Choosing the Best Ice Fishing Fish Finder
By Darrin Bohonis
One of the most frequently asked questions I get as ice fishing season draws near is: “What type of ice fish finder should I consider- A traditional ice flasher or an LCD Sonar/GPS combo?” Overall, both are incredibly effective when it comes to discovering the depth and marking fish below your ice-cleat-wrapped boots. But an angler’s preference as to one over the other comes down to the application at hand.
The following is a basic run-down of both flashers and LCD GPS all-in-one combo units to help you decide which is right for you.
The Ice Fishing Flasher
Flashers have been around since the creation of portable sonar, and have always been a highly-valued tool for catching more fish. These units have been around for many years, and have proven themselves to be effective and straightforward to use.
The circular center dial on a flasher displays real-time sonar (RTS), showing you what’s going on under the ice the very moment it’s happening. Because of this immediate display of information, you can track your lure and instantly see how fish are responding to your presentation. In recent years, it has become standard for flashers to include features like an adjustable cone angle for different fishing depths and adjustable color palettes to customize your viewing preference.
Flashers also allow you to determine whether the bottom is hard or soft, if you’re fishing over vegetation and quickly check depth using available digital depth a readout, which makes checking depth from hole to hole and finding break lines a reasonably fast operation. Also a benefit of the LCD all-in-one units.
Sonar GPS Combo for Ice Fishing
On the other hand, the all-in-one LCD combo units are the newest option in ice fishing electronics, bringing with them options not previously available on flasher units. These units have become ever-so-popular over the past decade and offer a range of features including real-time sonar (RTS), multi-screen viewing options, adjustable zoom windows, GPS with waypoints, digital lake maps, and multi-season use.
In the past, LCD combo units had displays that were affected by cold weather and did not have real-time sonar displays, causing a slight delay from what was going on below the ice to what was showing on the screen. Fortunately for today's angler, modern LCD units have been engineered for cold weather performance and enhanced with today’s technology to bring ice fisherman real-time sonar (RTS) on a digital flasher and an RTS window for 2D sonar views.
With the rise in popularity of LCD units in the last decade, many anglers are also discovering the added benefit of sonar history on 2D sonar views, which is used to track fish and lure movement over time and understand how fish are reacting to a specific lure presentation.
Features That Set the Sonar GPS Combo Apart
Ice Fishing Sonar That Dials in the Bite
Arguably the most useful tool on the Humminbird ICE HELIX fish finder is the combination of RTS (Real-Time Sonar) information with 2D sonar history which allows you to see what’s going on in real-time, while also being able to decipher what’s already happened in more detail. Looking at the past information allows you to track the cadence of your lure and note a fish’s response to it. You can then adjust your presentation to entice a strike.
(Flasher / 2D sonar split-screen on Humminbird® ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G2)
If you’ve never used 2D sonar history in a static situation such as ice fishing, you may not have realized that the bottom never changes while you’re sitting over the same spot. Because of this, even the slightest change to the bottom means that a fish has just entered your sonar cone. It’s easy to miss a small change on flasher, but 2D sonar history provides this advantage, which proves especially useful when fish are lethargic.
Ice Fishing Lake Maps and GPS for Increased Success and Efficiency
The built-in GPS in the ICE HELIX sonar GPS combo models has eliminated the guesswork of picking a fishing spot, and lets you easily see your position in relation to fish-holding points and drop-offs, so you can mark new waypoints or navigate to others you’ve found in the past with ease.
(Flasher / GPS split-screen on Humminbird® ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G2; shown with optional LakeMaster Chart)
Humminbird’s ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G4 and ICE HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G3 (5" screen) units feature GPS and built-in Humminbird Basemap and LakeMaster chart compatibility, which allows you to quickly find, navigate to and precisely mark the areas you want to fish, meaning you’ll be on fish faster and drilling fewer holes throughout the day. Gone are the days of trying to line up Mr. Johnson’s shed and the boat landing, hoping you will be able to pinpoint your return to the spot where you caught fish before.
Lastly, whether you’re headed out at sunrise or back in with a bucket of fish after sunset, you’ll have peace of mind, knowing you’re able to traverse on and off the ice safely thanks to built-in GPS, waypoints and tracks, even when Mother Nature might throw a curveball your way.
Ice Fish Finder for Multi-Season Use
Versatility is another reason for considering an LCD combo unit. All ICE HELIX models can be converted and used on your boat during open water, making them a great investment for the multi-season angler. Humminbird even offers an ICE HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G4 All-Season model (and 5" screen) that comes with the sonar GPS combo ice unit and all necessary accessories needed to use the unit on your boat or kayak once the ice melts. Accessories include transom mount transducer, transom mount hardware, optional transom suction cup mount, fish finder gimbal mount, and power cord.
Custom Lake Maps for Ice Fishing
An added feature on ICE HELIX models is AutoChart Live. This features allows you to create hydrographic contour maps of your favorite areas in your boat during open water periods, and then use the map you’ve created during the hard-water season. Other advanced features include adjustable zoom window for both the flasher and 2D sonar views and a range of Interference Rejection settings to tune out the noise of your fishing partner’s flasher so you can fish with a crisp, clear screen. Check out our article and video about, Locating Quality Fishing Spots in Fall leads to Better Ice Fishing.
AutoChart Live Ice allows anglers to create custom contour maps while on the ice, for the first time ever, eliminating the guesswork of finding a fishing spot on lakes without depth contour maps. This new AutoChart Live Ice technology will be available on all new ICE HELIX® CHIRP GPS and ICE HELIX CHIRP GPS All Season models.
Ice Fish Finder Battery Life Considerations
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that the larger LCD screen and GPS functionalities have a greater power demand on an LCD combo unit. Overall, a flasher draws about up to 1/3 less power than an LCD combo unit. While you can get a full day’s use from a 9-AMP-hour gel battery on an LCD unit, extended trips where batteries can’t be charged daily, will warrant carrying a spare battery or mobile charging power solution. Luckily, you can find a spare 9-AMP battery at a minimal cost in case you go that route.
Generally, conserving battery life is always good practice any time you’re ice fishing. Dimming the backlight is one way of preserving power consumption, as well turning off the sonar’s pinging when using the unit only for navigation, such as when traversing long distances to and from your fishing spot. When using a Humminbird ICE HELIX unit, this can be done by pressing the power button once for the pop-up menu, turning sonar to “Off.” Once at your destination, simply repeat the process to turn it back on.
Which Ice Fishing Fish Finder Fits You Best?
As a whole, LCD Sonar/GPS combo units offer a variety of features and functions beyond real-time sonar; but these features don’t diminish the effectiveness of a flasher. Flashers been around since day one and will continue their legacy due to their efficiency and simplicity. If you want an effective, dedicated ice-fishing sonar without the need for multiple sonar views, digital lake maps, or GPS, a flasher is a great option.
If you are in search of a fish finder with extended functionality and capable of multiple flasher and 2D sonar views, GPS, high-definition and custom lake mapping, interference rejection, and the option to use on your boat in the summer, then an ICE HELIX (sonar and GPS combo) is the ideal choice for you.
Either way, both flashers, and sonar/GPS combos are useful tools for increasing your odds the next time you head out on the ice.
Interested in learning more about Humminbird ICE Products? Visit www.humminbird.com/ICE-fish-finders
