Sonar (flashers)

Any recommendations for a fish finder? I see IDO is sponsored by Marcum, but was wondering if anybody has reviewed Deeper Pro+ Smart Fish Fish Finder.

This would be for a new fisherman that fishes for pannies

I run a Hummingbird ice 35 works really well and on the cheaper side also got the soft case for it, no issues other then running it next to my buddys hummingbird ice 45.

New fisherman? Got a boat? Gander has a lowrance elite 5 hdi for $169 after rebates. Get the lowrance soft pack for ice for $150, buy the navionics app for $10, and now for less than $350 you have a real nice sonar for the boat, on the ice, and with up to date lake mapping data. In time you can buy a chip for the unit.

Hummingbird seems complex to read. Is this appropriate for a novice fisherman. And I don’t own a boat

I bought the hummingbird 2 years ago as my first ice flasher and there is a decent tutorial on youtube about how to read them.

All basic flashers are pretty easy to read, we are happy to help

Deeper is better than no sonar, but there is a delay, its nowhere near as sensitive or powerful as a dedicated ice and you will get crushed with interference if you are near anyone.

Have a vexilar 22 and a 20 love em both. My buddy has the marcum lx5i and he loves that so you pick. The one nice thing about the marcum is you can pick your zoom.

I’m a Marcum guy. Fantastic flasher, even at the base model.

Nothing againat Vexilar, just started with a Marcum, and they’ve managed to keep me a loyal customer. I’ve had a couple, and they were/are absolute tanks.

Also, love the case and transducer arm. Not a fan of the big foam transducer float in my hole.

For a novice fisherman, can’t go wrong with a showdown or the vx 1 entry-level Marcum flasher, nothing wrong with vexilar either, I would find the best deal you can, and learn how to use it. Good luck!

I have owned the Lx3, lx5 and now the lx6. They all have been bullet proof. The one thing about a Marcum is the 10 interference reduction settings. If you are around a bunch of other guys with flashers l can almost completely eliminate interference from the other units with this feature. Since you are new to the sport you probably will spend most of your time around comunity holes (a great way to learn) this feature will come in handy.

I used a showdown for many years and like it , but as I get older , it’s harder for me to see . Now I have a hummingbird ice 35 , good entry level unit at a good price , easy to read and use. This year that unit is going to the kid , and I’m using the ice 55. I know marcum gets pushed hard on this site , but there are other flashers out there that are just as good , do your homework and search for the best price.

I was in your shoes last year. Flashers scared me to death cause it seemed so complicated, yet it seemed like everyone had one. I bought a Humminbird ICE-55. Youtube and other sites have a lot of videos with tutorials and I started to get the hang of it my first time out. In fact, my first time out last year I didn’t catch anything but I had a blast just checking depth and watching my own jig and learning.

Used Vexilar, Humminbird, Lowrance and Marcum. I like the Marcum cause of the bright and sharp display and I haven’t had any problems with 3 of them. I have friends however that do a lot of hole hopping and have had to replace the transducers due to failure. I had a Showdown for a short time but didn’t care for the vertical monochrome display at all.

My Vexilars were older (and used) and the FL8 was basically not visible outside on a sunny day and the FL18 display was getting weaker with age. Other than that they were very reliable. However I have not used the new models like the FL20, 22 and 28 so there may be big improvements.

The Humminbird display is too washed out and not sharp enough for me. Seems like the knobs are also cheaper and more vulnerable especially traveling in a sled or on a snowmobile. Not knocking Humminbird as a company cause I have a high end unit on my boat and been very satisfied. Am looking forward to seeing the Helix ice units at work.

I have the ice kit for my Lowrance Elite 5 as a backup and for friends who don’t have electronics and it serves that purpose well…… would add that I’m not a big Lowrance fan.

Ford v Chevy
Get a vx1 or an fl8 and learn to use it well. If you feel, down the road, that you would catch more fish with more features, upgrade. (you won’t have to)

Another thing to consider about the deeper (and similar units) is that the display is your cell phone. I like the concept but in reality all its doing is killing your phone battery. I wouldn’t want to be stranded with a dead phone after a few hours.

I purchased my first flasher at the end of last season. A Marcum VX-1i. Used it once in 7 feet of water with 4 feet of weeds. Didn’t mark a fish (that I know of) but I can’t wait to learn it this year.

I considered the showdown 5.6 but the vx-1i was cheaper and an actual rotary flasher. More bang for my buck. Another thing is I can run 12v accessories (led lights, phone charger, etc.) off the flasher battery.

IMO, deeper (and similar units) are more of a toy than a piece of equipment. I see it geared more towards teens with a limited budget that always have their phone. But as mentioned earlier, any electronics are better than no electronics.

What lundojam said.

i wouldn’t let any specific flasher intimidate you as a novice. most have really good instructions and even videos.after a couple days playing with one on the ice you will be able to work any flasher like a pro. if you’re looking at them from a dollar stand point, i did a ton of research before buying my first flasher and found you really get of features for your money with a marcum. i would recommend a vx1 or a lx 3tci.

I appreciate the responses. I will let scope out the options listed above and research YouTube videos and post back with what my final verdict is.

Get the Marcum vx-1 or the ice 35, cheaper than an fl-8 and you get a zoom (I think the 35s have zoom.) Flashers are very simple to use, I dont know how people fish without them.

A flasher will take about an hour to figure out. Lx5 or lx5i for sharp clear fine lines.

Some seem to think that marcum is pushed here because of an affiliation/sponsor relationship.

I can tell you, I buy my own equipment with my hard-earned cash. I have no dog in any fight. In my opinion, Marcum makes the best product. More features for your money than vexilar without sacrificed durability, and higher quality/durability than hummingbird.

Also, don’t waste your time on high end models. Still can’t figure out for the life of me why people pay all that money. Nothing but bells and whistles, nothing that will actually ice you fish (unless you’re getting topo map/gps features with the sonar).

An experienced, knowledgeable fisherman with an FL-8/LX-1 will destroy an inexperienced fisherman with an RT-9/FLX-28 every day of the week. Don’t get caught up in the materialism and capitalism that is coming about from the skyrocketing popularity in hardwater fishing.

For crying out loud, the generation before us caught fish without flashers, without cameras, without fancy wheel houses….with a split shot, a bare hook, and a homemade rattle reel/peg stick for hand lining. Somewhere along the way, people trying to sell us things turned it into rocket science.

I will sell you a perfectly good working FL8. Be a great starter unit. Blue box and 1 year old battery.

Vexilar fl-20 or flx-28, I promise you will love it, especially for the price too! Easy to use and reliable!