# sonar or flasher veres underwater camera



## Streetguy (Mar 23, 2007)

I ice fish small up ground res and some of the bigger ones like Willard and Bucyrus. I only get out 6-8 times a year. I've been thinking about getting some elctronics to be more productive when I do get a chance to get out on the ice. 
What are the pro and cons of a sonar flasher, or a camera? I am thinking a camera because you can see whats down there. If you see nothing move on to the next hole. The only thing I am afraid of is that the camera might spook the fish. Cabelas has a camera on sale for 89.99. It has an 5.5" screen. Is this worth the money or would anyone suggest a better one.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

a flasher lets you "see" the entire water column from top to bottom, front, sides, and back.... a camera is like looking through an empty paper-towel tube, IF the water is clear.



> I am thinking a camera because you can see whats down there


 once you get used to a flasher....you will see whats down there. thats what a flasher does...it "listens", and everything that it hears, it "shows" you....and then youll "see" everything below you.

fish arent gonna just sit there while you lower a camera down. theyll spook. 

beleive me ive been through it already.... the camera usually sits at home...its a pain. save your money for a sonar. ive been using an fl-8se for several years now, (the "cheap" one) ..im totally happy with it, no desire or need to upgrade, it was 300 brand new so in the off season you should be able to get something like this for a couple hundred, maybe much less, id guess.

whatever you decide, its your decision, good luck with your purchase. cameras are fun to watch sometimes.


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## leeabu (Apr 10, 2004)

In my opinion, a flasher is a tool for better fishing. A camera is for entertainment. As the other post states, with a flasher you see the entire water column. I have hooked fished on the bottom and lost them half way up to the hole only to watch the fish chase the lure back to the bottom and take the lure again. With a camera, you only see what is in front of the lens from from a few inches to maybe a few feet depending on clarity. It is fun to watch all the different types of fish cruise by. Also my experience has been that the camera does not spook the fish. In fact they will come right up and look in the lense at you. Again the camera is great for entertainment but if you want to catch more fish I would go with the flasher.


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

The flasher 100%. By the time you set up the camera it'll be time to go home.The flasher will show you what's below you in 1 second. Don't waste your money and time, buy a Vex...........Mark


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## slf (Feb 4, 2005)

Yesterday I fished close to a guy who had a camera, I have a vex. In one hour I caught around 30 fish and he caught maybe 3 or 4. Case closed.


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

The endless debate..... Wasn't this same question asked just a few weeks ago? Get a flasher first, then if you wanna waste some time during the slow days go out and buy a camera. As stated above cameras are a pain and usually only work good under IDEAL conditions. A flasher doesn't need crystal clear water to be effective.


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## Streetguy (Mar 23, 2007)

Thanks for the replys. Not trying to start a debate. Just trying to get some information.


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

Here's a few more replies for you......

http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=136177&highlight=vex+OR+camera


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## Streetguy (Mar 23, 2007)

I read all the replys. The flasher seems to be the winner. I did't see much on a sonar. I looked at some portable ones that I could use on my boat.


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## thistubesforu (Mar 30, 2009)

personally i prefer a camera bought a cheap one this year and love it. have used it in staind water unlike the other guys say it doesnt have to be crystal clear water. i also agree with them that a flasher shows u the whole water column, what it doesnt show u is whether a fish has the hook in its mouth or just ur bait. i believe that is advantage camera. pretty simple though if u dont see fish where ur camera is pull it up a bit, let it down a bit. these are just my opinions, but i dont feel that a camera is hard to set up and would definately choose one over something that reminds me of a christmas tree.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

> The flasher seems to be the winner. I did't see much on a sonar.


flasher=sonar - theyre both sounding devices... technically i guess a flasher is a type of sonar display. (the lights flash, but so fast that you dont notice... i forget, like 50 times a second or something)


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## Muskarp (Feb 5, 2007)

I have a question for the camera guys. Do you ever get a fish wrapped around the cord?

Seems you would have to spend too much time using the camera. And less time fishing. You know, always turning, adjusting depth. Just seems like my Vex let's me do what I'm out there to do. FISH! It would be cool to see what's going on but like others have said. I'd prefer to keep that amusement for the slow days.


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## Fishin365 (Feb 3, 2009)

Flasher! Hands down the best piece of equipment I have purchased. I like my camera but I save it for situation when the fish that I see on the depth finder(summer)/flasher(ice) are not responding to anything. The camera is a great RESEARCH tool for fishing though.


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## thistubesforu (Mar 30, 2009)

have not yet had a fish wrapped around my cord. i will say though that i just got mine this year and have not taken it wallleye fishin yet. have also not had a large bass on. i generally panfish through the ice excluding walleyes. usually i drop the camera 3 to 5 feet from the hole im fishing though. i will admit if the ice gets better than worse and i venture on to lake erie for some eyes my emotions are mixed whether id leave it down while fishin or just use it to scope things out. the last thing i want is a walleye tangled up in the cord what a mess that would be.


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## WOODNUT (Oct 16, 2009)

I would agree with the majority of these post; the flasher will catch you more fish.The camera is very entertaining especially when the bite is slow, but after using both at the same time side by side what the camera really did was give me a much better idea of how my flasher works and what is going on down there when I don't have the camera near.

If you can only get one, go with the flasher


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## fishintechnician (Jul 20, 2007)

Fishin365 said:


> Flasher! Hands down the best piece of equipment I have purchased. I like my camera but I save it for situation when the fish that I see on the depth finder(summer)/flasher(ice) are not responding to anything. The camera is a great RESEARCH tool for fishing though.


I have a camera that I take with me only because i do no thave my flasher......yet! It is ok but it is kind of a pain, and you can't see the whole water column as mentioned I have had it spook fish (with the lights on) but they usualluy come back it is great for getting an idea of structure and bottom composition but not to good for locating fish not to mention they are heavy. But it beats nothing at all


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## Liquid Assets (Jul 6, 2008)

I only have a camera as well and love it. It is alittle more work, but I have gotten used to it. I was fishing East Harbor this past weekend and feel a camera may out perform a flasher. My thinking is since it is so shallow, 4 - 5 feet deep, with a ton of weeds, how effective would the flasher work. I fiqure the cone would be narrow and the weeds would cause interference. With the camera I was able to see pretty good (had to get around the weeds) and could pull fish with the lightest bites that others may have missed. This is just my thought, not trying to start anything. As for Erie, a camera is really tough to do, with currents and deep water the camera moves around alot!! Just my experience. Never had a fish tangle, but I drill a seperate hole just for the camera. Just my 2c.


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## Hoss5355 (Apr 9, 2004)

Here's my opinion after using both for the last 4 or so years...

I like toys, and have way too much stuff to be mobile on the ice. I know people move around and claim you need to, but here's what I do...

I use my aqua vu to find structure that I want to fish. Whether it is a point with stumps, a weed line, or a road bed. Then I decide where I am going to put up my shanty. I do all my drilling ahead of time, then move around before I set up base camp. Once the shanty is set up, I find our lures on the camera, and then bust out the vex. It helps you see the whole column, and you can catch those crappie that come in above the camera. 

Here's a pic from a couple weeks ago from the camera. 

Mr. Pike coming in to check out the lure....










Mr. Pike after getting stuck with the Buckshot Spoon...











Also, this was the first fish I had ever got wrapped around the camera cable. I put my camera hole outside the shanty roughly 3 ft away from the closest hole, and this guy managed to get wrapped up. Had to use teamwork to get it out, and through the hole, but he eventually got free from the cable. I could see this being a problem where there was current. 

I feel that both are equally important to me. I hate fishing where I don't know what is below me. I like to have an idea of what kind of structure I am fishing. 

If I had to pick ust pick one, it would be the vex for ease of use, but I wouldn't give up my cameras without a fight...


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## thebige22 (Oct 26, 2007)

Hoss, what body of water were you fishing to catch that pike? I've been wanting to do some pike fishing and thinking about going up to southern Michigan.

The BigE22


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## icemanohio (Feb 3, 2005)

street guy said:


> I read all the replys. The flasher seems to be the winner. I did't see much on a sonar. I looked at some portable ones that I could use on my boat.


the Vex can be used on the boat for open water as well as the Ice(Alumiducer). FL-8is a very nice, easy to use unit. Cheapest of all the Vex's but definatley not cheap on quality or performance, well worth the money. I have an FL-20 it is very nice but has way to many gadgets. If I were to do it again i would buy the FL-8.


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## Hoss5355 (Apr 9, 2004)

thebige22 said:


> Hoss, what body of water were you fishing to catch that pike? I've been wanting to do some pike fishing and thinking about going up to southern Michigan.
> 
> The BigE22


It was a private lake in N.E. Ohio. If you are up for a trip, check out Lake Mitchell and Cadillac up in Michigan. Rose Lake is also near by. We fished up there in the past and had great luck on the Pike. They are plentiful and it was a cheap trip. Drive is a little rough, but like you, I wouldn't mind finding a place in southern Michigan to get into some bigger Pike.


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## Streetguy (Mar 23, 2007)

icemanohio said:


> the Vex can be used on the boat for open water as well as the Ice(Alumiducer). FL-8is a very nice, easy to use unit. Cheapest of all the Vex's but definatley not cheap on quality or performance, well worth the money. I have an FL-20 it is very nice but has way to many gadgets. If I were to do it again i would buy the FL-8.


Do youneed a differnt tansducer for open water? Why dose everone seem to like a sonar with a flash for ice and a picture for open water?


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## thebige22 (Oct 26, 2007)

Thanks for the info Hoss. Hoping to make it up to Michigan soon.

Eric


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## Muskarp (Feb 5, 2007)

street guy said:


> Do youneed a differnt tansducer for open water? Why dose everone seem to like a sonar with a flash for ice and a picture for open water?


I think most (myself included) prefer flashers for ice because your fishing a stationary position watching one specific piece of water column. The flasher is giving you instataneous response watching your jig and possible targets in that column. During open water using a flasher if you are not watching the screen constantly you miss targets and structure because the boat is usually moving (if only slightly). With a graph you can look away and still look back and see relatively recent targets you have passed. This is not a very good explaination, but others can fill in the blanks.


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## Streetguy (Mar 23, 2007)

I went to vexlers site and found alot of good information and videos. I think understand better now. Just wanted to get everones opion. Thanks


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