Vexilar

[BFD2100]

I am looking into buying a new vexilar. i have an FL-8 that is about 6 years old and it is starting to take a dump on me. I was just woundering if anyone has any pros or cons to the new FL-12 or the FL-20.

[harvey lee]

I have not used a FL20 but I have heard nothing but good about them. I believe that Cory Becthold uses one and he is very happy with it.

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1224031&gonew=1#UNREAD

[jlm]

Vex makes a great machine and without a doubt you will catch more fish with a flasher. I would encourage you to take a look at some of the other flashers on the market as well as there are several very good one's. Marcum also makes a very good product and it it has roots right here in MN! Good luck!

[RiverKarhu]

I just bought an FL12 - I looked around a lot at the different ways to go and decided to stick with the Vex. The Marcums have more power, but I sometimes fish with a group and I was told by a guy at Gambler Mt. that the Marcums would wipe out everyone else's display around. Didn't wanna be the bad guy. The column type LCD thingy from Aqua Vue looked interesting, and the Lowrance Ice Machine was really tempting - really good price and easily adaptable to the boat, but in the end I decided to go Vex. I sorta wish I woulda went with the FL20 now, but the extra 100 crackers was just a bit too steep to see the bottom 6 feet in zoom. The FL12 is quiet and seems to work just fine. I plan on trying it out in the boat this summer. I heard you don't need the special Alumaducer, just RTV your ic transducer to the hull, make sure there are no bubbles and you can read fine.

cheers

River

[MattP]

I also have the FL 12. Won't leave home without it. Very easy to read in the sunlight as I jump around alot without my house.

You really can't go wrong with any Vexilar as far as I am concerned.

good luck

MattP

[Slabby]

the guy at Gambler mtn. was giving you a line of bs about wiping out everyone elses display.I've got an fl-18 and had an fl-8 before that and never had a problem with Marcum nearby nor has anyone else. Actually had more problems with other vexilars!

I love my vex but Marcums' unit is at least as good and connections seems to be more solid.

the zoom feature is well worth the money i think. not such a big deal on URL in that shallow water but really nice in deeper water lakes

[Hookmaster]

What's wrong with your FL-8? It probably wouldn't cost much to repair it.

[BFD2100]

I was having problems with the screen going black so you would give it a tap and the color would come back for bout 2 minutes and go out again. i thought it might be the transducer so i bought a new one and it worked for a while than the same problem so i thought the battery might be dieing so i bought a new one and it still wont work. I already sent it in to vexilar for a full clean up/ tune up but it still dose it so i give up!!

[lindylittlejim]

Check out the for sale forum and look at the FL-12 pro pack post.

[Random guy]

 Originally Posted By: Slabby

the zoom feature is well worth the money i think. not such a big deal on URL in that shallow water

I wouldn't be caught dead without my zoom on URL. When the fish go negative that zoom feature on the Marcum is the only way I can pick some of those fish out of the mud, without it many would swim by unoticed.

[FatMike]

Hey Jonny P, I'm thinking about getting a Marcum and would like to know what the dual beam is? I believe this function is only on the lx-5. What exactly is it and would you recommend getting an lx-5 or would an lx-3 be pretty much all i would need.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Nice fish pics by the way.

[Random guy]

Basicaly what it boils down to is the option via a simple button to change the transucer cone or with from wide to narrow. Where this really shines is fishing next to other anglers in a shack and fishing uneven bottom.

When fishing next to a rock or sharper drop a wide cone angle wil give you a false reading. Say one side of the cone is in 13 feet of water and the other side is hitting 12 feet of water your jig will appear to disappear into the bottom and it gives the fish an area to come in under the radar (ok sonar). Simply narrow up the cone and it elimates this issue. Also when fishin close to your buddies you may pick up their jig on the edge of your cone creating lots of clutter on your flasher or the let down of thinking you had a fish coming in when it was just you buddies minnow swimming over. Simply narrow up the cone and tell him to go away and stop hogging all the water.

Another place the narrow cone comes in handy is fishing pike or sunnies close to the weeds. A wide cone may pick up some weeds and clutter up the screen, once again just tap the button and it is gone.

When I first got my LX5 I never thought I would use the narrow cone angle but I find myself using it often, between the daul beam option, zoom feature, and Super Fine Line option it is almost like having your own personal recon unit working for you.

[ditchpickle6996]

I used a friends FL20 this past weekend and I was VERY impressed. It's a bit on the spendy side but worth the extra I think.

pickle

[Slabby]

I wish I had that dual cone feature. like jonny says there are plenty of times when one or the other best-

[mnhunter 3815]

most of the new fl 8's have the dual cones on them now.and if you look at the price between the vex and the marcom its about the same if not the marcom is a little more $

[TDOT]

I just got a Marcum LX-1. It's basically a FL-18 for 1/2 the price. Honest, has bottom zoom interference deterent, all you really need. But if you have the Money go FL-18 to Fl-20. You will get your money's worth with these three Sonars!!

Good Luck Dude

[BFD2100]

I have looked at both the FL-18 and the FL-20 and i think i might as well gat the FL-20, my buddy has the FL-18 and loves it so i think i am going to out do him. Thanks for all you help guys!!!

[tyk]

I have an FL-8 and used it for years. I spent the money and got a Lowrance Ice Machine. With the GPS inside, graph and flasher my Vexilar sits when my kids aren't fishing with me. The adapter to the boat works well. If you have the money I would spend it.

[Team Otter]

Vexilar FL-20, hands down. Great unit!

[Guest Anonymous]

Absolutely no reason to own anything but a FL18 or FL20. The reason your FL 8 sits is because it is an FL 8. The zoom feature is unbeatable for now. I turned my FL20 to the normal mode(basically FL8)when I had fish on the bottom tight and couldnt even see them, then turned it back to 6 foot zoom and could see the fish no problem. Ice machines freeze up dont they??

[fiskyknut]

My ice machine has never froze up and I've used it near 2 full seasons on the LOTW ice. Real time as any mechanical flasher I've used or seen and I've used just about all of them. Built a 'heathkit' flasher in the mid 70's and have reg green rigged all kinds thru the years since then to work on the ice. I only use mine in flasher mode during winter btw.

The Lowrance units do have a coupla quirks to deal with but I'd have to say that they do pretty much everything as good if not better than any mechanical flasher made to date outside of IR quirks and that can be fine tuned. On top of that they do things no mechanical flashers yet can. They've rendered all of the old school mechanical flashers obsolete for my fishing if for no other reason than their display when working with a substantial deadzone in your cone. That and 3 or 4 other qualities one must expierience to appreciate.

I for one will never go thru life or even a single winter season wearing brand loyal blinders, one would just plain miss out on too many quality innovations doing such!

fiskyknut

[BK19]

FL20 is awesome and it just doesnt have a 6 foot bottom zoom but 12 foot zoom as well

[theicehooker]

frisynut,

Have you ever used an FL-20 and use the zoom side of the unit.

The other units just mock the VEXILAR. I have seen the ice machine and noticed the real time side was nice. I thought the LCD screen didnt work as good in the cold cold weather. I think they may have made them now with heated screens.

I guess I just dont see the reason or need for anything besides a vexilar or marcum flasher with zoom. I think the other products are just trying to grab what appears to be a very large market. Every fishermen wants some sort of sonar.

[clamtrap]

fl-20 with the duel beam rules the roost, the flat screen is really nice if you are hole jumping and it's snowing or even raining. great unit!!!!

[fiskyknut]

Icehooker....Ya man, also 18's and Marcum units too. They all do work pretty well. I'm versed in the use of the zoom feature rest assured!

The bottom zoom feature as well as, and even more so the upper and lower ranging feature on Lowrance flasher provide for way better target seperation for me than any mechanical flasher I've seen or used. In some situations and more often then not I don't use the zoom at all, just adjust the upper and lower range which then uses the full 360 degrees of dial within what you've set providing detail and seperation that is just plain unobtainable with any mechanical flasher. This is just so plain for me to see and my eyes are getting worse and worse in my mid forties! These things are especially obvious when I pop my head in my buddies hut and look at his flashers left side zoom window!

I can use anything I want and don't get no deals from Lowrance thats for sure. I choose it only because it's my money and I want what I think..Make that know....Works best, and in this case for my winter fishing here on the LOTW it's the Ice Machine that does most all things the best, it's strong points and abilities far outweigh the few drawbacks. They may not be for everyone but I think alot of folks sell them short and do not realize just how good they do work when set-up and tuned just right.

[UGUIDE]

Help! I was fishing for first time with FL-8 and newly acquired FL-18. When we fished URL in about 12' of water I was getting some interference but pushed in the Gain button a couple times and no problems. The next day we went to LOW and were in about 26' of water and could not get noise between units to go away. We ended up fishing with one unit for whole day. We were side by side in FishTrap Yukon portable.

Any suggestions, tricks for cleaning up the screen? Any inof is appreciated.

[fsnrod]

Fisky I was thinking about getting a ice machine I was wondering what ice machine you have is it the 522c or 67.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I agree with Fisky (I'm on year #3 with the X67c), except I use mine in graph mode instead of flasher mode.

[Kyle Sandberg]

I agree with fishy and Ralph. Great unit. I can count the fish that are down by my lure when their thick. fsn, I have the 67 and love it. If you plan on putting the unit in your boat and want to have GPS and MAPPING capablities, get the 552.

[daddyducker]

uguide:

don't know what to say about the interference. It shouldn't matter what kind of water you're in. If you cleaned it up once, you should have been able to do it again. Just keep cycling thru the channels and turn the gain down as far as possible.

The biggest problem though is the fl-8. Heard of them causing trouble more than once. I've had it happen and it sucks. They don't have to be right next to you either. My fl-18 just didn't like it I guess.

For the rest of you in this ridiculous discussion about Vex VS Marcum...I am bias and would have to say Vex all the way.

Marcums will NOT effect a Vex, if it does just give the Marcum a good healthy kick, that should fix it. My dad tried to tell me that his marcum had too much power to let me run my vex...proved him wrong.

Anyway, I have the ultimate solution; buy an aquaview!!!

You can see the bottom, and even tell what you are trying to catch. Have you become so dependant on electronics that you can't stand having fish slide thru the mud below your bait and out of reach of your sonar?? DISGRACEFUL!! to say the least!

JUST GO WITH THE AQUAVIEW!!!