Back in the old days, it wasn’t unusual for ice anglers to fish completely blind. Perhaps you have fond memories of killing it in your favorite little pond or lake with the simplest of gear. However, if you want to explore new water and get on the fish then electronics are an absolute must. It’s already a ton of work to get onto the ice with your gear, don’t get skunked!
When it comes to ice fishing electronics, you have many different options at a wide range of prices. In the sections below, you’ll find a detailed look at the 11 best ice fishing electronics on the market today.
Flashers Are Affordable & Still Effective
Flashers are amongst the simplest of fish finders. An electronic transducer is placed in the ice fishing hole and sends a signal down toward the bottom of the lake or river. The returned signal shows the bottom as a solid line and the fish as moving lines.
Most importantly, you can see your jig showing up as a line. Once you have identified which mark is your jig, you can see how fish interact with the bait. It is a relatively primitive technology that helps immensely because it allows you to see how fish are reacting to your bait in real-time.
Are Ice Fishing Flashers Still Useful?
The usefulness and performance of flashers are largely dependent on your needs. Entry-level flashers come with only an 8-degree cone angle option, which is great for seeing fish right underneath you but doesn’t give you a full picture of everything going on in your general area.
More advanced flasher units come with features such as:
- The option to choose between multiple cone angles
- Greater resolution of marks seen on the screen
- A map display that allows you to view contour maps of a lake or river
8 Degree Cone Angle- Marcum M1 (Best Price)
The Marcum M1 is the most affordable option in this list while also being a huge upgrade over fishing blind. For many anglers, this is where they started and it shockingly still holds up well in many applications.
If you are fishing mostly smaller lakes and ponds, then this is more than adequate. The same goes for fishing points of structure known to hold fish, such as fallen timber and fishing cribs that you know the GPS coordinates of.
12 Degree Cone Angle- Vexilar FL-18
A slight upgrade over the Marcum M1 in terms of cone angle. One nice feature is the plastic carrier box that the Vexilar comes in. It could offer improved durability over Marcum’s fabric cover.
One area where Marcum might have a leg-up is the user interface. There’s a lot to like about Marcum’s range dial which shows depth in segments of 20’ (20, 40, 60’ deep, etc.) Vexilar goes by 1x, 2x, etc. and this may make it a little bit more difficult for the rookie angler to match mode to the depth of water they are fishing.
19 Degree Cone Angle- Vexilar FL-8se
The Vexilar Fl- 8se (see the current price here) allows you to choose from 6 different ranges: 20, 30, 60, 80 and 120. Thanks to the compact design and durable plastic shell, it can easily fit within a 5-gallon bucket.
One of the greatest features is the strength of the signal on the three-color sonar flasher. There are 525 segments of the resolution, super bright LEDs, and 19 different interference rejection settings. The interference settings ensure that you do not receive false markings from nearby flashers when you are fishing in a crowd or with friends.
Another nice touch is the pre-drilled holes in the marker carrier, which will allow you to easily add Vexilar accessories later on, such as a Battery Status Indicator, a Vexilar Flex Light, and a Dual Beam Ice Transducer.
8/20 Dual Beam Cone Angle- Marcum M5
There’s a lot to love about the Marcum M5. It gives you the ability to choose between an 8-degree or 20-degree angle. Best of all, it gives you this flexibility at a price that isn’t that much higher than the Marcum M1 when you consider the perks.
Here’s the advantage of the dual-beam cone angle: there are some situations in which one might work better. If you are trying to capture the view of a larger area, then the 20-gree model will suit you best. With the 8-degree model, it’s easy to block inference and fish closely to productive structure.
Marcum MX-7GPS -Flasher Unit With GPS
A flasher unit with GPS built-in can certainly come in handy when it comes to structure fishing. You can pick locations likely to hold fish with ease on the 7″ LCD. The MX-7 comes with a built-in GPS receiver, a Navionics base map, and the ability to insert mapping chips.
On the sonar side of things, the MX7 does have a 20/8 degree dual-beam transducer comparable to that on the Marcum M5. It also comes in the handy carrying fabric Velcro bag that all Marcum flashers do.
Fish Finders Give You a Wider View
If you fish from a boat during the warm months, then you are likely familiar with fish finders. These display a traditional 2D sonar and usually also come with the option to switch the screen to a flasher. Depending upon the model, you may also be able to insert a mapping chip into the fish finder.
One of the greatest perks of these is the fact they often come in all-season packs, meaning that they are easy to mount onto the boat for open water. They are thus more versatile than most ice-fishing flashers, although many anglers do use flashers for open-water crappie fishing.
Lowrance Hook2 Fish Finder- 5 Screen Sizes (All Season Pack)
The Lowrance Hook 2 All Season Pack is an affordable piece of equipment for anglers who want the convenience of side imaging without the price tag of live sonar. It comes in 5 different screen sizes: 4″, 5″, 7″, and 12″.
There are many different model options, but it seems that you can’t necessarily pair the All-Season bundle with every screen size, based on Lowrance’s website. However, if you run a quick search on YouTube you will find many DIY projects for making the best use of this system.
One of the best built-in features is the ability to have a split-screen setup on some of the models:
- You can have a different degree cone size on each screen.
- This may prove more useful than using the flasher because you will be able to see your jig on one screen while getting an overview of the general area on the other side of the screen.
Again, it is important to remember that nearly every model of the Hook2 has different features, so be sure to consult with Lowrance if you have any questions.
Humminbird Helix 5 ICE
The Humminbird Helix 5 ICE (current price here) has a dual-spectrum ice transducer, a transducer with float, and GPS built-in. The screen is kept safe and secure within a fabric shell that has a convenient Velcro flap up front.
The dual-spectrum transducer allows you to view high-resolution on both a flasher and a traditional 2D sonar. Target separation is precise- down to ¾”.
There are a variety of other features:
- 5” LCD Display (no other screen size options in Helix 5 ICE)
- Several viewing options including adjustable sonar
- Jig Charge Kit built-in so that you can light up your glow jigs
The Latest & Greatest- Live Sonar
One of the biggest pitfalls of traditional (2D sonar) is that the display is delayed by a few seconds. Sure it’s great for finding where fish hold, but it comes with the downside of not being able to see how fish are responding to your bait within that given moment.
Enter live sonar (aka LiveScope). With live sonar technology, you can track schools in real-time. What’s powerful about this technology is the ability to see what’s happening across wide distances.
Garmin Panoptix LiveScope
If you’re a dedicated angler, then there’s no way that you haven’t heard about the buzz around the LiveScope. It’s been circulated all around social media since it came out, with one source even coming up with the clever April Fool’s Joke of stating that it had been banned in tournaments.
This is because some anglers joke that using the LiveScope is effectively cheating. However, in reality, it’s just another tool that can help you find fish, but far from guarantee that you’ll get them to bite on the end of the hook.
Either way, here are the advantages of the LiveScope:
- You can see where fish are in real-time and even watch them swim towards your bait.
- A range of up to 200’ out from where you are fishing.
- Be sure to purchase a LiveScope Ice Fishing Kit, such as the one found here. This comes with a transducer that can be mounted along a drilled hole and a protective case.
Both Flashers and LiveScope have their place, despite being at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of both price and features. However, the LiveScope is an excellent tool for finding fish in large systems. One of the best examples is anglers being able to hunt down trophy lake trout in massive reservoirs, such as Fort Peck in Montana.
Lowrance ActiveTarget Explorer Portable Ice Kit
The ActiveTarget Explorer is Lowrance’s answer to the LiveScope. It comes with a handy portable sonar kit that can also be useful for kayak and canoe fishing. You can choose between either 7 or 9-inch displays.
Just like the Garmin LiveScope, the Explorer shows live high-resolution images of fish movement. Also, the 24Ah battery comes with dual USB charging ports ( can be used to charge phones out on the ice) and a built-in voltage meter
One nice feature is the premium explorer bag. This goes above and beyond to ensure that the electronics are kept safe and secure. A shuttle frame keeps everything dry, and best of all, you do not need to make any aftermarket purchases to unlock this type of safety security.
Up Close & Personal -Underwater Cameras
Underwater cameras allow you to get up close and personal with the fish. Cameras include the ability to record what you are seeing. You will be able to see quite far depending on the clarity of the water you are fishing.
This is one thing to consider given the price tag: are the waters near home clear enough to make use of this equipment? If so, it can certainly be well worth the price tag given the fact that this will always give you a more accurate view versus traditional sonar which is delayed and requires a little adjustment to be dialed in perfectly.
Aqua-Vu AV 715C Underwater Viewing System
The Aqua-Vu AV 715 (price here) is equipped with a color view camera and a 7” LCD monitor. You can reach depths of up to 50’ and the camera is rated IP-67 for waterproof protection.
Power is supplied via a rechargeable 12-volt 7-amp battery. Aqua-Vu claims up to 6 hours on a full charge, it may pay to carry a backup battery on you. Another feature is the carry bag that the camera comes in.
It’s worth noting that this camera can be useful for open water applications as well. Perhaps one of the greatest uses is distinguishing marks under 50’ deep when trout fishing clear lakes.
Marcum LX-9L Underwater Camera/Flasher Combo
The Marcum LX-9L ( see price) is a unique product within the ice fishing universe. You can switch between an underwater camera view and a flasher with an 8/20 degree dual beam transducer.
One of the nice things about the camera is the fact that you can choose between black & white, dark water LED lighting and a CMOS sensor with a 0.01lux camera. There are 75 feet of cable in the kit.
Final Thoughts
There is a large variety of ice fishing electronics to fit your needs. Even the most basic flasher makes a big difference. It allows you to anticipate a fish attacking your bait and helps you land on the fish in the first place. In the sections above, you’ll find a list of the 11 best ice-fishing electronics.
