Lowrance LMS-520c for ice fishing...

Hey everyone,

Over the summer I purchased a Lowrance LMS-520c for the boat and pretty much can't live without it on the water. GPS, mapping, graphing... what more can you ask for. I've been looking into getting the portable power pack for it and using it for the ice figuring that it'll work just as great on the ice AND it has a flasher mode to boot. My questions are... has anyone out there tried the same thing with a similar unit? Do the flasher modes work as well or better than a Vexlar? Would it be worth the money to spend the $170 for the power pack, or just look for a Vex for the winter? Help!

Thanks...

– Team Jighead

I'd disagree. In previous weeks I've learned to use my 522, and although I feel it works well, it isn't "real time" like a vex or Marcum. There is a small delay on the flasher mode when you move your jig up/down etc. Once you get used to that it's OK.

Thanks reelman. I'm sold.

reelman1,

Thanks for the input. I kind of keep hearing the same thing from guys who use the graph instead of the flasher. "You'll never go back to a flasher once you use the split-screen graph mode". Very encouraging since I've used a Vex before and though that was really great. So, does the flasher unit on the Lowrance work AS GOOD as a Vex unit? Just wondering because, like I said before, I thought the Vex did a real nice job. With just 1 day of practice I could tell by the color makings if I needed to pull up and put a new waxie on due to stolen bait. I'm really looking forward to the comparison between the two units. I've got my Lowrance portable pack on backorder and can't wait to try it out.

– Team Jighead

Thanks for all the info guys.

-Team Jighead

You can save about $100 if you make your own ice pack. I set my m68 on a marine box $10, bought a small 12 volt battery from cabelas $10, and bought a trolling motor/shoot thru transducer $45, also from cabelas. The thing works great, I started with the flasher mode, but the more I read on here, and tried on the ice, the regular sonar mode with a split screen to zoom in on the bottom works great, and the history is there to see so you don't have to stare at the flasher the whole time. You have to be a little creative with the transducer, the wire is too stiff to try to let it dangle, but once you figure it out, it really works great.

I have the 522 and I have yet to make it work right. I've only tried it a couple times, but I need to figure out how to set the sensitivity for the flasher unit. If I can get that mastered I think it'd be OK. I only paid $100 right from Lowrance.