Ponder this???

Ok, so I got my Marcum camera, and have been using it and loving it. My question is this….I know guys won’t fish without their flasher…..i’m at the point now where I won’t fish without my camera….I caught fish yesterday that I wouldn’t have caught without the camera…with or without my vex…..bite was so light my spring bobber wouldn’t budge, but the jig was in the mouth…..

So my question is this: Should I keep my $400 FL18 ultra (with 9/19) or sell it off for something I could really use, and when cheaper flashers go on sale (or used) buy one of those for marking fish in the column.

I’m of the opinion that I don’t need a $500 camera and a $400 Vex right now when I could get by with a $150 unit simply to mark fish in the column.

Thoughts??

I was in the same boat as you yesterday. I had the camera and an LX-5 going at the same time. I spent more time watching the camera than I did the LX-5.

Those cameras are a heck of a lot of fun. The only time I think those cameras will be limited is when the water is a little stained. Then the LX-5 would be more beneficial.

Agreed, and that point I could easily use an LX1 or an FL8 (instead of the more expensive/bells/whistles one that I have….

Don’t get me wrong, I have caught fish with the Vex too, but not like yesterday

If it was me…I’d sell the camara. There are just too many lakes where they aren’t feasable. Water too dark or too stained. Or just to shallow sometimes. On the otherhand,James on the show yesterday did say that if you did’nt have the camara,they would’nt have caught what they did.But because there are so many dark or too stained lakes,If I had to sell 1, It’d be the camara.

My $.02

I have mixed feelings on the cameras and personally I don’t think I will ever buy one. To me what makes fishing fun, is the mystery of what species and what size is the fish you have on the line.
When you are watching your jig on camera and actually pulling the jig away from small fish or fish you don’t want…….something about that just leaves a bad taste.

That’s just my personal feeling, I don’t care if others like it, and I don’t think any less of them.

One could make a similar argument about other things like flashers, etc. But there is still some mystery left.

I guess what I’m saying is that I would rather have a frustrating day, then picking fish out of an “aquarium”.

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To me what makes fishing fun, is the mystery of what species and what size is the fish you have on the line.

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Definitely a good reason to NOT buy a camera. With a good camera you can see all the detail of the entire environment… predators, prey, food base and structure.

I for one LOVE it. The use of a camera has literally put the fun back into ice fishing for this guy. The added visual information compensates for the limited mobility and the straight up and down “yo-yo” presentation that I avoid in the summer months. Prior to this past winter I had given up on ice fishing… making less than one trip per winter. It bored me to tears while the use of the camera has allowed me to be more of that inquisitive type that allows me to enjoy winter fishing again.

But back to the original question… only you can really answer this question. If you tend to fish clear bodies of shallow water you very well might be able to get away with an inexpensive flasher. If you fish a number of lakes, or do much fishing in limited light situations, then the camera will less useful.

Big D- If you are strictly a pan fisherman- then what you suggested sounds like a good idea.

I use my camera a ton while panfishing as well. However, my up and coming favorite ice fishing is at mille lacs with the walleyes. When going through tanks of gas each day on the auger, the camera will only slow you down, if you try and use it. Like I said in my reports, I wouldn’t waste time on holes that had fish “on the bottom”. I would only drop a line if it had a suspended fish. This is when a good quality flasher comes into play. When it is your only tool for this type of fishing. Having a good idea whether it is a perch or walleye, will really help you eliminate dead water or unaggressive fish really fast! And you can learn to tell these things with a quality flasher! The more and more time you spend staring into them…you will learn how to read them more and more. I still am learning how to read mine, and I have already worn out one brand new battery this year alone.

I love having both the flasher and the camera- but I could NEVER replace my lx-5…

Also, I will add that I have a lower end flasher (VX-1) and it works great when I’m a distance away from people, but it doesn’t play nice in a tight bunch of people….even with the IR. So if you plan on fishing with other flashers nearby, you might want to keep that spendy one

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To me what makes fishing fun, is the mystery of what species and what size is the fish you have on the line.

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I for one LOVE it. The use of a camera has literally put the fun back into ice fishing for this guy. The added visual information compensates for the limited mobility and the straight up and down “yo-yo” presentation that I avoid in the summer months.

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I must admit I’m in my early years of hard water fishing, so who knows, maybe my opinion will change

Couple thoughts personally, I’ll give you a camera, I’ll take a flasher, I’ll bet I outfish you 90% of the time. I spent last year trying this theory out, to me the only time a camera will catch you more fish is when the bite is really tough, otherwise the flasher has the ability to show all the whole water column, I’ll pick off the fish suspended that you’ll never know were there.

In some cases and in some lakes (mille lacs) I really think the eyes do not like the camera’s, but the perch do not mind, and it’ll help you catch some more perch.

Does it matter what flasher you run? No probably not, but I doubt you’ll end up with a whole lot of excess cash in selling a used fl-18, and buying a different flasher, and since you have the dual beam, You would be giving that up, and that may be one of the most beneficial options to have on a flasher.

Good input so far…thanx guys, keep it coming

A few years ago, I had a camera and a flasher. I didn’t use the camera very much, so I sold it. Now, looking back, I wished I would have kept the camera. There are days when the fish bite so light that the only way to see what is going on is by actually seeing it. But, I would never consider selling the flasher. The flasher really shines through 90% of the time. Like others have mentioned, it will show the entire column. If you fish a lot of crappie, it is worth its weight in gold. If the cameras weren’t priced out of the common man’s grasp, I would love to pick a VS 560 up.

Ain’t gonna lie to you, I sold my Mag10 to buy the camera…I agree about price range on these things……..boys gotta have toys….

Funny thing is, as I was telling my son, I caught more fish without the vex and camera….since I got them, I don’t catch fish like I did before (coincidence??)

Ahhhh…..sounds like you quit “fishing” since you got the equipment
Electronics are great, but you still have to continue doing what you were doing before the equipment. I found I kind of got lazy when I bought my first flasher. I wouldn’t fish as hard until the fish showed up on the flasher Then I figured it out that I still had to do my part for the flasher to do its job. They cam and flasher are only tools to help you catch fish. Now instead of wondering if there are fish around you KNOW if there are. Some places call for a camera and others call for a flasher. I will admit the other night I almost got outfished by my partner without a flasher. If the fish are on the bottom then you really don’t need either, but it is nice to have them at your disposal

That’s a heck of a point!

I personally LOVE fishing with the camara,there are so many times what you see down there gets the old heart just pumpin. I have seen things with the camara only guys that had them would have seen. Like a few weeks ago the Northern that came down and attacked the panfish,that was a rush! Yes lately I do catch myself forgetting about my flasher being on with the monitor in front of me, but to find where the fish are in depths wise the flasher is the tool to have. The right camara can tell you what depth you are seeing the fish but not what is above or below the range of view. Would a cheaper flasher be your answer,maybe if you did not already have an investment in the units you have already. As stated above you will probably not be happy with what you will get for a used unit..I for one will not give up my LX-5 because of the camara,and after this winter I will not give up my camara either..

There are many instances, especially this time of year where the Camera is a must, especially on clear lakes. However, I would not get rid of your flasher. It is still going to be your “go to” in most instances. Early and late ice as well as all summer fish hit hard enough you do not need the camera and would be lost without a good flasher. The camera for me comes second to the flasher.

It is much easier to be mobile with a flasher as it is not practical to hole hop with a camera. Both have their time and place no doubt. During the tough times, like mid winter I do prefer the camera on clear lakes, but for the most part, it is a flasher when you consider how many different bites take place over the year.

In addition, we have very minimal snow on most lakes, so this is a great year to use a camera. In fact it is an exceptional year to own a camera. Minimal snow and low water equal clear lakes. What I am saying is most of the lakes that are clear this year will not be once we enter a wet period and lake levels go up.

The camera is great fun and it is effective when fish are locked on the bottom. However, I do most of my fishing in very deep water for suspended crappies. The depth of these crappies varies and without a flasher, you would never know that theres a giant 3 ft above your camera. Not to mention the fact that it can be difficult to find your bait on camera when trying to fish for suspenders. When I fish shallower water for bluegills, it is an absolute blast though!