01-13-2011, 01:57 AM
Great reply, OCF.
I have used all three at different times through the ice and as most people have said here, each one has their pros and cons.
I would steer away from the cameras for all of the reasons listed above. Everything from this point on is just my opinion!
I think that a flasher is unmatched ON THE HARD DECK. However, they are generally designed specifically for ice fishing, so they should be superior in that environment.
Transducers on most boat mounted fish finders are at least 15-20 degrees (sometimes as high as 60 degrees) while ducers specifically designed for ice fishing are usually 8-12 degrees. Because of this, flashers tend to have a much smaller target ID than most LCD units designed for boats. I just compared my Vexilar FL-20 to a Hummingbird 778c HD (similarly priced) and the target IDs are .5" to 2.5". Imagine you're staring at a wall full of paintings. The wider your focus, the less detail you'll be able to see on individual paintings. But if you focus on the few paintings in the middle of the wall, you'll probably be able to read the signatures. Same idea.
Sonar pulse rates are usually pretty much the same, depending on the model, at around 40-60 pulses per second. The difference here is the rate at which each unit puts the data returned to the sonar onto the screen. A LCD usually has a 1-2 second delay while a flasher is almost instantaneous. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to entice a stubborn crappie or perch by slowly raising or lowering your jig.
I like to see ALL of the information that my sonar unit is seeing in the water below me. Put it all on the screen and let my mind figure it out. Also, interference can be manually filtered on most flashers. If you're parked 50' from a dude with a sonar, no problem!
The biggest problem with flashers is the people that use them. Many people don't know what they're looking at when they're staring at the screen. Sometimes bad opinions stem from bad info. On a solid platform such as ice, nothing gets past a trained eye with a flasher.
Versatility is where the flashers lose the race. They are pretty much good for checking the depth in the summertime and that's about it. If you anchor up and just vertical jig, then they're okay. It's tough to justify spending $400-$500 on a flasher that is really only good in the winter. But lemme tell ya, they're awesome.
Again, just my opinion.
[signature]
I have used all three at different times through the ice and as most people have said here, each one has their pros and cons.
I would steer away from the cameras for all of the reasons listed above. Everything from this point on is just my opinion!
I think that a flasher is unmatched ON THE HARD DECK. However, they are generally designed specifically for ice fishing, so they should be superior in that environment.
Transducers on most boat mounted fish finders are at least 15-20 degrees (sometimes as high as 60 degrees) while ducers specifically designed for ice fishing are usually 8-12 degrees. Because of this, flashers tend to have a much smaller target ID than most LCD units designed for boats. I just compared my Vexilar FL-20 to a Hummingbird 778c HD (similarly priced) and the target IDs are .5" to 2.5". Imagine you're staring at a wall full of paintings. The wider your focus, the less detail you'll be able to see on individual paintings. But if you focus on the few paintings in the middle of the wall, you'll probably be able to read the signatures. Same idea.
Sonar pulse rates are usually pretty much the same, depending on the model, at around 40-60 pulses per second. The difference here is the rate at which each unit puts the data returned to the sonar onto the screen. A LCD usually has a 1-2 second delay while a flasher is almost instantaneous. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to entice a stubborn crappie or perch by slowly raising or lowering your jig.
I like to see ALL of the information that my sonar unit is seeing in the water below me. Put it all on the screen and let my mind figure it out. Also, interference can be manually filtered on most flashers. If you're parked 50' from a dude with a sonar, no problem!
The biggest problem with flashers is the people that use them. Many people don't know what they're looking at when they're staring at the screen. Sometimes bad opinions stem from bad info. On a solid platform such as ice, nothing gets past a trained eye with a flasher.
Versatility is where the flashers lose the race. They are pretty much good for checking the depth in the summertime and that's about it. If you anchor up and just vertical jig, then they're okay. It's tough to justify spending $400-$500 on a flasher that is really only good in the winter. But lemme tell ya, they're awesome.
Again, just my opinion.
[signature]