Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

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P&YBuck1
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Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby P&YBuck1 » Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:51 pm

I have a Marcum VX1 pro which when working is very accurate and really shows the fish. Unfortunately it will start acting up so first thing I do is replace the battery but same issue. I contacted Marcum and they say it is another transducer issue. I can no longer pickup my jig even with the gain turned way up. I have talked to others and they too love the unit but have had transducer issues. Anyone have any reviews of locators they have used which are more bullet proof and work well? I treat this unit with kid gloves but have the same issue twice and the unit is only about 3-4 years old so it is frustrating considering how many times I actually get to use it each year.

Thanks for your input in advance!

John


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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby fishlips » Tue Mar 01, 2016 3:59 pm

I don't take care of my stuff very well, but my vexilar FL-18 has treated me pretty well. Have only had to replace the battery once I believe and have had it for probably 7 or 8 years.
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby matt1336 » Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:16 pm

I have the marcum showdown 2.0. I kinda sorta like it. I just used it once so far at the battle on bago tourney. It's not as sensitive as the marcum v or some of the vexlars that my friends had. I'm prolly going to return it and upgrade. But it does the job for the most part.

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isitseasonyet?
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby isitseasonyet? » Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:30 pm

I have a vexilar fl-8 it's not fancy, but it flat out works. Never had a problem.

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BassBoysLLP
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby BassBoysLLP » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:06 am

My FL-18 is ultra reliable. Regardless, I plan to upgrade to Marcum the next go around.

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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Joe68 » Wed Mar 02, 2016 2:43 am

I have a Marcum Truce color 3 or something like that. Last season the display started moving around the screen. I contacted the company, they told me it was out of time. I sent it back and they fixed it free of charge. I had to pay shipping of course. I've only used it 3 times this year so far but seems to work just like new. I think Marcum's are good units personally.
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby kripp53 » Wed Mar 02, 2016 3:05 am

I have the humminbird Ice 35 and it works great for me. It doesn't have all the features that some of the others have, but it marks fish, and that's all I need!
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Findian » Wed Mar 02, 2016 7:32 am

I also have a fl-18 very reliable.

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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Wed Mar 02, 2016 9:17 am

Marcum Showdown Troller 2.0 combo pack. This model has worked flawless the last two years on the ice for me. I like vertical screens and as long as I can see my jig, a depth reading, and the fish, Im happier than a frog on a lily pad. :D
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby matt1336 » Wed Mar 02, 2016 11:30 am

Crazinamatese wrote:Marcum Showdown Troller 2.0 combo pack. This model has worked flawless the last two years on the ice for me. I like vertical screens and as long as I can see my jig, a depth reading, and the fish, Im happier than a frog on a lily pad. :D


Craze-'do you find that the showdown 2 is as sensitive and picks up fish the same as the other vex and marcum models? I'm new to sonars and my review of it might have been partly cuz of my inexperience. I'm thinking of upgrading but don't want to if I don't need to.

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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Wed Mar 02, 2016 12:29 pm

Yes. You can increase or decrease the sensitivity. As long there isn't interference from other sonars close by I can decrease it enough to see pin stripes on the screen. One thing that bugs some guys about the Troller is that you can't zoom in super close. With the 5.6 model you can do that. I personally don't care about that feature. As I said, as long as I can see my lure, the bottom, and the fish, thats all a guy really needs. Especially if a person is looking for something that won't break the bank, the Troller 2.0 is pretty awesome IMO. The only thing that does kinda suck is the standard single-beam transducer. Overall, a great little unit.
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby matt1336 » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:08 pm

^^the reviews that I read about it said that if you get it wet- it's done. That part scares me a bit. I'm thinking about getting the 5.6 or a vex. Cabelas has them on sale right now. You said you've had it for two years....I would guess that it's been pretty durable for you then. Id like to stay with marcum cuz I've heard good reviews about their cs.
Sorry for the hijack

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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Brad » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:10 pm

I have a Vexilar FL 20 ultrapack, it does everything I need it to and then some. Whatever you get, make sure it has zoom in my opinion. I use it more times than not.
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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Lockdown » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:16 pm

Marcum LX-3

I have an old roommate who is a die hard fisherman and he recommended marcum. Love mine had it for 3 years. I did need to replace the battery but that was due to my negligence

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Re: Fish Locators Reviews for ice fishing

Unread postby Crazinamatese » Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:18 pm

matt1336 wrote:^^the reviews that I read about it said that if you get it wet- it's done. That part scares me a bit. I'm thinking about getting the 5.6 or a vex. Cabelas has them on sale right now. You said you've had it for two years....I would guess that it's been pretty durable for you then. Id like to stay with marcum cuz I've heard good reviews about their cs.
Sorry for the hijack

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It is not water-proof. Not sure why Marcum designed it like that. Yeah, I started out using the original Troller and that crashed on me, sent it back to Marcum and they sent me a brand new 2.0 with no charge and it has worked very well. I recommend getting the pack for it and run it on a 12 volt battery. I really want to upgrade to a 5.6 , Maybe someday.
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