Which should I get first?

[FishingTheFL]

Camera or flasher? Camera I can use all year long. Flasher I can only use during ice season and I can see how they react to presentation. Looking for more info as I am new to the sport.

 

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[devoknevo]

Flasher hands down,, once you get used to it you can see fish in the whole water column. You can use it all year long too with no problems.

 

Edited November 20, 2017 by devoknevo

[Decoy Hound]

I agree! Definitely a flasher, it’s a game changer!

[FishingTheFL]

Which one is a good one to start with? Might look for used one but I rather buy one new. Hope we get some ice so I can justify buying it[emoji23]

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[guffins fisherman]

Can I make a recommendation?  I agree with the flasher over a camera to start with, but take a serious look at the Lowrance Ice Machines.  They will act as a flasher, can be a fishfinder and have the ability to be your chart too.  I use one as a flasher for ice, mark my spots, have a chip in the GPS so I can set up right on the contour I want, and use it in the summer for perch fishing just as if I were ice fishing.  Also, you could use it a stand alone GPS on your boat too if you wanted to while trolling, etc.

[Chowdaire]

30 minutes ago, guffins fisherman said:

Can I make a recommendation?  I agree with the flasher over a camera to start with, but take a serious look at the Lowrance Ice Machines.  They will act as a flasher, can be a fishfinder and have the ability to be your chart too.  I use one as a flasher for ice, mark my spots, have a chip in the GPS so I can set up right on the contour I want, and use it in the summer for perch fishing just as if I were ice fishing.  Also, you could use it a stand alone GPS on your boat too if you wanted to while trolling, etc.

That's exactly what I did and highly recommend it. In the winter for GPS and fish finder on the ice and in the summer I just set the unit on the seat of my jon boat and used a wire hanger to secure the ducer. Worked perfectly. Great year round fishing tool.

[Sk8man]

Good suggestiuons above but if you do decide to go with just a flasher make sure it has a ZOOM function

[guffins fisherman]

Just a short video showing what they do in real life.  

 

Matt

lowrance flasher.3gp

[FishingTheFL]

I use a program on my phone that shows contour and gps. I also use it for trolling. $4.99 a year so if it saves some $$ not having the gps into it I'll end up going with out the gps.

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[FishingTheFL]

How does the chart on the bottom work? I understand on top. One color is the bottom, other color is the top, rest is debris fish and your jig. Is that bait fish on the very bottom of the chart?

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[guffins fisherman]

8 minutes ago, FishingTheFL said:

How does the chart on the bottom work? I understand on top. One color is the bottom, other color is the top, rest is debris fish and your jig. Is that bait fish on the very bottom of the chart?

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If you are asking about the thick yellow band on the bottom, I am not sure why it was doing it that day, but that is the bottom.  For some reason, I was getting a double bottom reading.  You can see the correlation to the graph and the flasher as the jig moves up and down to touch the bottom.  

[FishingTheFL]

I was talking about the chart. Looked like bait fish approaching your jig but it could be a cloud of crap coming off bottom I would guess.

How much does that unit there go for?

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[guffins fisherman]

The red squiggly lines near the bottom are fish.  Since it is a scrolling graph representing a basically stationary object, the fish "arches" get stretched out into those red lines.  Perch for sure.  In terms of cost, they vary.  That one is mine, I paid $200 on an end of season closeout two years ago.  I found another one just like it for a buddy on ebay for $150.  The vast majority of the prices for the combo units are mid 200s to mid 300s. If you get just the 4x(no GPS), they will be about 100 less.   Hope that helps, and good luck.

 

Matt

[FishingTheFL]

Do they all come with the chart and flasher mode or is that going to cost me more [emoji6]

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[Decoy Hound]

If you look in the classified section someone posted a Vexilar flx 28, looks like it was never used.

[GAMBLER]

I say it depends on what you fish for.  If you fish Blue gills, a camera is better IMO.  I have learned more about the way fish react to the way you jig with the camera than I ever would with my flasher.  For all other species, I tend to stick to the flasher. 

[FishingTheFL]

Will be fishing mostly Gil's and perch. Crappy if I ever figure out how to catch them [emoji23]

I'll probably end up travelling more this year as I usually fish Seneca and Cayuga and they didn't freeze enough last year.

What do you guys use for safety gear. I got some ice pick from a guy when I bought my auger. Looks like they are used to drag your self out if you fall in. I would rather not fall through and a spud bar seems pretty heavy to carry.

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[Gator]

Yeah, a spud bar can be heavy. But it beats falling in. I don't know of a substitute. If you're on uncertain ice, you need to spud as you go, without question. If you're fishing somewhere solid and "safe"--no ice is truly safe--then you don't generally spud...particularly if there's a crowd around.

 

Fieldsupply.com has some deals on the Frabill iFloat gear, but IMHO it's easier to wear good cold weather stuff and an inflatable life jacket if you're truly concerned. Otherwise, a spud, some ice picks attached to your suit, and a 20' length of rope are the basics. That and common sense will keep you out of the drink. Lots of guys ice fish on here. Hook up with a group to learn the ropes.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Gator

[FishingTheFL]

I had an idea of taking one of pruning sticks and bending some metal then grinding a point onto it. The fiber glass is light but with a 8' drop or more with a metal hook I figured I would have good reach for testing. Repurpose one of the broken ones.

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[Gator]

Good idea in concept, but defeats the purpose in practical terms. The weight of the spud is what drives its function. It's tough while dragging a sled to hit the ice hard enough one handed even with a sharp instrument that it will go through in one whack, or at least give you some indication that the ice isn't safe. A heavy spud is perfect though. Despite the weight, when you're using it you hardly notice after awhile. Frabill makes a good tool that's not too cumbersome. Make sure you wrap the cord around your wrist or you may lose it if it does bust through.

[FishingTheFL]

I lost a breaking bar and almost lost my pevy last year (log roller). Lesson learned about the cordage. If anyone needs a partner I work for myself and usually got time to fish until about March... Work picks back up around March April May.

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[Sk8man]

Mike - Before you get too heavily into buying equipment it would be a good idea to go with someone experienced in ice fishing to fully check it out and this is for a number of reasons aside from just money expenditure. Ice fishing isn't for everyone, and not knowing what you are doing out there can lead to disaster; especially early and late in the season when the ice condition is "questionable". Hopefully, there will be some good ice this year but wandering around out there without having experience and familiarity isn't a great idea even experienced folks can get into trouble when chances are taken. I'd be willing to show you  the "ins and outs" of it if and when Honeoye freezes up (it is usually one of the first  lakes around here to do so). It is a lot easier to understand this stuff when seeing it in person and learning by observation rather than trying ot figure it out on your own.....and a lot safer.

 

Edited November 21, 2017 by Sk8man

[FishingTheFL]

I have at least one buddy that does it. I have $35 into it right now and got an 8" auger 2 rods and a tip up. Only reason I am giving it a try. Plus I'll admit when it comes to ice, I am not brave. Fell threw in a shallow swamp as a kid and had to walk a quarter mile in knee deep snow... Not a fond memory... plus got those little swamp specs in my eye so that made it worse.

This is why I am torn between a flasher and camera - I can see how the fish react with the camera and I can use it in the summer time to get the kids to watch.

Flasher is more stealthy and probably catch more fish if I don't have a camera staring at my bait

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[Sk8man]

Of the two items (camera vs. flasher) the flasher is more essential for overall use. Most of the time the water is very clear during the ice fishing season and muchof it is done in shallow water. Thus a lot can be learned by jigging and actually looking down the hole to observe the fish behavior. What you learn from this can be invaluable especially in terms of translating it to flasher or combo unit use. After awhile the flasher can become your "eyes" and you learn to tell pretty much what is going on down there by what is happening on the flasher (e.g. movement toward or away from your jig, movement of the fish while looking at the jig or bait, the specific movement ( e.g. spinning or lack of it) of the jig itself, anticipation of a strike etc.) and the spatial relationship of the fish to your jig or bait.I'm not saying that a camera isn't a valuable tool but I believe a flasher with a zoom or combo unit in experienced hands is a more overall useful item especially for multi-species use.

Edited November 21, 2017 by Sk8man

[johnnywalleye]

flasher for sure..camera has its limitations where as a flasher will always work