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Summer Vexilar Fishing?


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I was wondering if anybody uses their vexilar during the summer. I just bought a new FL18 this past winter and used the heck out of it through the ice. I know they can be used in the summer, but does anybody have any practical uses of them. Any good stories or good spots to use them. I'm sure I could take it to Foster and put it over the edge of the dock and see several small gills, but where else in the roch area (from shore) would be a decent place to try it out.

Just trying to provide summer value for this expensive toy. Any responses are appreciated. Thanks

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I have it on the bow of my boat and it works wonderfully. I can jig and see the fish's response!

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I know lots of people who use their winter electronis all summer br mounting them on their boats/trolling motors. The utility of these units goes well beyond ice fishing.

From shore might prove to be challenging. If you are on a dock of any kind you will be over relatively shallow water. The dock at Fosters usually gets weed-choked....maybe this year is different. The cable is so heavy that launching the transducer on a float likely would not pan out too well. I suppose a square foot of two inch styrene foam would carry the weight and if a hole were cut just a bit smaller than the ducer, friction would allow it to protrude into the water far enough yet not slip thru. Getting the float to go where you want it would require some more inventive thought.

What you are experiencing is the big down-side to ice fishing gear. You may be able to use it effectively if you have a boat, canoe, kayak, or even an inner tube float, but aside from an almost purely vertical presentation and application it just doesn't fit the bill.

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I use my Vexilar FL-8 during the summer on my boat. I mount a "puck-style" transducer on my trolling motor, and it gives me real-time depth readings, which my LCD does not do. I am thinking about mounting a Vexilar transducer in my hull at the front of the boat to give me a little better warning on when I am coming up rapidly in depth. This comes in handy when fishing rivers! grin.gif

The great advantage to my Vexilar is the real-time depth info; what it doesn't do is give me the detailed "marks" on fish that my LCD gives me, nor does it let me see what the bottom I passed over was like--in conjunction with an GPS, this is a big advantage when fishing lakes.

Fishing rivers, whether the Mississippi or a smaller river, finding schools of fish and knowing what you passed over fifteen feet back is not as important. Knowing what is under you right at the moment is. That is why when I fish rivers I usually only bring my Vexilar, and leave my LCD at home. I have a small boat, and putting my LCD in it takes up room. On lakes I wouldn't leave home without an LCD, but on a river it is not worth the clutter, most of the time. My flasher tells me what I need to know alot of the time. On the other hand, my LCD has saved me time by telling me when there are no baitfish on a wingdam, which means there are probably no game fish there either. My flasher doesn't do a good job of telling me that.

BTW, I have considered making use of my flasher when shore-fishing, but I have never tried it. If a person got 25' or 50' feet of cord for the floating transducer, they could probably make use of it by floating or throwing it out--just an idea I have kicked around in my head.

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I have my FL-8 mounted off my Minnkota trollng motor off the bow of my 18-foot Lund, and I love it. Off the transom, I am running a RayMarine unit. Many times, I am fishing in the bow, while a partner is in the back, and I am marking fish, real time, that my RayMarine is slow in showing, or misses entirely in shallow water, due to the angle of the shot being taken from the transom. Under 10-feet of water, the fish has to be within 2-feet of that RayMarine's cone!!!!!

Try it..., you'll like it!!!!!!!

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I have my old vex-8 mounted up front with my trolling motor. Pretty much a depth guide by the time im using it because for the most part if im using my trolling motor its in shallow water and im casting or im in deeper water and i've marked fish already on my Lowrance. Going back about 5 years ago before i had my boat i was up north near Grand Rapids and i had the old resort aluminum out and i had my ice fishing vex unit with me too give me something too read depth. I tried hanging it over the side of the boat and it didnt really work well for me. I was kind of bummed and i happened too look down at my vex which i forgot too turn off and the transducer was in a puddle of water facing down. I could not believe it, but that thing was giving me a reading through the bottom of that boat. I didnt at the time try too mark fish but at full throttle with that 9.9 it gave me a clear depth reading and it showed the weeds and everything. It was pretty cool too discover that and i used it like that the rest of the week.

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