I am doing at the time.

[LostAnotherOne]

But with a graph can you see your bait go down on it as I think you can with a flasher

[Terry]

yes I can see a 1/8 jig drop from the top right down to 125 ft on graph mode or flasher mode

with the marcum x6

it uses the same data whether you are using the flasher or the graph

which ever way you want to see it

[Big Cliff]

You sure can! I can sit there and watch my jig and even the fishes reaction. You can see them follow it (and sometimes just swim away from it

[manitoubass2]

$300 for my Lowrance last year and its the best ice fishing tool I have besides my auger hahaha.

 

way more fish on the rod or ice using a graph

 

took a lil more time to set it up properly though and understand the functions thats for sure! but I think brian got his at the same time so I had terry the guru help me set it up properly.

 

to each their own though. my good buddy swears by his flasher

 

but I prefer to see exactly whats going on

Edited November 27, 2014 by manitoubass2

[manitoubass2]

You sure can! I can sit there and watch my jig and even the fishes reaction. You can see them follow it (and sometimes just swim away from it

thats part of the plus though! you can see what entices them, what they wont bite, then just switch up baits or tactics and it seems more times then not you can get them to bite!

 

my favorite is when walleyes are hugged tight to bottom when you first drop her down, a few rip jigs and like 6 fish scream up of bottom in chase! its playing video games really

 

also, actually even better is when trout scream up 60 fow and just smash your bait on the way up!!! you can almost set the hook before you feel the bite lol, ALMOST!hahaha

 

mine is the elite 3x

Edited November 27, 2014 by manitoubass2

[Fisherman]

X2 what the last 4 above said.

[LostAnotherOne]

Theres a few fishing stores that hold them, but what about grabbing one off of ebay. They will be cheaper, but do I want to take that chance?

[landry]

Bug a graph for sure. Not a lowrance elite though as they are finicky to set up for deep water laker fishing. The humminfird is a better ice choice IMO. I have the elite 5 and like it on my biat but I am not a fan of it for deep ice fishing. Someone here will tell u it can be tweaked to work well in the deep but I can tell u that the Hymminbird of a better choice. Maybe the HDS are better - have not used them.

[Fisherman]

Sometimes you can get new in the box, old stock at a good discount. I've got an X67C that does both graph and flasher modes. I used the flasher mode for about 10 minutes one day and that was it, find some tylenol. I like being able to see what was going on for a couple of seconds in history while slurping the coffee and not paying attention. Don't think a flasher will do that.

[Big Cliff]

I have never had a problem buying off EBay but watch the seller's rating. Your budget should be enough to get a pretty good unit that would do both for you and you might be able to sell the unit you have now to make up the difference to buy a REALLY god unit.

[manitoubass2]

Bug a graph for sure. Not a lowrance elite though as they are finicky to set up for deep water laker fishing. The humminfird is a better ice choice IMO. I have the elite 5 and like it on my biat but I am not a fan of it for deep ice fishing. Someone here will tell u it can be tweaked to work well in the deep but I can tell u that the Hymminbird of a better choice. Maybe the HDS are better - have not used them.

my unit is easy for deep water. all i had to do is ask terry then screen shot the message he sent me lol

 

he even got it working in heavy current and that was a lil more complicated lol

Edited November 27, 2014 by manitoubass2

[bare foot wader]

I was a vex guy until I got an lx7, used it in flasher mode for the first few hours, experimented split screen with the graph and I was sold, for me it was much easier to interpret what I was seeing on the screen

 

radioworld ahs the lx6 for 670 plus tax, definitely wont' regret the marcum, might as well splurge on this new unit:

 

http://radioworld.ca/combo-p-13396.html

[LostAnotherOne]

Thanks guys for your input. All the ones you mentioned could work. Was planning on getting a flasher, but with your advice I decided to go with a graph. I really like the Marcum LX-6. Might as well go all out. Its gonna be a whine learning how to use it thou. Thanks

[BillM]

But with a graph can you see your bait go down on it as I think you can with a flasher

 

You can see everything with a graph. I can mark a XXXS swivel in 130ft of water

 

Humminbird for sure if you just wanna turn it on and go without worrying about 1 million settings, lol.

[adempsey]

The differences between the brands is more a personal preference. You need to check them out for yourself. Biggest decision will be deciding between a graph vs. flasher. Nowadays, I don't see much advantage to a flasher. I have a Marcum Lx-5 and really like it a lot, but when the time comes, my next unit will be a graph [or more like a combo, since many have a flasher mode]. I think they are just more practical.

 

Radioworld used to have a bunch on display. I haven't been there for a while, since I moved away from Toronto. Might be worth a visit if you're ever up that way.

 

edit: sorry, I missed your last post. Anyway, now I want an LX-7. That thing is sweet!!!

Edited November 28, 2014 by FishLogic

[limeyangler]

LX9?

[Fang]

The flasher vs graph debate has always interested me. My first ice unit was Lowrance Green box and then from there I upgraded to the first Eagle Flasher the Silent 60 I think it was. I ran a paper graph on my boat back then so a seperate ice unit was mandatory.

 

Our ice fishing group has a wide variety of units and I get to fish with enough different guys over the last few years to give the different units a good work out. As mentioned I really think brand is a personal preference, I used to only use Lowrance for the first 25 years I had boat and now for the last few it's been humminbird. Both units are pretty awesome

 

What I came to realize is, in my opinion a graph unit gives you so many additional feature sets. There is a myth that only the flasher gives you instantaneous feedback. That's a bunch of fluff. Present day graphs provide immediate response on screen to see your jig move, fish swim in,..... Most graphs now have a flasher mode that rivals any of the flasher unit only machines. I've switched back and forth on my bird a number of times to check out the markings and responses.

 

The key thing to get in a graph for ice fishing is POWER. My Bird runs around the 4000 W and I see very clearly a 1/8 ounce jig in 100 ft of water as well as the swivel 3 ft above the jig. Lower power ranges will start to struggle in deeper water. I've been side by side with guys using the $100 units and they see nothing compared to what comes up on mine

 

I also could not live without the built in GPS and last but not least I'd never give up my color unit. I find the color graph much easier to follow when fish come into view hugging the bottom than a flasher.

 

and probably the biggest benefit is on a graph you have 10 seconds or so to see what you might have missed if your eyes wander from the screen.

 

There is a new unit coming from Humminbird called Helix and pricing on Radioworld website looks interesting but I can't find too much on specs yet or when it comes out

 

FWIW my ice unit is a 788 ci. it's been flawless and it'll be hard for me to swap this out for anything soon. In the warm season it sits on the front of my boat for when I'm fishing on the front deck

 

You've got a big enough budget to get a pretty nice unit. Keep an eye on spoonpullers as many of the salmon guys sell used stuff.

Edited November 28, 2014 by Fang

[Acountdeleted]

Never used a graph but my Marcum Lx-5 was the greatest purchase I ever made. Last season I remember fishing with a buddy for walleye and I out fished him 10-1 because I could see them coming off the bottom and what they were reacting too. Same with lake trout. I love watching them peel up 50 feet of water to chase after your bait.

 

Even on skunk days, seeing the fish swim by or come up and check out my bait is always exciting.