Using flashers on open water?

[Kylersk]

Is it worth the investment of a high speed transducer or puck transducer so I can use my flasher on my boat? Or is it better to buy another graph?

Currently, the boat I'm going to pick up, has an Eagle accura depth finder on it and that's all. It's mounted by steering wheel. I thought about mounting my flasher on the bow or something, but not sure...

Thoughts?

[DinkADunk]

I run a Lowrance X-125 on my bow with a transducer in back (switch with console) and a Vexlar FL-8 on the bow using the transducer in the Minnkota.

[SWMuskeye]

Kylersk,

I run my FL-8 off my bow and love it. I just bought a bow-mount kit, a low-profile Johnny Ray Mount and it wasn't too expensive to rig up. When fishing completely vertical with the gain tuned up I can see a 1/4 ounce jig and react to fish like I would under harwater conditions under calm conditions.

Its a nice feature when fish congregate in a small spot.

If you have an older unit like the Fl-8, that doesn't get too bright, I'd recommend a sun-shield. Just make sure you take it off before running the lake. Good luck.

[Whoaru99]

Quote:

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Just make sure you take it off before running the lake.

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Sounds like the voice of experience.

[kslipsinker]

I have used my FL-18 on my Minnkota with universal sonar. It has some interference because the connection isn't shielded. I used to have a puck transducer on a different bow mount. That didn't have the interference issue.

[PerchJerker]

For years I used a flasher on the bow of my boat. No more. Today's graphs are just as good or better than flashers, and not much more expensive than rigging your ice fishing flasher to be used on the boat. The old arguments against graphs like there being a delay in the display, or not marking baits, are no longer valid.

There's nothing wrong with using a flasher in open water, I just find it better and more convenient and not much more expensive to use a graph. Hope this helps.

[Mark Christianson]

I use a flasher on my bow.

Same one I use for winter fishing.

Just move it back and forth. Nice to have something you can use year round.

[ChuckN]

Yep, I've had flashers in my boat for as long as I can remember. In fact, my old FL-8 was the only graph in a couple of my first boats...

I ran the FL-8 off the bow of my boats for several years with a puck transducer on the bow trolling motor. Now I run the LX-5 off the bow the past year, and love it. I run a Lowrance 350A right next to the LX-5. Personally I watch the flasher over the graph. I use the LCD graph as comparison of fish marked off the flasher, depth history, weeds, etc...but the graph doesn't always show those finicky bottom hugging walleyes, or short weeds.

I know, the 350A is not a choice piece of equipment anymore, but even if it was a new high powered color graph I'd still watch the flasher over the graph.

[Borch]

Flashers have always been my primary electronics in my boats. Although I do like my graph in certain situations as well.

[Hookmaster]

I used to use my Clearwater Classic in the bow. When I got the new bowmount last year (more thrust, longer shaft), I also got the universal sonar. I then bought the FishMark 480 to run on it. For most of my fishing the memory trail that the graph leaves is important. It's nice for other people in the boat to be able to see what's going on. Summer fishing isn't like winter fishing when you can stare at the flasher most of the time. I fish from the console a lot using the corded foot control. My Humminbird 777C is there and uses a transom transducer. I can still see the bow graph with its memory. If I see fish on one I can check the other to see how big the school is. I have an Lx3 but didn't want to go with an external transducer so I bought a graph that has the adapter cord available. People who use an Lx5 like them because the target separation is better than most graphs they have in the bow. Most have their better graphs at the console.

[Genofish]

I am running a 332c from the console and a x125 from the bow with the transducer on the trolling motor.I also want to run my fl-18 off the bow. Any ideas on how/where to put the fl-18 transducer?

[Scott26]

Kylersk...I am doing the same thing on my boat when I take it out of storage easter weekend. Got the puck for the tolling motor, acutally going to get a ram mount for the front.

I'll let you know how it turns out....also not too sure where to hard wire it to yet either.

[luckey]

While on the subject of dual flasher/graphs, does anyone have experience good or bad hooking up two graphs to one transducer. I would like to have one at the back (tiller motor) and one at the front (trolling motor). Any ideas here?

[iffwalleyes]

I have a similar set up to Chuck N. I run a flasher with a graph both. The graph is nice because it is your memory but it is also nice to have the instance response of the flasher. Since you have the flasher I would use it. It is to expensive to put it on cheaper than a new unit.