Ice Fish Flasher Buying Guide

Are you looking for a different approach than fish finders for ice fishing? Want to jig fish at precise depths? Ice fishing flashers are here to answer your questions.

These highly portable devices allow the fishing anglers to reel in big fish easily. With a color-coded guidance system of the hardness of the material, these flashers come in different variants.

Why do you need to read a buying guide before selecting a fish flasher?

The buying guide will let you familiarize yourself with the product and allow you to deem about different features of the flasher. This information will help you make an informed decision while selecting the best ice fish flasher.

Let us learn about the different characteristics of ice flashers. But first, we should know a little about these handy ice flashers and how they differ from the fishfinders.

Something about ice fish flasher

Ice fishing flashers work differently from conventional fish finders. Unlike the fish finders, they are designed as a circle that looks like a clock. You can find different shapes near the circle indicating the things below, and it helps you to understand increasing depth effectively.

In this ice fishing flasher, different materials are represented by different colors, which is quite similar to a fish finder. If there is any object below, you will see color, either red or green depending on its hardness.

The flashers' primary and most important thing is that they are appropriate for vertical jigging so they can find out the smaller jigs easily. However, with an ice fish finder, you are allowed to catch fish at a perfect depth you want. With a finder, it is easy to detect a fish's movement and look for a suitable strike.

How are ice fish flashers different from the fish finders

The ice fishing flasher is like a variation of the common fish finder and works in a little different way from the fish finders. You can detect the depth of your fishing spot with both the ice fishing flashers and fish finders. However, some significant differences are discussed below—

1. The display of a fish flasher is not the same as a fish finder. The fish flasher is designed with an adjustable dial with multi-colored lights, which helps you know the results detected by SONAR. Thus, it works more straightforwardly.
2. The flashers are very useful to use because they provide information with maximum detailing. Like, you can see the water column is shown in a circular shape instead of vertical representation. Though it might be confusing for the beginners, you will love it once you become familiar with it.
3. Fishfinders make fishing more manageable for you because they have graphs instead of columns. Some fish finders are equipped with an RTS window, which helps to display the performance history. The scrolling display will not let you get distracted.
4. On the other hand, fish finders are more powerful and have better GPS quality. It entirely depends on your style of fishing and requirements. So, think wisely what will be the most appropriate for your ice fishing - a regular fish finder or a fish flasher with advanced features.

Things To Deem About While Selecting an appropriate Ice Fishing Flasher

1. Battery life

Before you choose an ice fishing flasher, you must check out the battery life of the unit. It is a quintessential feature of a fish flasher that you can not ignore. You must go for a fish flasher having more battery life. Most of the high-quality ice fishing flashers come with longer battery life. So, choosing the battery life that can last as long as you want is always a better idea.

The main aim of the battery of the fish flasher is to support you during your fishing. It means you should look for a fish flasher with an extended battery life that will last as long as you want to fish. So, it will be wise if you select your fish flasher, keeping this in your mind. Also, you must know the limitations beforehand so that you will not be disappointed with your gear.

2. Frequency and transducer

When it comes to choosing a suitable ice fish flasher, you should look for a high-frequency unit. With higher frequency, it will be easy to display detailed information to detect the right fishing spot where to cast. There are also some advanced fish flashers available in the market with the dual-frequency feature. It includes both the high and low frequencies and works together to ensure the most appropriate reading for your fishing.

A robust transducer plays a vital role in an ice fish flasher because it helps to detect the underwater surroundings covered with ice. A powerful signal is released from the transducer. And when it bumps into the surface, any objects or any creatures, it will come back and display the result on the screen. Furthermore, you should look for a standard quality transducer that is compatible enough to work in a colder environment.

3. Cone angle

Cone angle of the transducer matters a lot when you are going to fish in ice water. The transducer cone angle of the ice fishing flasher allows you to understand the width of the fishing area detected by the SONAR transducer. Usually, the cone is wider while fishing in shallow water. It provides you the appropriate information about fish around the jig. If you see an extremely narrow cone, you jig may cross the SONAR search area.

But it does not always mean that a wider cone is the best for your fishing. It is not that simple. If there is more than one transducer near your SONAR active area, you may get a wide beam with overlapping and interference. Therefore, you can find some ice fishing flashers with two transducer cone angles - one of them is vast, and the other is narrow.

How to calculate cone footprint

If you have a little idea of trigonometry, you will be able to calculate the area of the fish flasher effectively. You may follow this simple formula—

TAN (Cone angle) X (Depth of water) = Cone diameter at the bottom

For example, your transducer cone angle is 15 degrees, and the depth of your fishing area is 20 feet. So, the calculation will be like—

TAN (15) X 30 = diameter

.2679 X 30 = 8.037 feet(diameter)

Therefore, the diameter of the cone created by your fish flasher would be 8.037 feet at the bottom. Hence, it is obvious that the cone angle matters a lot for shallow water. But as it has already been said, that wider cone does not make it the best. When there are many transducers together, they can create overlapping and interference. So, if you are with your friends, a medium cone will be perfect.

4. Resolution

Resolution is another very essential aspect of the ice fishing flashers that you must consider while buying your gear. It does not matter whether you have the best fish flasher or not; if you cannot read the findings properly, it will have no use. What you need for a bright crystal display is a screen full of the high pixel. A fish flasher's screen designed with high resolution ensures that you get clear and crisp findings without fail.

A screen with high resolution allows you to read the findings under strong sunlight without having any glare. Sometimes, the anglers need to use an ice fishing flasher in deep dark surroundings, so it is wise to select a flasher with a backlight facility. It will help you to catch fish in ice-covered water without much effort.

5. Power

You should pick up the powerful ice fishing flashers for a better fishing experience. The power of your fish flasher determines its working ability. So, it will be useful to buy gear with better wattage. The higher the wattage, the better is the performance of the flasher. The higher power of an ice fishing flasher implies that it has better SONAR beams. It will provide you the most appropriate information about the bottom surface of the lake.

Needless to say, that a fish flasher that works with decent power is very helpful to find out all types of fish and objects underneath the water covered with ice. Do not forget to check the wattage capacity of your selected ice fish flasher before making a purchase.

6. Bottom hardness

The ice fishing flashers are also very essential for identifying bottom hardness. Different colors are used to represent bottom hardness, weeds, etc. The red color shows hard reading for the rocky bottom. On the other hand, the green color is for soft reading, which indicates plants or fish under the ice-covered water. SONAR is not able to get inside the hard bottom, and thus it displays a dark and solid return.

When there is a soft bottom, SONAR can penetrate more efficiently, showing a broader band that does not have many stable returns.

Moreover, the bait fails when it comes across a soft bottom. It seems like it has reached the bottom, but it will fall. It is better to drop the bait and take it higher a little about the base. For perch, remember that they may be in the slit, and you need to pull upward.

7. Portability

A portable ice fish flasher is always the right choice for a comfortable ice fishing experience. It is not very easy to navigate across the water covered with ice. So you must be careful of the weight of your fish flasher to make sure its weight does not prevent you from navigating with ease. Moreover, ice fishing requires different types of gears except for a fishing flasher that includes poles, sled, a box of bait, and more. So you must consider the weight of your fish flasher.

You must choose a flasher that is strong and sturdy but does not weigh much. A massive fish flasher is not much effective for ice fishing. With a lighter ice fishing flasher, you can move comfortably around the ice holes. Some fish flashers are available with stylish cases so you can carry them with yourself safely. Also, you can protect your flasher from any kind of damage.

8. Durability

The ice fishing flashers are designed to be used at zero temperature if not lesser than that. Also, they come in direct exposure to water for a long time. So, overall these flashers should be durable enough so that they can withstand the colder environment effectively. As a buyer, you must make sure that the ice fishing flasher you have chosen is made up of weather-resistant material.

You will find some best quality ice fish flashers that are well-equipped with ice ducers. It makes a massive difference between a regular fishing flasher and a standard quality fishing flasher. So, choose your flasher that can handle the colder conditions without any hassles and last longer.

9. Weather tolerance

You require an ice fishing flasher that has excellent resistance to weather. When you are going for ice fishing, the fishing spots will be covered with ice. Your fish flasher has to deal with sub-zero temperatures as well.

So, you must choose a gear that is perfect for the coldest condition. Usually, the ice fish flashers do not last long when they get exposed to minus temperatures for an extended time. There are some standard flashers designed with patented technology that ensures the highest durability and longevity of the flashers. So, you must buy an ice fishing flasher with a weather-resistant feature.

10. Backlit display

A high-resolution screen is essential for an ice fishing flasher to interpret the findings effortlessly. Similarly, a screen with a backlit feature is also a plus for the anglers. Sometimes, the anglers have to fish in a darker environment, which is very common for ice fishing. To avoid the problem of low light, you should find a fish flasher equipped with a backlit display. The screen resolution of your fish flasher ensures clear and crisp images and backlit display, making it easier for you to fish in pitch dark conditions.

11. Custom maps

Some ice fishing flashers allow you to customize a contour map that includes all your favorite fishing spots. You can use the map according to your convenience. Also, there are some flashers with an adjustable window. You can effectively tune out the noise coming from other flashers for a crystal-clear display.

Some high-quality fish flashers come up with AutoChart Live features that allow you to make a hydrographic contour map for ice fishing. Therefore, you do not have to cast randomly, and you can get an appropriate idea of the depth of the water.

12. Build quality

You will use the ice fishing flasher in a cold environment where the water is covered with ice. To deal with any accidental falls in such slippery conditions, the ice fishing flashers should be designed with standard quality materials. It ensures that the flashers are compact and robust enough so that they will not get damaged easily. Also, you should make sure that your ice fishing flasher is durable and long-lasting enough to work compatibly in the rain and other challenging weather conditions.

FAQs

How To Maintain an Ice Fish Flasher?

Maintaining an ice fish flasher plays an indispensable role in increasing the longevity of the product. It is quite simple to keep it clean by following all the instructions mentioned in the manual. Also, you can check that the flasher is placed in a proper case. It will help in keeping the wires untangled. Besides this, you must take appropriate care of the battery. It will make the product more durable. Another way is not to drag the transducer while you shift holes. Moreover, you must keep an eye on keeping the transducer's bottom spick and span.

What is the difference between Sonar and Chirp?

A Sonar (Sound Navigation Ranging) is a device that transmits one frequency at a given time. In contrast, the Chirp (Compressed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) is a powerful device that transmits multiple frequencies at a given time, which proffers an exceptional portrayal of the deep water. While a sonar uses only 1 frequency, Chirp makes use of a myriad of frequencies.

What is an Ice Ducer? How is it different from Ice fishing flashers?

Ice Ducer is a device that explicitly scans the water under the ice to get the location of different target fishes vertically. It is exclusively used when you are out for ice fishing and want to catch some fish quickly.

However, an ice fishing flasher is a sonar device that helps to find the fishes as well as other target objects in no time.

Is it necessary to buy a GPS in-built fish flasher?

If you are new to fishing and still learning it, buying a GPS in-built flasher will be a boon for you. You will be able to get all the locations where the fish is present to locate a fish faster. A GPS is indeed a handy feature for people who cannot see clearly below the water. Thus, we recommend you buy an ice fishing flasher that will increase your chances of catching many fishes in a short period.

How to use the ice fish flasher correctly for first-timers?

Yes, follow all the pointers below to get to know its use quickly:

1. Once your battery is rightly connected, it is time to finish up the transducer's setting.
2. Now you need to read the flasher after adjusting its settings.
3. You will notice all the red, yellow, and green markers. (Read the manual to understand better)
4. All you need to do is now to check for the signal and keep adjusting until there is no visible interference.
5. Once you reach that point, it is time to go fishing!

Final Verdict

Whether you are a newbie in the fishing game or an expert, ice fish flashers will impress you and help you in jigging the big fish. In this guide, we have discussed all the vital characteristics of the flashers. Gather your other fishing gears and select a good quality flasher, and you are all set for a fantastic ice fishing expedition.