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Author Topic: I miss my Vexilar on open water  (Read 4150 times)

taxid

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I miss my Vexilar on open water
« on: Jul 10, 2018, 02:21 PM »
Seems like too many bells and whistles with my LCD fish finder and sometimes I really question if a fish on there is really a fish. At least with my Vex if it's nice fat red mark it's a fish and more times than not I can bring my bait near it and BAM! And where the hell is my bait vertical jigging with with the gain turned up all the way with the LCD?

Also for some reason my downrigger ball disappears from the screen at times with the LCD. What's with that?

Anybody else feel this way?

I'm going to start using my Vex again in the boat!
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

Jethro

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #1 on: Jul 10, 2018, 02:37 PM »
Also for some reason my downrigger ball disappears from the screen at times with the LCD. What's with that?

Blowback? Clicker only has so much of a cone angle. Once I get 50-60 feet down it's harder to see the ball on my graph.

Mac Attack

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #2 on: Jul 10, 2018, 02:47 PM »
An LCD is older technology I thought.
Isn't everything LED these days.
Personally, flasher technology is old.
I hated my VEX.
Switched to a graph style unit for ice fishing 10 yrs ago and never went back.

But each to their own.
It's what makes the world go around.

And Geoff is correct about the blowback.
You will lose the cannonballs without a wide angle transducer.

Rugburn

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #3 on: Jul 10, 2018, 02:59 PM »
We used to angle the transducer slightly back if we wanted to see the downrigger balls past certain depths.

taxid

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #4 on: Jul 10, 2018, 03:52 PM »
Blowback? Clicker only has so much of a cone angle. Once I get 50-60 feet down it's harder to see the ball on my graph.

I wasn't down more than 30 feet. I'm sure cone angle has all to do with it though. But the downrigger on my kayak is even with the transducer which is in the bottom middle of the kayak. Seems it should pick it up easily.
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

taxid

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #5 on: Jul 10, 2018, 03:56 PM »
An LCD is older technology I thought.
Isn't everything LED these days.
Personally, flasher technology is old.
I hated my VEX.
Switched to a graph style unit for ice fishing 10 yrs ago and never went back.

But each to their own.
It's what makes the world go around.

And Geoff is correct about the blowback.
You will lose the cannonballs without a wide angle transducer.

I thought it was called LCD but it must be LED then? I have a Humminbird Helix 7 whatever that is?  I even bought the lower cost transducer for it and mounted it on my kayak. Now I can switch the kayak back and forth from my kayak to my regular boat. Only problem is the small ice fishing battery I use for the vex looses power in a couple of hours with Helix 7.

Makes sense with the narrow angle to wide angle cone.
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

Mac Attack

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #6 on: Jul 10, 2018, 04:42 PM »
I thought it was called LCD but it must be LED then? I have a Humminbird Helix 7 whatever that is?  I even bought the lower cost transducer for it and mounted it on my kayak. Now I can switch the kayak back and forth from my kayak to my regular boat. Only problem is the small ice fishing battery I use for the vex looses power in a couple of hours with Helix 7.

Makes sense with the narrow angle to wide angle cone.

Yup - LED.

That's a pretty decent unit.

mudchuck

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #7 on: Jul 11, 2018, 12:28 PM »
I thought it was called LCD but it must be LED then? I have a Humminbird Helix 7 whatever that is?  I even bought the lower cost transducer for it and mounted it on my kayak. Now I can switch the kayak back and forth from my kayak to my regular boat. Only problem is the small ice fishing battery I use for the vex looses power in a couple of hours with Helix 7.

Makes sense with the narrow angle to wide angle cone.

I also initially tried my 8AH SLA flasher battery when I first got my boat a fishfinder/GPS unit, and it too drained the battery within a couple hours. I've since then put my Garmin unit on my boat deep cycle marine battery that I use to for electric motor start, since my boat motor also charges the battery and I've never drained it running the fishfinder.

I've looked into those 10AH Lithium batteries, because I also wanted to use a fishfinder off my canoe, but just too expensive.
I'm looking at a pedal kayak now and was wondering how to do a fishfinder/GPS unit on it that won't break the bank or drain within a couple hours.
Got to figure out weight vs. longevity of use in a yak...

taxid

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #8 on: Jul 11, 2018, 01:07 PM »
I also initially tried my 8AH SLA flasher battery when I first got my boat a fishfinder/GPS unit, and it too drained the battery within a couple hours. I've since then put my Garmin unit on my boat deep cycle marine battery that I use to for electric motor start, since my boat motor also charges the battery and I've never drained it running the fishfinder.

I've looked into those 10AH Lithium batteries, because I also wanted to use a fishfinder off my canoe, but just too expensive.
I'm looking at a pedal kayak now and was wondering how to do a fishfinder/GPS unit on it that won't break the bank or drain within a couple hours.
Got to figure out weight vs. longevity of use in a yak...

This might be of help. I see many are using fish finders in the 100 dollar range for kayaks. My Hobie has a internal transducer mount for a low priced Lowrance unit.

https://www.soutdoors.com/best-kayak-fish-finder/

I think this is one they use on Hobie's made for the transducer mount but don't quote me.

https://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Lowrance-HOOK-3x-DSI-Fishfinder&i=204576&CAWELAID=120030620000096592&s_kwcid=adwords__&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi533xdGX3AIVAaxpCh3wTAiuEAQYAyABEgJmxvD_BwE
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

bootstrap

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #9 on: Jul 14, 2018, 01:08 PM »
love my garmin striker for both ice and open.

ActiveTrapChecker

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #10 on: Jul 17, 2018, 02:22 PM »
Seems like too many bells an whistles with my LCD fish finder and sometimes I really question if a fish on there is really a fish. At least with my Vex if it's nice fat red mark it's a fish and more times than not I can bring my bait near it and BAM! And where the hell is my bait vertical jigging with with the gain turned up all the way with the LCD?

Also for some reason my downrigger ball disappears from the screen at times with the LCD. What's with that?

Anybody else feel this way?

I'm going to start using my Vex again in the boat!

I miss my vex
and clam plate
and QuickFish 3i
and bait bucket
and Lil Buddy

(sorry, haven't hit the open water in 3 weeks, and won't get out until Friday...)

seamonkey84

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #11 on: Jul 17, 2018, 04:16 PM »
Vertical jigging from a boat is just not the same.  not sure why but it’s harder to see the same jig when I had no problem through the ice using the same unit. Then there’s trying maintain a true vertical presentation, even when anchored, unless there is zero wind I can’t get a straight drop
"You know when they have a fishing show on TV? They catch the fish and then let it go. They don't want to eat the fish, they just want to make it late for something." - Mitch Hedberg

JerryofWNY

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #12 on: Jul 18, 2018, 07:59 AM »
Seems like too many bells and whistles with my LCD fish finder and sometimes I really question if a fish on there is really a fish. At least with my Vex if it's nice fat red mark it's a fish and more times than not I can bring my bait near it and BAM! And where the hell is my bait vertical jigging with with the gain turned up all the way with the LCD?

Also for some reason my downrigger ball disappears from the screen at times with the LCD. What's with that?

Anybody else feel this way?

I'm going to start using my Vex again in the boat!

I recall once when using my vex on open water I simply could not get those buggers to bite. Sent the AquaVu down for a look and those fat red marks were leaves being pushed by an underwater current. They were 6 - 12" off the bottom.
"Most folks are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be."....Abe Lincoln

Mac Attack

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #13 on: Jul 18, 2018, 08:52 AM »
I recall once when using my vex on open water I simply could not get those buggers to bite. Sent the AquaVu down for a look and those fat red marks were leaves being pushed by an underwater current. They were 6 - 12" off the bottom.

They won't even make decent soup Jerry.


lol

taxid

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Re: I miss my Vexilar on open water
« Reply #14 on: Jul 18, 2018, 10:49 AM »
They won't even make decent soup Jerry.


lol

 ;D
“The trouble with quotes on the Internet is you never know if they are genuine.” —Abraham Lincoln

 



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