New 2020

[Bowhunter_24]

So you're set up and u can tell what size and species is down there. How is that an advantage? I haven't been able to see the point for ice fishing.

Besides moving and locating schools of fish.

 

[Captain Ahab]

So you're set up and u can tell what size and species is down there. How is that an advantage? I haven't been able to see the point for ice fishing.

Besides moving and locating schools of fish.

You’ll have to excuse my friend, he’s a little slow.



The wide pan lets you find breaklines, weedlines, bottom comp changes, etc. etc. If more than one fish comes in, you can pull it away from the small one or the undesired fish. You can watch all of your lines(and your buddy’s lines) on one unit. If fish are coming through 20 feet away, you can move over to the active area.

I don’t have all day so I’ll stop there.

 

[lunkerslayer]

I read a good write up by a fisherman who fishes devils lake and he states that the vexilar is still king when fishing for perch. The reason be is becuase it's hard to distinguish between the perch and the bottom. Also there is still a short lag time while everyone knows that sonar is still king when it comes to real time.
Electronics have become such an integral part of fishing, both summer and winter, that I can hardly remember what it was like to fish with some type of electronic device to assist me.

I don’t know if that makes us better fishermen or not. Some would say that it is a crutch and is actually making us worse.

I do know this, if I drove an hour one way to my fishing destination, arrived, and realized that I had forgot my FL-28 at home; I would turn around and drive back home to get it.

You will notice that Humminbird and Marcum units aren’t mentioned in this -Versus- episode. The reason is simple really. We wanted to put THE standard Flasher up against the newest technology in Ice Fishing. Besides, there is a reason every established guide on Devils Lake runs a Vexilar and it isn’t because they are giving them out for free. The Vexilar FL-28, 20, and 18 are the standard and until someone else improves on the technology they will remain that way.

With my FL-28, set to the correct color setting gives me so much information:

Do I have bait
How big are the fish I am on
What kind of bottom am I on
Even, what species of fish is under me
If you have been a reader of this website for any amount of time, you know that we generally are run-and-gun type fishermen. Mobility is key to us and being able to hole hop from hole-to-hole as quickly as possible to zero in on the school of fish.

Panoptix w/Livescope is not the unit for this type of fishing. It is bulky, takes time to set up, and prohibits us from being mobile. Vexilars are the epitome of mobile:

Lift, walk 20 paces, drop, DONE!!

If Garmin were able to make the Panoptix unit more compact and mobile, I might think about trying it, but until then, Nope!
Often times, the bite happens quickly. Fish that moments ago were docile and lethargic, turn hyperactive and charged up, moments later. Reacting to the rise and behavior of the fish, reading that behavior, and reacting to it; puts fish topside.

The times that we have used the Panoptix w/Livescope, the most annoying thing for us has been that LCD screen delay. It may be only a half a second or so, but if you have ever been on a Perch school on Devils Lake, half a second can be everything.

The Flasher technology of the FL-28 is as instantaneous as sonar can be. I know almost immediately what that fish on the bottom is doing and how it is acting. The importance of having that fish information as fast as possible is THE most important aspect of the fish finder that I am using.
This may be the one area where Panoptix w/Livescope has the upper hand on my Vexilar. Depending on the depth, my Vexilar is only giving me a small snippet of the bottom underneath me. The deeper I am, the more of the bottom I see, but still, it is only a small snapshot of the area I am fishing.

With Panoptix w/Livescope, a mush larger picture of the water column around me is make apparent to the user. If fish are up and off of the bottom, Panoptix w/Livescope is going to reveal those fish to me, 20, 30, 40 feet away and it is also going to tell me in which direction they are from me.

The one problem with this aspect of the Livescope is the fact that Devils Lake fish are so bottom oriented and often times are belly down, glued to the bottom. We catch so many Perch whose bellies are rubbed red from being belly down in the mud. Those fish aren’t showing up on Livescope, or any other electronic device for that matter.
Panoptix w/Livescope is going to run you roughly $3500-$3700!! ( one can buy a full setup for 2500$) That is a pretty good punch in the fiscal gut. You can generally pick up an FL-28 for $650-750. While neither of these amounts are chump change, for a 3rd of the price and getting actually a more effective unit; the verdict I think is pretty obvious:
The Vexilar is still king!!!!
https://devilslakefishingreport.com/2020/01/22/tuesday-versus-vexilar-vs-panoptix-livescope/

 

[Captain Ahab]

I robbed the battery out of my flx-28 for something else and it’s been sitting on my work bench for the last 18 months. I’m not a deep water perch fisherman though so it may work better for old Cootkiller.

 

[snow]

Well for starters,it helps locating pods of fish,then having electronics once fish are located how they react to your presentation to help ya catch,sure beats drilling a hole and hoping for the best unless thats your intentions,get away from the house and swell some beer w/o the ole lady naggin on ya then once fish come in to your bait but don't bite makes ya wonder if said fish was a carp,sucker or whatever.... today icefishing is much like open water fishing if ya have the tools, when I was a kid my dad wore me out icefishing not catching a thing,chizzel a hole and stare at a bobber all day,mom put baked potators hot in my pockets to keep me warm,today we have electronics to locate fish/structure,special augers that burn through ice like a hot knife thru butter and the art of being mobil to locate fish and stay on them as they move.

So you're set up and u can tell what size and species is down there. How is that an advantage? I haven't been able to see the point for ice fishing.

Besides moving and locating schools of fish.

 

[guywhofishes]

what drives me bat$hit crazy is those days (common it seems) that one effing size/color works - and damn near nothing else does - or at least not nearly as well

so you almost have to have 3-4 of every color/size or you'll risk having one of those maddening days when that one crank is gold... and you'll lose it to a gator or it will fall apart from too much damage and then you're effed

 

[snow]

Haha #guythathasbadluck rule #1 never buy just one of the same kind lure just for the reason you stated,plus if your catchin your buddy will want the same lure or at least mine do.I also believe your favorite lure is the one you use the most

what drives me bat$hit crazy is those days (common it seems) that one effing size/color works - and damn near nothing else does - or at least not nearly as well

so you almost have to have 3-4 of every color/size or you'll risk having one of those maddening days when that one crank is gold... and you'll lose it to a gator or it will fall apart from too much damage and then you're effed

 

[guywhofishes]

oops wrong thread - sorry guys

 

[BRK]

Fishing with a panoptix is no different than fishing with a flasher for the first time. Yeah, it's a little bigger and heavier, but the more you use it the easier the setup and understanding of it becomes. I heard all the "bulk" comments, but when i saw it the first time i was expecting something much bigger than it is. After you've set it up 10 times you'll be doing it 10x faster than the first time and refining your processes as you go.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Just saw this vid that must have been posted in the last day or so.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0wMBz6fSrUs

 

[shorthairsrus]

i have one guy in my house with a 28 and another bud sitting in a house about 8 feet away ----- meanwhile my daughter has a black and white aqua view. She is changing out her lure until she finds the right one that the perch bite on and hold onto.

the guy with the vex 28 changes his lure/bait to hers and then finally catches one (she is up on him 10 fish by now). Then he catches a few and then goes to me see my vex its getting me the fish (fucker brags up the vex which in turn sends shit to my bird so it screws up my sonar). I am like whatever bud. --- the buddy with a garmin says i see them on the scope i think they are over by you. I look at em - yup --- look at the fckn video screen (20 perch on it-- just hangin out getting some wax action) . She has 15 fish in the house by then.

- - - Updated - - -

PS I took a vid of that day posted it on FB --- a gizzlian hits from sconnys --- we were not on dl - but i posted it as being so -- oh god the sconnys and sotas seen that screen and they were like sharing it and getting all gitty and stuff

 

[Wags2.0]

i have one guy in my house with a 28 and another bud sitting in a house about 8 feet away ----- meanwhile my daughter has a black and white aqua view. She is changing out her lure until she finds the right one that the perch bite on and hold onto.

the guy with the vex 28 changes his lure/bait to hers and then finally catches one (she is up on him 10 fish by now). Then he catches a few and then goes to me see my vex its getting me the fish (fucker brags up the vex which in turn sends shit to my bird so it screws up my sonar). I am like whatever bud. --- the buddy with a garmin says i see them on the scope i think they are over by you. I look at em - yup --- look at the fckn video screen (20 perch on it-- just hangin out getting some wax action) . She has 15 fish in the house by then.

- - - Updated - - -

PS I took a vid of that day posted it on FB --- a gizzlian hits from sconnys --- we were not on dl - but i posted it as being so -- oh god the sconnys and sotas seen that screen and they were like sharing it and getting all gitty and stuff

you are Kevin Malone reincarnated. God bless you

 

[Enslow]

I like to have a slip Bobber rig ready when new technology meets sausage fingers.

 

[Captain Ahab]

I will say that a Vexilar with a lithium ion battery is an incredibly light, portable tool. Probably is still king of target separation and real time as well.

 

[johnr]

I enjoy setting up my portable, and eating soup whilst listening to my iPod

 

[snow]

Hey capt,let's here your report from big windy and live scope if your back yet...

 

[Nmariner]

Separation seems to be more dependent on bottom composition than anything. If you are fishing rocks or uneven bottom, you are going to have more issues with bottom sep. Flat bottom it seems ok with standard Panoptix and quite good with Livescope. I can't say I've seen a 10" lift to see my jig unless I'm fishing rocks or breaklines.

A coworker has panoptix and said there is a setting that will turn the color of the bottom brown. Cant recall what the setting is called.

 

[pluckem]

A coworker has panoptix and said there is a setting that will turn the color of the bottom brown. Cant recall what the setting is called.

Its called bottomfill, but one has to realize its just another filter that might make the screen less cluttered, but that also means the screen isn't showing maximum detail.

I could see it being ok to used if chasing Bluegills, Crappie, Salmon/trout but when after bottom hugging eyes/perch I would rathe rget all the details and decide for myself what is bottom and what is fish