# Best flasher for fishing shallower depths?



## Henschel98 (Jan 24, 2015)

I have been looking into buying a flasher. But I mainly fish Lake St.Clair which is shallow and I here some people have troubles with them in shallow water. Is this true and if so is there a unit out there that works better in shallow water or even better all depths? I just cant see investing that type of money that may not work to its highest potential when fishing the shallower depths.


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## woodie slayer (Feb 25, 2006)

i have the fl-18 vex with duel transducer that works shallow or deep. not sure if the new ones have duel transducer..


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## msfcarp (Jun 6, 2006)

I don't know why shallow water would matter, all you have to do is turn down your gain (power) weeds are more an issue in shallow water.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Shouldn't be any problems except the fact that the area it reads is very small. You don't know anything is there until it is inches from your lure.

What troubles are you referring to?


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## Henschel98 (Jan 24, 2015)

sureshot006 said:


> Shouldn't be any problems except the fact that the area it reads is very small. You don't know anything is there until it is inches from your lure.
> 
> What troubles are you referring to?


I have just been reading reviews and I have seen a few that say they don't work as great in shallower depths nothing specific though.


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## river rat78 (Dec 30, 2010)

I've heard that the marcum lx6 and lx7 have a hard time in shallow water. People said that marcum was doing software updates to fix that problem. You can do the updates yourself.


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## Outdoor2daCore (Nov 8, 2010)

Henschel98 said:


> I have just been reading reviews and I have seen a few that say they don't work as great in shallower depths nothing specific though.


What sure shot said is exactly correct. The issue isn't whether they work or not, the issue is they aren't as effective due to the shallowness of the water. So the example above was for a 9/19 degree dual beam ducer. That's 19deg for shallow and 9 for deep. 9 degrees produces a narrowed, concentrated cone for deep water whereas 19 is wider for a larger picture or cone area for shallower water. There's some slightly complicated math that goes into getting exact, but for the sake of example say at 10 fow a 19 degree cone gives a 1.9 foot diameter circle flashback on the flasher (vexilar) vs in 100 ft of water it's a 19 foot area. Since area = pie (radius) ^ 2 then in 10 feet deep pie * 95^2 = approx. 2.8 sq feet whereas is 100 ft of water = pie x 9.5^2 = 283.4 sq feet. Therefore, you see a much bigger picture and it seems like it is more effective because you see fish way longer when in fact they might be a long ways from your bait when if the 19deg in shallow water is at all times within a few feet of your bait before you ever see a mark. How that rambling makes some sense.


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## Henschel98 (Jan 24, 2015)

Outdoor2daCore said:


> What sure shot said is exactly correct. The issue isn't whether they work or not, the issue is they aren't as effective due to the shallowness of the water. So the example above was for a 9/19 degree dual beam ducer. That's 19deg for shallow and 9 for deep. 9 degrees produces a narrowed, concentrated cone for deep water whereas 19 is wider for a larger picture or cone area for shallower water. There's some slightly complicated math that goes into getting exact, but for the sake of example say at 10 fow a 19 degree cone gives a 1.9 foot diameter circle flashback on the flasher (vexilar) vs in 100 ft of water it's a 19 foot area. Since area = pie (radius) ^ 2 then in 10 feet deep pie * 95^2 = approx. 2.8 sq feet whereas is 100 ft of water = pie x 9.5^2 = 283.4 sq feet. Therefore, you see a much bigger picture and it seems like it is more effective because you see fish way longer when in fact they might be a long ways from your bait when if the 19deg in shallow water is at all times within a few feet of your bait before you ever see a mark. How that rambling makes some sense.


That makes a lot more sense... So would getting the dual transducer be better for both situations shallow and deep? Because I am planning on hitting a lot of inland lakes this year for fish I just can only do that on weekends do to school on weekdays I don't have time to get out there after.


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## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Here is what you're dealing with:










The shallower you go, the smaller the area your sonar can read. Yes, you want a dual x-ducer. Use the narrow cone for deep water and the wide cone for shallower water. A cone is a cone so even with the wider area shallower water produces a more limited visible area.


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## zoombaiter25 (Oct 27, 2011)

I've still got the Vexilar FL-8 although I've wanted to upgrade. I find myself fishing a lot of shallow water and the standard 19 degree transducer works great >5 FOW. If you're fishing shallower than that, you're better off sight fishing. Weeds are your biggest issue like *msfcarp* stated. I almost always have my gain turned all the way down when I'm in less than 20 FOW. If you're looking for a good and affordable starter, go with a used FL-8 or FL-12. If you want the zoom feature for the times you get in deeper water, spend a little more and get an FL-18 or above. I got my FL-8, new, for $269 from Mills Fleet Farm (http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/vexilar-fl-8se-genz-pack/0000000006545) a few years ago. Look there before you go to any Gander Mtn, Cabelas, etc.

I wanted to upgrade to a Marcum LX6, but they're quite bulky and I've also heard of issues with shallow water. I've heard that Marcum in general has issues with shallow water because they have a lot more power than any Vexilar. I'm not well versed with Lowrance or Humminbirds so I'll leave that to someone else. I also don't think you need the dual-beam transducer unless you're in some really deep water. Go to Vexilar's website and watch the tutorial videos. I learned a lot from those prior to owning or even using my flasher.

My .02. Good luck!


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## agbuckhunter (Oct 12, 2011)

zoombaiter25 said:


> I've still got the Vexilar FL-8 although I've wanted to upgrade. I find myself fishing a lot of shallow water and the standard 19 degree transducer works great >5 FOW. If you're fishing shallower than that, you're better off sight fishing. Weeds are your biggest issue like *msfcarp* stated. I almost always have my gain turned all the way down when I'm in less than 20 FOW. If you're looking for a good and affordable starter, go with a used FL-8 or FL-12. If you want the zoom feature for the times you get in deeper water, spend a little more and get an FL-18 or above. I got my FL-8, new, for $269 from Mills Fleet Farm (http://www.fleetfarm.com/detail/vexilar-fl-8se-genz-pack/0000000006545) a few years ago. Look there before you go to any Gander Mtn, Cabelas, etc.
> 
> I wanted to upgrade to a Marcum LX6, but they're quite bulky and I've also heard of issues with shallow water. I've heard that Marcum in general has issues with shallow water because they have a lot more power than any Vexilar. I'm not well versed with Lowrance or Humminbirds so I'll leave that to someone else. I also don't think you need the dual-beam transducer unless you're in some really deep water. Go to Vexilar's website and watch the tutorial videos. I learned a lot from those prior to owning or even using my flasher.
> 
> My .02. Good luck!


For less interference in <5fow buy the s-cable. It cuts your power in half. There like $18 but worth it for shallow water fishing with the fl-8


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## zoombaiter25 (Oct 27, 2011)

agbuckhunter said:


> For less interference in <5fow buy the s-cable. It cuts your power in half. There like $18 but worth it for shallow water fishing with the fl-8


Yeah, I've wanted to buy it but could never pull the trigger. I try to avoid that shallow of water if I can.


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