I remember being heavily confused the first time my uncle brought a Humminbird with a plank of wood spanning the hole out with us. It was irresistable to all of the cousins with its dials and lights – I’m pretty sure i concluded early that a lead depth bomb was better and the plank clearly interfeared with my main task of scooping the holes and chipping the edge of the ice with my rigid dowel with spike.
1998 i had my first taste using a modern flasher – fl8slt. My dad had it and I wanted it. Every chance I got I would slide into his arena and hope for a glimpse of an overly eager fish chasing the bait before he got back to his seat. I remember clearly the phone call when he told me I could have it, he got something new. Cha-Ching, I got my first flasher! My dad out fished and out zoomed me at a steady pace. He had luck and skills and I still wanted HIS flasher. I would sneak glances, but pretty much was happy with my fl8 world.
My dad called me and told me he was on a list for a mark’em. A what? He was excited and I was excited – I got a ‘new’ flasher with a zoom and he got this new toy in a funny red case. He clearly loved it; but I had zoom and was more concerned with honing my skills, plus I had some fancy custom rods to give me and my fl18 the edge. Did I out-fish him? Most days clearly not, but I heard all about his fancier zoom and sfl and boy was that thing bright. Game on buddy!
In 2005 I bought my first flasher, lx5 just like my dad! 2007 I saw them on closeout and had two. Playing sonar leap frog never felt so good. My dad was more than a little dubious about my ‘need’ for two flashers. He withheld, waiting for the latest marcum until vexilar introduced the fl-22. He got one, and not to be behind, I had to secretly try one too. I’ll always cherish the memories of my dad (GK) swearing and cussing trying to transition his two units to jive. The old dog couldn’t do it; low and behold, I had two fancy tri-beam vexilars soon enough. GK got a new Ice-55, I sold the vexilars and waited.
My dad sadly passed away before the lx7 hit the market; he probably would have hated it anyhow. LOL. I love mine, but would trade it for a plank of wood if I could go back and do it all over again.
Merry xmas everyone! May your trees and flashers always light up!! 
