LX-5 First Thoughts long read

Seeing as Marcum’s LX-5 is quite popular right now I’d like to hear everyones thoughts on theirs and start with my beginning opinions. I used mine for the second time today, roughly 7 hours of run n gun. Formerly an FL8-SE owner adjustable zoom sold me.These are the thoughts of one person and not the masses.

The LX-5 WILL perform flawlessly in the same hole with Vexilars Fl-8SE and older FL-8SLT over soft bottom. These were the only other units on the water today. With the SLT model there was Interference but the IR button reduced/removed.

Beginning with a full Charge battery decreased to %70 by dark during 15*F temps. Flasher was positioned on Ice/Snow, ice builds up on bottom, seems to dry good.

ZOOM Superfine Line DCS and simple math of 20s were my first positive thoughts. I prefer floating ducer but found Marcums swing arm functional. The gain needed about 2-3 to catch a good signal on soft bottom. I had some trouble identifying small and medium sized baits(marmooskas)more wigglers seemed to help also adjusting the gain higher.

Fish showed up good but did not seem aggresive today. Time on the water will reveal more pros and cons. Function I would give an A for first Impression.

My Con List begins with the soft pack and its plastic core. I believe there is alot to be desired in structural integrity and fishability. The large transducer has poor storage. I found the soft case obstructs flasher view when looking down sharply.

These were my Opinions from an Exilar owner. I will post more of my thoughts as the season progresses and am interested in hearing everyones thoughts or questions.

Sounds like you are happy with your LX-5!

I have had mine for a few years now and absolutely love it. As for the soft case and plastic body it is indestructible. Mine lives in the plow truck with me and is always hitting the floor, getting dropped out the door and stuff slamming into it when we jerk on the skid houses and it has survived with flying colors, wish I could say the same for my rod bags, ipod and tackle boxes.

Could a person take off the transducer arm and replace it with a Vexilar float?

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Could a person take off the transducer arm and replace it with a Vexilar float?

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Yes, but I ask why?

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Could a person take off the transducer arm and replace it with a Vexilar float?

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Yes, or a piece of foam pipe insulation. Pull unit out of the soft case and unhook transducer cable then thread it through. Don’t forget the cable stop.

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Could a person take off the transducer arm and replace it with a Vexilar float?

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Yes, but I ask why?

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Ditto. You can adjust the arm to lay the cable against the side of the hole. No float to deal with (and be in the way).

I know there are people that prefer the float over the arm.

It just seems the float always floated in my way.

I typically drill two holes and put the transducer in one of them, if I am fishing in a shack. I never really understood the float either.
I was noticing it was kind of hard to read the screen yesterday when I was in my shelter, the soft pack was getting in the way. I probably should have moved it around to see if I could find a better angle.

To float or not to float?

This is a big question that comes up yearly, but in my opinion, putting a float on the transducer cable is far more a matter of habit than need. As already mentioned, the float can get in the way and/or migrate to different parts of the hole.

More importantly to me, esp. on the big lakes I fish, pressure changes caused by a variety of factors like other vehicles, ice-formation, and pressure ridge shifting frequently causes the water level in the hole to “bounce.” When I’m tuned in on bottom, looking for the smallest target flicker of hope, a bouncing bottom would not only annoy, it would prevent me from detecting a bottom-hugging eye cruising the very edge of my cone angle.

It’s something that someone who’s used to another flasher probably wouldn’t notice, but once you get spoiled with the increased target separation, you begin to rely on it.

Joel

Marcums are darn near indestructible. Otherwise Joel would need to buy a half dozen to get thru the year Did have a pike slice up my cable – wrapped the braid around it and when it made another run just cut it. Little vinyl repair goop and electirc tape and back in business. Also froze the transducer in the little cutout that holds it once. A can of Mountain and a 10 minute wait – problem solved..I now put the transducer in sideways and never had that problem again.

Joel, great points. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had my lures get stuck in those foam floats or how many times it’s floated to the center of the hole and caused me to miss fish. Then one day I tried fishing without the float and wow. I never went back. I’ve thrown every float away since. Now with the Marcum I don’t have to worry about it

I just got back from the Ice Show in Syracuse, NY and over 2 1/2 days here’s what I learned about floats vs. arms. It comes down to personal preference. I had two new marcum owners ask for floats. We had 2 vex owners want to by MarCum arms to modify vex packs so they could toss the float.

At the end of the day… whatever floats you’re boat… and allows your transducer to hang straight down…. is “all good.” As some of the guys earlier in the thread pointed out it really comes down to personal preference. For me… I just don’t “get” the float or any advantage that it brings. But each to their own. We all fish differently and there’s no wrong way to put a fish on the ice.

Also froze the transducer in the little cutout that holds it once. A can of Mountain and a 10 minute wait – problem solved..I now put the transducer in sideways and never had that problem again.

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One thing I did was drill the drain hole bigger so when it freezes you can push it out from the bottom.

My take on the float deals with not having to locate the flasher directly at the hole. Usually snow and slush are common in areas I attend. I can locate the unit on fresh powder or hard pack near the hole not above or on/in a bucket and still be vertical.

Run n gun with no float means a long cable or bending over to check holes, versus quick waist high readings with a slight bounce. I will likely find a float to install on my lx5.

One other thing I did not like from an engineering standpoint was the holder for the puck. Its located directly under the flasher and the ducer is cone shaped. Hard to remove unless pulled by the cord or removed bare handed, and as stated prior can freeze there.

On a vexilar the transducer needed to be tuned to true vertical for best readings. A wider transducer and wider cone angle should be even more sensitive to hanging vertical. More stress and sharp bends on the cord at the ducer will affect sensitivity in my opinion.

I don’t like the spot where the transducer sits either… But while out fishing I just put the transducer in the left side mesh pocket. Works fine and the water drains off. Then when I want to pack up at the end of the day, ill put the transducer in its proper spot and close up the soft pack.

On one unit I just put a crinkled up piece of Saran wrap in the bottom that works great and another unit I smeared a little (very little) vasoline on the foam that has also prevented freeze ups.

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I don’t like the spot where the transducer sits either… But while out fishing I just put the transducer in the left side mesh pocket. Works fine and the water drains off. Then when I want to pack up at the end of the day, ill put the transducer in its proper spot and close up the soft pack.

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When I go to place the ‘ducer in the pack I find that I have plenty of room if I tilt the head unit back in the mount. Doing so opens up considerable room to put the ‘ducer in the cup. With the ‘ducer in the cup and the cable safely stowed I tilt the head unit back down and fold over the flaps on the soft pack.

I’ve done it so many times its second nature now and I don’t have any issues with stowing the transducer, arm or cable.

As for the tips on adding a little vasoline to the bottom of the transducer cup or a small object that will keep the transducer from making full contact and freezing in place on those super frigid days… I’ve had it happen once. Once was enough.

Funny how this went from LX-5, to float or no float. Guess I have to add to the the float vs. arm debate. To me, it is simple…I greatly prefer the fixed arm over the float. The fixed arm does not let the transducer move, it’s that simple. The float always moves around and continuously changes what you are reading. But with the depth our ice reaches, a fixed arm only works for so long. Once the ice is 15 inches or more, I simply switch from fixed arm to float. I just zip-tie the float on, lower the transducer down near the bottom of the ice, and fish. If I was able to put a fixed arm down through 2-3ft. of ice, then I would.

I don’t have problems with the arm in 30″ of ice, I myself wouldn’t go back to using the float.