ice fishing sonar

[iceguy]

I'm looking for a sonar unit for ice fishing. Can anyone give me a recommendation on what units are the best. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

[flipp19585901]

this is by far the best one
http://www.reedssports.com/Category/main.taf?cat=1591&pc=1557

[whofan]

I'm looking for a sonar unit for ice fishing. Can anyone give me a recommendation on what units are the best. Any advice would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGky5IjoBLwKsAv8VXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzcXJpYWk xBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0g1MDBfMTM2/SIG=11aakp053/EXP=1266802632/**http%3a//marcumtech.com/

OR

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGk916joBLXrQA8ltXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzcXJpYWk xBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0g1MDBfMTM2/SIG=11bsd2rj9/EXP=1266802682/**http%3a//www.vexilar.com/

You will get different opinons from just about anyone.

I`d say a flasher is the way to go with a under water camera video monitor.

[Jason Halfen]

I've become a big fan of the Humminbird ICE 55 unit.

The ICE 55 is a dual frequency unit that allows you to switch between wide and narrow coverage. See a big school of fish, or just focus on the one looking at your jig. The frequencies are different from those used by other manufacturers, so cross-talk between 'birds and other units is not an issue.

The ICE 55 has a digital depth readout to complement the depth read off the flasher wheel. No more guessing the depth by that rookie in your group.

The ICE 55 has a industry-leading 6 color palette which gives you even better size resolution of the objects within the sonar cone.

A flat screen prevents buildup of snow and ice.

Digital voltage readout so you're not surprised by a dead or dying battery.

For more information on the ICE series:

http://store.humminbird.com/products/269413/ICE_55

http://www.jasonhalfenoutdoors.com/flasher2.html

[flipp19585901]

not to offend flashers but ,with the x68 the screen is there all the time ,if you look away on a flasher you miss somethings on a sonar screen gives you a history ,you wont be disappointed . you watch your jig with great separation and watch the fish come up on a sonar screen ,just my 2 cents

[Sabot]

Check out the video on the Lowrance Ice Machine: http://lowrancehq.com/ Very cool, the anglers took some serious time to video document.

[djk50164]

A lot of people like toys but if you want to fish with a sonar that is has set the standard there is only one unit, Vexilar. The track record of these units is hands down is the best. Ask anyone who owns one and ask them if they ever had a problem and I bet they will say no. Any of the units are great but if you fish deep and the fish you are seeking are close to the bottom it is probably worth getting a unit with the zoom feature. I am not sponsored by any manufacture I just like to fish. Make sure when you read some peoples response that remember some are like politicians and will tell you what to buy to fill their pockets.

[T Mac]

Vexilar FL-18 or FL-20. Tough to beat!
I have the FL-18 , which I use all winter on the ice, and then it goes back on the console of my river (jet) boat for the rest of the year for fishing on our skinny, Montana rivers.

[stinkycat]

I've had the Fl-8, FL-18 and now the FL-20. They are bullet proof and I will not go ice fishing with out it. Now that I have had some time with the 20 I like it that much more than the 18. That also happened to me from the 8 to the 18. Funny how that works.

[perchjerker]

I have owned the same Vexilar since 1992 and its been a perfect unit. I would buy another in a heartbeat, but I cannot see why with the way mine works LOL

[I Fish GS]

I have been using Lowrance's all the way from 332 to HDS 5 that I'm using now for many years and have many friends that have switched from flashers. With the new hds you can see your swivel that shows up as a black line when I use a buckshot spoon with a minnow you can see the change in color if you get robed by a fish. I take my lowrance off boat and use it all winter.

Brian

[stinkycat]

I have been using Lowrance's all the way from 332 to HDS 5 that I'm using now for many years and have many friends that have switched from flashers. With the new hds you can see your swivel that shows up as a black line when I use a buckshot spoon with a minnow you can see the change in color if you get robed by a fish. I take my lowrance off boat and use it all winter.

Brian

I used my HDS7 this winter for ice fishing about 5 times. I was excited to have the gps but I ended up going back to my Vexilar FL20. The real time info and the target separation on the Vexilar was considerably better than the HDS7. Or maybe I am so used to using the Vexilar that I can not change my brain. I will continue with the HDS7 but for the gps only.

[hiwayman]

I've had an fl8 since they were sold by Dave Genz and made by Hondex. Had Vexilar rebuild it once some years ago when the brushes got bad. My son's both have Vexilars and we have tried the new Birds (have access to demo units) and also I own a Lowrance 522 and an HDS 8, which I have tried on Ice . My old Hondex still works as good as any thing yet. The zoom feature is a small plus on the newer Vexilars, but I have yet to fish anywhere that I couldn't see my bait,no matter how small with the old FL8 as good as any of the newer units in a side by side comparison. The 522 and Hds 8 with built in GPS is a plus, but won't work in a hard roofed fish house and they eat battery a lot faster then the flashers. If the old Hondex dies I'd replace it with an FL 20. Just one mans opinion, but it works for me!!

[Matt V]

I have been using a Vexilar for year's, last year I started using my LMS522. At first I would take both out and switch back and forth to see which one I liked better. It took a little while to get used to, but now all I use is the LMS 522. I actually sold the vexilar this year. There is so much more detail on the Lowarance, I use it in split screen mode and can zoom in 4X on the bottom 6' of water on half the screen and still watch the entire water column on the other half. I can actually tell when my bait get's picked off of my hook, I can see the barrel swivel on my leader above my bait. I think the Vexilar is a little easier to use, because there less "adjusting", but I definately prefer the Lowrance now. Plus with the 522 I have a GPS with lake map's, which I love. No more guessing where I want to go, just walk out and set up.

[Knot Tellin]

I would personally buy a Marcum. Go to all of the manufactures sites and compare them. I think for the most part they all make a good product. But I like the features of the Marcum.

[Jim Carroll]

I used my HDS7 this winter for ice fishing about 5 times. I was excited to have the gps but I ended up going back to my Vexilar FL20. The real time info and the target separation on the Vexilar was considerably better than the HDS7. Or maybe I am so used to using the Vexilar that I can not change my brain. I will continue with the HDS7 but for the gps only.

I use an HDS-5 for ice fishing. Try these settings, adjust to suit conditions, and I think you may come to a different conclusion.

There is no lag, and as far as sensitivity and target separation goes, I've been jigging lately in 60-70' FOW and I can see a #10 SPRO swivel (tiny) at the end of my FireLine, and a minnow head below a spoon.

The key is to run the HDS or any other Lowrance graph in manual mode for both depth and sensitivity and adjust to suit the fishing conditions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's how I set mine up:

* I use "graph" mode exclusively (Pages/Sonar<to the top>/Enter). The HDS does have a flasher mode- Menu/Sonar Options/Split/Flasher- if you prefer that view, but there is NO advantage to it that I can see.
- The graph mode will give you far more information on the relative size of the fish, etc. and is much easier to interpret.
- Also in graph mode, if you are dealing with interference from another graph nearby or some other noise issue, this noise will display as vertical lines on the screen. Your lure/fish will display as mostly horizontal lines, and it's very easy to distinguish between the two vs. the random "scattershot" blips you will see on the old whirlybird.

* Choose your transducer (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Installation/Transducer type) PTI-WBL/PTI-WSU is the correct choice for the Lowrance ice-ducer.

* Set the FISHING MODE (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Fishing mode) I use the Shallow Water mode 80% of the time. Note changing these settings can change noise filters and ping speed settings.

* Pick a background PALETTE (Menu/Sonar Options/Palette) that's easy to see given the light conditions in which you are viewing the screen (14 choices).

.* Manually adjust PING SPEED (Menu/Ping speed) and chart SCROLL SPEED (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Scroll speed) to your liking. I usually run between 15 to Max ping speeds and 2X+ Scroll speeds depending on water depth.

* Designate RANGE (Menu/Range) and choose a suitable range of water depth. At the bottom of the sub menu there is a CUSTOM setting that will allow you to choose UPPER and LOWER limits.

* Run SENSITIVITY (Menu/Adjust/Sensitivity) settings in manual mode. Uncheck AUTO SENSITIVITY (Menu/Auto Sensitivity/Enter) and adjust up until lure can be easily seen (usually 70-80% depending on water conditions).

* Adjust COLORLINE so that the lure is just starting to turn blue. When a decent sized fish comes in, it will usually show some red or even yellow on the display (colors will vary with Palette choice)

* If getting interference from other flashers (or other noise) use NOISE REJECTION and SURFACE CLARITY filters to tune it out. Start at low and work your way up to high as needed. You'll have to adjust your SENSITIVITY after each increase in filter level. In extreme cases of interference from other flashers, you may have to adjust the PING SPEED and/or raise or lower your transducer in the hole a few inches. Using these tips and running in CHART MODE, I've never had a problem tuning out other flashers.

* Use ZOOM (ZIN/ZOUT) and the ARROW Keypad to adjust the ZOOM window up or down so you are seeing the desired depth range. The zoom level is up to 8X, and I always use some level of zoom, adding more in deeper water. The level of ZOOM needed is also dependent on depth RANGE settings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The 5" HDS color screens definitely use more power than the Lowrance X-67/68C, or a standard flasher: 0.7A at 13VDC with backlight on, 0.4A with backlight off.

There are ten levels of backlight to choose from, with level "10" being the brightest. I rarely exceed level "7" when I’m outside on the ice, or level “5” when I’m inside my Otter house.

I use a 10 Amp Hour battery which has the same footprint as the more common 7-9 AH batteries, but it’s about 1” taller and still fits easily inside my Genz Box.

I’ve yet to kill the battery in a long day of fishing; the lowest reading I’ve seen on my digital battery indicator is 63% charge. I do shut the HDS off when I’m tending tip ups etc.

These settings should get you started using a Lowrance HDS unit on ice.

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

[JETSTER]

I would personally buy a Marcum. Go to all of the manufactures sites and compare them. I think for the most part they all make a good product. But I like the features of the Marcum.


Yep,Marcum LX-5 is the best!

[stinkycat]

I use an HDS-5 for ice fishing. Try these settings, adjust to suit conditions, and I think you may come to a different conclusion.

There is no lag, and as far as sensitivity and target separation goes, I've been jigging lately in 60-70' FOW and I can see a #10 SPRO swivel (tiny) at the end of my FireLine, and a minnow head below a spoon.

The key is to run the HDS or any other Lowrance graph in manual mode for both depth and sensitivity and adjust to suit the fishing conditions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's how I set mine up:

* I use "graph" mode exclusively (Pages/Sonar<to the top>/Enter). The HDS does have a flasher mode- Menu/Sonar Options/Split/Flasher- if you prefer that view, but there is NO advantage to it that I can see.
- The graph mode will give you far more information on the relative size of the fish, etc. and is much easier to interpret.
- Also in graph mode, if you are dealing with interference from another graph nearby or some other noise issue, this noise will display as vertical lines on the screen. Your lure/fish will display as mostly horizontal lines, and it's very easy to distinguish between the two vs. the random "scattershot" blips you will see on the old whirlybird.

* Choose your transducer (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Installation/Transducer type) PTI-WBL/PTI-WSU is the correct choice for the Lowrance ice-ducer.

* Set the FISHING MODE (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Fishing mode) I use the Shallow Water mode 80% of the time. Note changing these settings can change noise filters and ping speed settings.

* Pick a background PALETTE (Menu/Sonar Options/Palette) that's easy to see given the light conditions in which you are viewing the screen (14 choices).

.* Manually adjust PING SPEED (Menu/Ping speed) and chart SCROLL SPEED (Menu/Settings/Sonar/Scroll speed) to your liking. I usually run between 15 to Max ping speeds and 2X+ Scroll speeds depending on water depth.

* Designate RANGE (Menu/Range) and choose a suitable range of water depth. At the bottom of the sub menu there is a CUSTOM setting that will allow you to choose UPPER and LOWER limits.

* Run SENSITIVITY (Menu/Adjust/Sensitivity) settings in manual mode. Uncheck AUTO SENSITIVITY (Menu/Auto Sensitivity/Enter) and adjust up until lure can be easily seen (usually 70-80% depending on water conditions).

* Adjust COLORLINE so that the lure is just starting to turn blue. When a decent sized fish comes in, it will usually show some red or even yellow on the display (colors will vary with Palette choice)

* If getting interference from other flashers (or other noise) use NOISE REJECTION and SURFACE CLARITY filters to tune it out. Start at low and work your way up to high as needed. You'll have to adjust your SENSITIVITY after each increase in filter level. In extreme cases of interference from other flashers, you may have to adjust the PING SPEED and/or raise or lower your transducer in the hole a few inches. Using these tips and running in CHART MODE, I've never had a problem tuning out other flashers.

* Use ZOOM (ZIN/ZOUT) and the ARROW Keypad to adjust the ZOOM window up or down so you are seeing the desired depth range. The zoom level is up to 8X, and I always use some level of zoom, adding more in deeper water. The level of ZOOM needed is also dependent on depth RANGE settings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The 5" HDS color screens definitely use more power than the Lowrance X-67/68C, or a standard flasher: 0.7A at 13VDC with backlight on, 0.4A with backlight off.

There are ten levels of backlight to choose from, with level "10" being the brightest. I rarely exceed level "7" when I’m outside on the ice, or level “5” when I’m inside my Otter house.

I use a 10 Amp Hour battery which has the same footprint as the more common 7-9 AH batteries, but it’s about 1” taller and still fits easily inside my Genz Box.

I’ve yet to kill the battery in a long day of fishing; the lowest reading I’ve seen on my digital battery indicator is 63% charge. I do shut the HDS off when I’m tending tip ups etc.

These settings should get you started using a Lowrance HDS unit on ice.

Jim Carroll NPAA #13

Thanks for the info Jim!

Sounds like you have it dialed in. I will do some more playing around with mine and utilize your guide lines for settings. I will be up on Red Lake on Saturday maybe try it again.

Thanks!

[jrock]

My vote is on Marcum due to the ability to move the zoom and the quality of the unit. I have an older LX3 and sent it in for the tc upgrade. One day I will step up to a lx5 or may even try one of the humminbird units.

[Backwater Eddy]

I've had the Fl-8, FL-18 and now the FL-20. They are bullet proof and I will not go ice fishing with out it. Now that I have had some time with the 20 I like it that much more than the 18. That also happened to me from the 8 to the 18. Funny how that works.

If you like those upgrades, you will really like the next one soon to be out by Vexilar.

;)

[truckerseven]

I purchased a new 5.6 Showdown this year and used it at Lake of the Woods a couple weeks ago it is a super unit very fast and accurate I have a vexilar also after using the Showdown it is my choice from now on