Flx-28 or helix 5,7

I’m looking at getting a new unit this year and I’m down to the flx28 or a helix 5,7. What are the pros and cons of both?

28 will have faster setup, longer battery life and likely better usability in weeds. Also, it will be better at marking fish near the ducer.

The helix will have mapping, graph history, and additional usability during open water.

I went to the ice show with the intent of coming home with a Helix 7 ice pkg, primarily for the mapping. Since I was there and it was all on display I figured I had better take a look at the flashers.

I really liked what I saw in the Vexilar but was torn on the lack of GPS. I asked the rep (this was the guy I was going through the Helix with) and he said he uses the Navionics app. I have a Lowrance with the Navionics chip and have used the Navionics online mapping but the online charts don’t have GPS positioning. I was unaware that I could get the app for $10 and have it with GPS on my phone. This changed everything for me.

I went with the FLX-28 Ultra Pkg. I went out with it for the first time last night on a small lake I’d never fished before. Left the flasher in my sled and used my phone to bring me to a fishy looking spot. Worked like a charm and I had a ball with the new Vexilar. Caught tonight’s dinner

I still really like the Ice Helix though. The one sacrifice I did make was being able to utilize it as an open water unit with all of the features that go with a Helix. I didn’t need another flasher for the boat but it would have been a nice portable option for canoe trips or boat rentals if I travel without my boat.

All that said I am thrilled with MY choice and have no regrets.

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I use both at the same time in my shack. I really like the size of the flash as a determiner of the size of the fish. There is nothing like a big red blob coming up to your jig. The green line on my helix doesn’t get me going as much and it is harder to judge the size of the fish. The other like on the helix ls the history of what happens while you are looking elsewhere is great. I fish a lot of lakes that are not mapped and the mapping is very usefull. Its hard not to go on the ice without both.

Mike

I’ve used a 28 and helix in weeds…I prefer the graph mode on the Helix for tracking multiple fish through the weeds. It is night and day easier on a graph to judge the reaction of targets in cover

Not my videos but you get the idea

I’ve used this method on foot many times

Both are capable units…it just comes down to if you want GPS or not, if you want to create autochart maps on open water, if you want to easily leverage the unit on open water, etc.

My helix used to go on my boat but now is mounted on my kayak during open water season…it has a TON of ice fishing waypoints I have gathered while on my boat. Fishsmart is a nice alternative to Navionics as well – plus you can easily import/export waypoints and tracks from Fishsmart to Google Earth to your Helix and vise versa

mike mulhern wrote:

I use both at the same time in my shack. I really like the size of the flash as a determiner of the size of the fish. There is nothing like a big red blob coming up to your jig. The green line on my helix doesn’t get me going as much and it is harder to judge the size of the fish. The other like on the helix ls the history of what happens while you are looking elsewhere is great. I fish a lot of lakes that are not mapped and the mapping is very usefull. Its hard not to go on the ice without both.

Mike

Switch your flasher mode to A Scope. Turns that “bar’ into a blob adn really adds an abundance more “information” to where that fishes mood is at and where it is in the water column. You can also set the vertical bar zoom to A scope.

I have had a Vexilar since 96 so I’m partial to them. I got a FLX-28 because it was what I’m comfortable with. When I do get a new one it’ll be a digital system like a Panoptix. I have Navionics on my phone that work fine for GPS.