I don’t like posting negative stuff, but my Marcum Recon 5+ has been one of the worst purchases I have ever made. After using about 8x it now shows the blank blue screen whenever the unit seems to be below 60 degrees F. When warm enough it still requires me to reboot it 2 – 10 times to have the camera work. The depth readings on it have never worked right either. It is sad–I have a camera that looks brand new and has hardly been used- but doesn’t work. Dealing with this makes me appreciate how well made my Vexilar and Otter products are!

I just bought an ifish Pro 2 this past December and have been pleased with it. Caught a few bass, northern and crappie on them–not a lot of false flags. The 3 settings on the ifish pro seem to work fine for me, but I would agree that the little orange loop is a bit of a pain because it needs to be attached along with a bobber stop–causing me to ‘dedicate’ a rod to this setup.

I purchased the original Finicky Fooler and a 365 Fooler for the top of a bucket about a week ago (got me up to the $50 and free shipping). I wanted to compare a bit! I used the 365 the other day and it seemed to work great–no false flags– caught a bass(no elusive walleye).

Still too early to tell for sure, but I found they both work and do the job! It is nice to have the option of using your rod and reel instead of hand over hand. I think they both will have some issues with the line and reels when below freezing–once that 1st fish is caught and the line on the spool is wet there will be freeze up issues.

Final thoughts: The ifish pro folds up nicely, but is still too bulky and can’t fit in the bucket. Also the gap for the line to go through is wide and the hole will freeze up easier than the Fooler. The Fooler takes up less space, doesn’t need the bobber stop or orance loop to work. The hole cover and rim seems to give a great seal and will prevent ice ups. The Fooler is less expensive. Also, the Fooler can work in the summer– in states like ND where an extra line is ok I will be trying it out when shore fishing!

Not really less expensive, but I bought the small Clam Light Stick for my Otter Flip over a few years ago and I absolutely love it. I did not cut it in -just attached it to the top bar with 2 of the larger rubber twist ties (sometimes used for cords and such). This allows me to twist it as needed to angle the light where I want it. I also bought a cheap dimmer switch for LEDs on Amazon.

My experience is saving $10 or $20 up front isn’t worth it– cheap stuff breaks and doesn’t work well.

I have had one for a few years and absolutely love it! Visibly shows the light crappie bite / upbite.

Here’s what their chart says.

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I have had a Marcum Recon 5+ for about 4 years and have been disappointed. After about 2 years(and only about 15x using it) it now shows a blue screen when unit is cold(below 45 degrees or so). When outside I keep it in my chest pocket close to my body so it does not revert to the dreaded blue screen. In my fish house it seems to work fine with their wireless panner and have used the video out to tv without issues.