Electronics for lakers

[The_Vex_Man]

What flashers do you guys use for lakers? Will a FL 8 do the trick?

[Steve Foss]

Any decent flasher will work well for ice lakers.

An FL8 is just fine. For lakers, electronic subtlety is wasted because they are so aggressive. You don't need excellent target separation or any kind of zoom feature. Lakers use the whole water column, and you don't sit there and use tiny jiggles and lifts when jigging, so fine target separation and zoom are superfluous.

Coupla issues. Most laker water is rocky bottomed, so you get a bunch more echo/signal return. And if you're fishing with more than one partner, and all have electronics, it can get tough to cancel out their signal. For those reasons, having an IR feature on the unit is a big plus.

I used an FL-8SLT and 19 degree ducer for many years with great results, but for steep breaks and deep water I like a 12 or 9 degree ducer better. Less "dead" zone when fishing steep breaks, because of the narrower cone. Also less gain is needed to get a good signal with a narrower ducer, and that has implications when it comes to IR. The less gain needed, the better.

All that said, an FL8 with a 19 degree ducer will do you well. These days I run an FL-20 with a dual 9/19 degree ducer.

[Wanderer]

Can't really say it better than Steve did. Your FL8 will easily get the job done if your brushes are in good shape. I used my old FL8 for about 4 seasons I think before upgrading to an LX5.

With my old FL8 I was cranking the gain up to see some of my lures that don't echo back very well and the battery could barely make it through the day. A good cleaning and new set of brushes would have taken care of both those issues but I wanted the dual beam transducer and some IR options as I'm usually fishing with others.

[The_Vex_Man]

My FL8 is about five years old so it has the IR on it. I just thought I heard that the LX5 was a better unit for taking lakers.

[Steve Foss]

My FL8 is about five years old so it has the IR on it. I just thought I heard that the LX5 was a better unit for taking lakers.

The LX5 is simply a great unit with a tons of cool features. Most of those features don't help you with lake trout. The dual beam ducer will be handy for lakers. And if you fish for panfish or 'eyes, you'll LOVE the LX5. Also, because it puts out more power than the Vex units, it's less susceptible to interference when used in the company of other flashers.

I've used the LX3 for one season, and have run various LX5s as well. Never caught more lakers with them than I did with my SLT or the FL-20.

If you have the money to make the upgrade, I'd definitely go for it because you'll really like the LX5 compared with the FL8.

[caseymcq]

... All that said, an FL8 with a 19 degree ducer will do you well. These days I run an FL-20 with a dual 9/19 degree ducer.

I have a FL 8 that came with a 19 degree ice ducer. I bought a 9/19. IMO, it was a really good investment. I like not having to swithc from one transducer to the other. It is really nice to just flip the switch.

Like Mr. Foss said, having a 9 degree nice because of the "dead" zone from the wider cone fishing on steep breaks. But the 19 will definitely work.

Before I had my FL 8 I fished with a Humminbird Silent Sixty. Didn't work as well as the Vexilar but got the job done.

[Surface Tension]

The FL8 SLT, will work just fine for Inland Lake Trout, IF your fishing alone or one other flasher.

Are there better options, absolutely.

If your fishing amongst 2 or more flashers you'll be very disappointed.

Enough so I've seen Vex owners curse and turn their flashers off.

Fact: Out of the Top 3 Vex is at the bottom in ability to tune out interference.

Add deep water and rock/boulder bottom, those return signals bounce, compounding the interference problem and distance.

Being able to turn your gain down to mark your lure as the weakest color becomes important when your fishing amongst bait fish. The FL8 does not have LP(low power mode) therefore you stand a good chance of having your lure mark hot and smelt mark hot. You want that incoming trout to mark red hot not your lure or baitfish.

The FL8 does not have the dual beam, not only is dead zone common for laker fishing because of the structure one seeks. If you have a 5' dead zone your missing all that information on the bottom.

Another reason to use the smaller cone angle is it helps to REDUCE interference.

So so far I've mentioned some features that aren't so insignificant.

LP mode to take that hot glob lure and baitfish and reduce it to something manageable.

Dual Beam and Tri Beam to reduce the dead zone and aid in knocking down interference.

Here are more very significant features.

MarCum's IR is actually works within groups of flashers.

The LX5's Super Fine Line I find useful when fishing among baitfish. The extra definition and separation of lure, baitfish, and laker means less cluttered mess.

Zoom I could live without as a Laker tool but there are some times I'll use it.

How about Birds.

Digital Depth readout.

Auto Depth Mode. Hop from hole to hole while on steep structure without having to switch to a different depth.

Or when your drilling holes looking for depth and structure and you ask your buddy how deep it is and he says 30' but eventually its really 60'.

Dual Beam Ducer

Large Flat Display

Noise Reduction If you run a Bid and MarCum together they won't know each other are there, same with Vex and a Bird.

If your in the market to upgrade those are some things to look at.

#1 IMO is ability to knock out interference.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

And this thread has been brought to you by MarCum LX-5 Flashers! MarCum, the flasher of choice!

[Steve Foss]

And this thread has been brought to you by MarCum LX-5 Flashers! MarCum, the flasher of choice!

Good one, bud!

OK, what follows is my opinion. Not intended to get anyone's panties in a bunch.

It's a no-brainer comparing an LX-5 (Marcum's most advanced unit) to an FL8 (Vex's entry level unit). I'm a Vex guy, but reality is still reality. However, putting a dual 9/19 ducer on the FL8, as Casey mentioned, is also a great option and a lot less expensive than buying an LX-5.

And not to get into any kind of Ford/Chevy/Dodge debate, but the LX5 isn't my top choice. It's tied for 2nd (Ice 55 wins hands down). If it had a large flat dial like the 'Birds and latest Vexes AND a digital readout like the 'Birds, then it would be my top choice for sure.

Meanwhile, I'll just keep limping along with my FL-20. Boy, I sure hope using a substandard flasher doesn't cost me any lakers this winter.

Honestly, it's a lot of fun poking fun at each other and talking the ins and outs of electronics, and any discussion that builds or maintains our excitement about laker fishing is a good one to have. Truth: Almost every other aspect of becoming a competent laker angler is more important than which electronics you use.

In my opinion.

[Capt.Blaine]

I know a group of guys that will not fish with a LX5 for lakers. They claim that it’s too loud and power full. There for it keeps fish away. Not sure if I buy it or not....

[Surface Tension]

If you put the dual ducer and a Suppression Cable on a FL8 SLT you'll have the features of an FL18. Both will help with the interference and you won't have that lure marked as red hot either.

STILL

"If your fishing amongst 2 or more flashers you'll be very disappointed.

Enough so I've seen Vex owners curse and turn their flashers off. smile"

[Surface Tension]

I know a group of guys that will not fish with a LX5 for lakers. They claim that it’s too loud and power full. There for it keeps fish away. Not sure if I buy it or not....

True and the Boogie Man is going to get you.

[Wanderer]

I know a group of guys that will not fish with a LX5 for lakers. They claim that it’s too loud and power full. There for it keeps fish away. Not sure if I buy it or not....

I remember this comment from last year. I don't know if it was you who made it then too or the one of the guys from the group. No matter.

I've seen doubles on my old FL8 so I know what they look like. Last year I was so relieved when I saw my first double on my LX5 and yet another, then, I kid you not, I saw a triple. The brand of flasher doesn't matter where I fish. The bells and whistles help with the details and make reading what's below you easier. I enjoy my LX5. And that's all I have to say about that.

[Down Deep]

I had a FL8 for about 10 years before it crapped out and I iced plenty of lakers tracking them on that unit. I have a Marcum LX5 and I wouldn't say it has that much of an edge on the FL8 for laker fishing. If you are going to buy new look around and learn about what the other units have to offer. If you have a line on a used one, I wouldn't worry about its capability to show you fish.

[Northlander]

And this thread has been brought to you by MarCum LX-5 Flashers! MarCum, the flasher of choice!

Bruledrifter.

[BRULEDRIFTER]

[caseymcq]

The FL8 does not have the dual beam, not only is dead zone common for laker fishing because of the structure one seeks.

When you say dual beam are you talking about the cone angle put out by the transducer or is that something different?

[Surface Tension]

Casey, yes and as an example Birds use a 9 and 19 degree ducer you can switch to and from. A cone angle on steep structure will mark the outside of that cone angle as bottom when in reality it is actually deeper beneath you. That is the dead zone. It would be much the same as if you had a 4' boulder off to the side. Your flasher is going to say depth is at the top of that rock. Switching to a smaller(9 degree) cone angle will reduce that dead zone but not always completely either but it helps. It just depends on how steep it is.

[drewbop]

ill add my $.02 for what its worth-

like frank said, for lakers its all about interference rejection. i was up in sioux narrows (part of LOW) last year with 3 buddies-so we had 4 units running all day, everyday within a few hundred yards of each other. i had an lx3 and was always able to get most of the interference out, we had one guy with a bird that had pretty much no interference and then we had 2 guys with fl8 that would try to get away from everyone as far as possible so they could see something.

the reason the fl8 had so much interference we found was because of my LX3

when i shut my unit off, everyone could play nice; when i turned mine on everyone hated me. for some reason marcums and vexs do not play well together.

the vex guys were so perturbed, both have purchased birds this year.

[Steve Foss]

for some reason marcums and vexs do not play well together.

That's because they use the same frequency but the Marcums put out more power. 'Birds use a different frequency. I've had much better luck tuning out Marcum and other Vex interference with the 9-degree ducer on the FL-20 than with my older FL-8SLT with the 19-degree ducer.

It's only an issue when there are three or more Vex/Marcum units in close proximity. Even with the older FL-8 series, it was never a problem to use IR to tune out a single nearby Marcum or Vex. Of course, these issues are magnified in a rocky environment because of all the signal return echoing around.

I'm really curious to see how well the 'Bird IR works when three or more 'Birds are being used close together. As they sell more units, having several in proximity will become a more likely scenario.

[NoWiser]

Where I fish lake trout, the type of flasher makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. Zip, nada. When you drill a hole over a hot trout, its going to demolish your lure no matter what type of flasher you have. Hell, last year my dad broke my vex's transducer cord while carrying it into the cabin. The next day he put a bobber stop at 25 feet on his line, and gave me his vex. We fished together all day, using his vex to tell us the depth, and he outfished me 10 fish to 6 fish, if my memory serves me. By the end of the day I was trying to make him take the flasher back, and he refused.

This past week I fished in a group with FL-8's, FL-18s, FL-20s, and an LX-3. The guy with the FL-8 kicked everyone's arse.

To me, 2 things matter when choosing a flasher for lake trout. Dependability and the ability to not ruin your friend's day of fishing by causing them interference. Dependability, from my experience, goes to Vexilar by a looooong shot. The second rules out Marcum (at least the LX-5) by a looooong shot (if you fish with friends who use a Vex.)

Long story short. Keep your FL-8. You will catch trout.

I use an FL-18 and it works perfect. I never use the zoom, so in essence, it is an FL-8. If I were to get a new unit, it would definitely be an FL-20. I like the flat screen to keep snow from obstructing my view.

[Xplorer]

I have used an FL-8 SLT for the last 12 years for lakers and the only issue I had was the 19 degree ducer on steep rock/rock walls. I accomodated this by marking my mono every 8 feet so that if I was fishing those areas I would figure out what the depth was at the hole by using the marks. This also gave me an idea of the drop angle.

When I was fishing lakers in say 60', I knew my cone was 20' wide at the bottom with the 19 degree ducer, or making a @10 ft radius around the hole. If my line marks said that I was in 66', then I knew the type of drop I had, and that I was missing the bottom 6' of water. In some cases I even drilled another hole deeper on the break (as far as my ducer cable would reach) to see if I could get that 66' depth to show under the hole.

I recently invested in a new FL-12 with a 12 degree cone. I felt it will give me a good middle ground. At 50' I have just over a 10' reading area, or 5 foot radius from the hole. If someone is that close to me while laker fishing that I get interference, then they are getting a chubby darter to the head

And I really like the flat screen so much more than the "tunnel" view for the 8/18's and Marcum's.

[Surface Tension]

Xplorer, your not going to get interference from from a signal being sent to the bottom. It is the return echo bouncing off the bottom that gives the interference.

Think of a 20 degree bank shot with a cue ball. Now compound that with distance(depth) and irregular shapes(rocks) and you'll understand how a return signal will travel a long ways.

[CaptainPete]

Not to get you guys off the subject, but I have a buddy who would like to fish lakers through the ice...any suggestions on lakes nearby Duluth (other than Superior) to go???

[fishwater]

To me, 2 things matter when choosing a flasher for lake trout. Dependability and the ability to not ruin your friend's day of fishing by causing them interference. Dependability, from my experience, goes to Vexilar by a looooong shot. The second rules out Marcum (at least the LX-5) by a looooong shot (if you fish with friends who use a Vex.)

Maybe vex should invest a little energy on a better receiver circuit for their flashers? They've had two swings of the bat since the LX5 has been on the market; me thinks they need to do a little real world testing? Hard to blame bad IR issues on the other guy IMO.

[Steve Foss]

Not to get you guys off the subject, but I have a buddy who would like to fish lakers through the ice...any suggestions on lakes nearby Duluth (other than Superior) to go???

Two basic choices from the Duluth area. A person can head up to Ely, where there are three drive-to laker lakes and some BWCAW laker lakes, or up the North Shore, where heading inland along the Gunflint Trail will bring you in contact with quite a few laker lakes.

Either way your buddy will like it, I reckon. To keep this thread on topic, you might start a new thread on this board asking for input on which laker lakes are good to drive to up around Ely and up the Gunflint. Lots and lots of experience on this forum with both those areas.

[Xplorer]

True dat, Frank! I guess I havn't had the issue with having to laker fish that close to more than one person who was using a Marcum

I guess I tend to prefer the solitude of spreading out a bit with at most one other laker-taker in the house/vicinity.

[Northlander]

Not to get you guys off the subject, but I have a buddy who would like to fish lakers through the ice...any suggestions on lakes nearby Duluth (other than Superior) to go???

Ashland or Bayfield or Ely area.

[Steve Foss]

Ashland or Bayfield

Ahem. Wouldn't those be Lake Superior?

[caseymcq]

I thought that was what you meant but I wasn't exactly sure. In that case, the FL-8 does have a 9/19 dual beam transducer available. It costs a little more to get a unit with one vs without. I have one that I just flip a switch that is mounted in-line with the transducer.

For those of you who have experience with both the Vex and Marcum (or others), does the unit putting out more wattage (400 vs 2500) seem to drain the battery any faster? Or No? Or not really noticable?