Flasher or Aqua-Vu?!?

[MTCOMMER]

Soooo.... I am looking to either buy a Vexilar/Marcum/anything kind of color flasher, OR an Aqua-Vu.  I have been looking at them online for a while now and I cant decide which one to get.  There are pros and cons to both.  The one thing I dont like about the Aqua-Vu is that you have to put the camera all the way to the bottom, where the vex is only in the hole.  I just would think (even though its shaped like a fish) it would keep some fish away.
My price range is around $250, so that doenst leave me too many options, but I can get a used one for $150-$250.  Same with the Aqua-Vu.

I would appreciate any insight on what to get.  I would be buying it out of season, this summer, just so I can get a better price.
WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS RECOMMEND?!
 

[Dan R.]

A flasher for sure all I run is a FL8 & it does the job

A camera can be useless in dark stain water

[101PROOF]

I would go with a Flasher for sure also.
I use the FL18
I did pick up a camra at manards yes manards! for $69.00 it's a small screen but works great. I also can hook it up to the big screen tv what is nice.

And like Dan said the camera is useless in dark stain water where your flasher is still working great.

[Jdrummer]

It really depends on what kind of fishing you plan to do? If you are just going to fish during the light hours and fishing pannies or whatever is down there a cam is amazing thing to have! Those big stubborn sunnies or craps that when they bite dont really have to hook in their mouths so a cam is a must in that situation. another situation is when you have lots of smaller fish biting before the bigger ones can get to it. ( you can pull the bait away and you can study what the fish want) It's also hard to tell the difference in size of fish on a flasher. They dont make aqua vu anymore and Marcum also went under this last year . I know the marcums vs vexilar is personal chioce, I have used both and they both are nice. I personally use a FL-12 . Never had a issue with it .

What do you mean "OFF" season? There is never a off season for a flasher!

[boogityn]

Flasher will show you the hole water colum. I picked up an underwater viewing system to inhance the fishing . I believe the flasher will help you put more fish on the ice.  

[MTCOMMER]

It really depends on what kind of fishing you plan to do? If you are just going to fish during the light hours and fishing pannies or whatever is down there a cam is amazing thing to have! Those big stubborn sunnies or craps that when they bite dont really have to hook in their mouths so a cam is a must in that situation. another situation is when you have lots of smaller fish biting before the bigger ones can get to it. ( you can pull the bait away and you can study what the fish want) It's also hard to tell the difference in size of fish on a flasher. They dont make aqua vu anymore and Marcum also went under this last year . I know the marcums vs vexilar is personal chioce, I have used both and they both are nice. I personally use a FL-12 . Never had a issue with it .

What do you mean "OFF" season? There is never a off season for a flasher!

Thats kinda where im in a bind, I would like to know what fish are down there, size, etc and that is the plus about the camera.  But the flasher is nice for, like boog said, for the whole water column. 

"Off season" - I figured the HOT time of year for flashers is ice fishing, they are more popular at theat time.  Thats why I assumed they might come down a lil in price during the summer months, or have a chance to get a better deal on Craigslist or something.  Still in the shopping process though...

I would mostly use it for walleyes, but also for panfish too, it really depends on what is biting.

Thanks for all your input! 

[The General]

I'd get a flasher in a heart beat.

[schwinger]

I'd get a flasher in a heart beat.

Agreed, I own both an Aquavu and a Vexilar. I wouldn't even consider buying the Aquavu over the vexilar if I had to do it again and could only do one.

[DDSBYDAY]

Camera is a fun toy.  It gives you something to do when the fish are not biting.  The flasher gives you so much info.  I would prefer this to my graph on the boat in summer as well as winter.  It is real time info.  Problem is in summer you are moving.  The flasher when stationary can not be beat.  We were talking about this at the Minnewaska get together.  Often the water is murky so you just see little bubbles and If you try to use the light you get the reflection off of the zooplankton and your image is worthless.  Go flasher for fishing.  Camera for checking out the bottom structure to help you read what your flasher is telling you.  I am pretty sure there are places that rent them. 

[Jdrummer]

Flasher now cam later.

[kenhuntin]

Flasher now cam later.

He is right flasher first (vexilar is first)then camera to positively identify the targets you see on the sonar.

[BiggA]

I would and do intend to buy a flasher over a camera first.However  I was fishing twice this year with other people who had flashers and the guys with vexilars had so much interference you could not decifer what was what and the guy with the marcum did not have this problem. Now the guys with the vex blamed it on the marcum causing the interference but I dont know what the deal was. Make sure you do some research.

[sjohnnie26]

Flasher. 

[HD]

I have both.....

But, I did (and would again) buy the vex first.
Even with the camera down, you just get pissed when you can accually see that they are down there...and everything in your arsenal, you throw down the hole, they snub thier nose at...and swim away! 

[7outof10]

first the vex then the cam lol time and a place for both !!!!!