Best Ice Fishing Fish Finder for the money 2022
Ice fishing is a great way to get out of the house during those long winter months. But it’s not as easy as putting on your ice fishing bibs, using a hand auger, drilling a hole, putting your line in the water and catching a fish. You need to know the terrain under the ice, the depth of the water and if there are any fish in your location. This can all be seen with an ice fishing fish finder.
They are built specifically to help you locate and catch fish while ice fishing. They send out a sonar that then bounces off of objects under the ice and that data is then sent back to the fish finder and that information is then displayed on the screen for the angler to see. This helps you to find out how deep the water is, if there are any obstructions under the water, but more importantly, it will show you if there are any fish in your location.
Using a tool like this in conjunction with to good ice fishing rod and reel combo, you can truly destroy the fish in even the coldest of months. More often than not people will ask questions like, “What is the best ice fishing sonar?”, “What is the best fish finder for ice fishing?”, and “What is the best portable fish finders for ice fishing?”
If you’re on the market for the best fishfinder for ice fishing, here’s our list of the top 5 ice fishing fish finders for the money in 2022.
Enjoy our Ice Fishing Fish Finder Reviews
Image | Name | Top Choices | Latest Pricing |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | 1. Humminbird ICE-35 Three Color Flasher | Our Favorite | Amazon |
![]() | 2. Vexilar FL-8se Genz Pack with 19 Degree Ice Flasher – GP0819 | Premium Pick | Amazon |
![]() | 3. Vexilar FLX-28 Ice ProPack II Locator with Pro View Ice Ducer | Great Value | Amazon |
![]() | 4. MarCum Flasher System M1 Flasher System, Black/Red | Amazon | |
![]() | 5. MarCum Flasher System M3 Flasher System, Black/Red | Amazon |
Pricing of these Portable Fish Finders for Ice Fishing Range Between $230-$750
Humminbird ICE-35 Three Color Flasher Review
The Humminbird ICE-35 can instantly find the lake bottom and has no trouble detecting even the smallest of fish. It’s made specifically for ice fishing and the folks over at Humminbird have really done their research on what their customers want. This ice fishing fish finder comes with extreme temperature LCD technology, so you know it’s going to withstand the cold.
You can also choose how the returns appear by editing the viewing options. The screen has a backlight which allows it to work really well in low light conditions. The Humminbird ICE-35 has a customizable sonar function, allowing you to toggle the double beam sonar for both wide and narrow searches. You can also view the history, which means that you can determine what has been turning fish away and what has been encouraging them to bite. It has a zoom feature which is fully adjustable and a 200 ft depth capacity.
The cords in this ice fishing fish finder sometimes come loose, particularly the transducer cord as it’s not a very snug fit. This Humminbird ice fishing depth finder is also double corded, meaning there is a higher chance of the cords getting tangled and even with the foam support system the cord seems to be able to unwind itself.
These are just small annoyances with the product that can be fixed easily. Overall this ice fishing fish finder has a lot of really useful features, including one that rejects noisy frequencies. A nice feature that allows you to avoid this nuance common in similar products.
Pros
- Detects small fish
- Made specifically for ice fishing
- Multiple viewing options
- Double beam sonar
- Frequency rejection
Cons
- Cords prone to loosening
- Cords can tangle
Vexilar FL-8se Genz Pack with 19 Degree Ice Flasher – GP0819 Review
The Vexilar Genz 19 Degree Ice Flasher is a great little flasher for ice fishing, it’s really one of the best fish locators for ice fishing. Named ‘Genz’ after Dave Genz, who helped to design the multi-functional holding case with a universal transducer holder system, it comes all set up and ready to ice fish with a 12-volt, 7-amp hour battery and charger.
It has a very bright LED screen and uses a traffic light system for targets. Green for weak, orange for medium, and red for strong. It also has 6 depth ranges of 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, and 120 feet. It comes with an instructional video, so you don’t have to go searching the internet for “how-to” videos.
This ice fishing fish finder is designed very thoughtfully, with easy access to the battery and a design that allows it to fit perfectly onto a 5 gallon drum meaning its one of the best fishfinder for ice fishing. However, while it does come with interference rejection settings, you will be playing with these a lot if there is another flasher nearby.
This fish finder does not have zoom capabilities, but it is very good at picking up even the smallest fish in the water and has pre-drilled holes if you want to add accessories. It’s compatible with the full line of Vexilar products, including the Ice-Ducer transducer, which would be a powerful addition to this fish finder. It might be the best vexilar for the money.
Pros
- Great design
- Multi-functional holding case
- Bright LED screen
- 6 depth ranges
- Easy battery access
- Fits on 5 gallon drum
Cons
- Interference rejection interface not easy to use
- No zoom option
Vexilar FLX-28 Ice ProPack II Locator with Pro View Ice Ducer Review
The Vexilar FLX-28 locator and transducer is something of a titan ice fishing fish finder, as it comes packed with many features. There are the five different color palettes to choose from, so you can adjust accordingly as visibility conditions change.
It has two separate zoom zones as well as different power options for fishing in very shallow water. You can even switch between the day and night setting on the display for ideal brightness. A bit of an odd quirk for this fish finder is that when you are in shallow water you must be in low power mode, but this alone is not enough to change our opinion on it overall.
There are five different depth ranges included with this fish finder, starting at 10 feet and maxing out at 300 feet. The display shows digital depth and has auto ranging technology making it one of the best ice fish locators. The Vexilar FLX-28 comes with instructional DVDs, and even a demo mode so you can see what the screen should look like when you’re fishing.
Pros
- Five color palettes
- Two separate zoom zones
- Different power options
- Five depth ranges
- Demo mode
Cons
- Must me in Low Power mode in shallow water
MarCum Flasher System M1 Flasher System, Black/Red Review
The MarCum M1 flasher definitely isn’t the most up to date on the market, but it gets the job done and has some strong points when compared to other, more expensive options. It can separate targets down to 2 inches, even bottom hugging fish that some other flashers may miss.
It has adjustable depth ranges allowing you to see the bottom of the lake clearly as well as small fish. It has a 20 degree transducer and 1000 watts of peak to peak power. The 20 degree with a bottom lock zoom that allows you to focus on the water column bottom.
One feature I would have liked to see on the M1 is a battery display so that I am able to gauge the amount of battery life remaining. However, I was impressed that the MarCum M1 Flasher System comes with a 3 Stage Automatic charger for the 12 volt, 7 amp battery, it’s one of the best ice fishing fish finders.
Lastly, the MarCum M1 has anti-interference technology meaning that fishing in a group isn’t going to affect you, and you won’t affect the others around you, as it is a 6 level rejection system.
Pros
- Can separate fish down to two inches
- Can see small fish and lake bottom clearly
- 3 Stage Automatic Charger
- Anti-interference with 6 level rejection
Cons
- No battery display
- Not as detailed as other, newer models
MarCum Flasher System M3 Flasher System, Black/Red Review
The MarCum M3 Flasher produces high quality imaging. It can separate targets down to 1 inch, even bottom hugging fish that some other flashers miss. It has an ‘infinitely’ adjustable zoom, adjustable depth ranges, and crisp color allowing you to see the bottom of the lake clearly along with any and all fish in your area.
It has the highest resolution display of any flasher on the market, so if clear images are what you’re after then the MarCum M3 Flasher is just what you are looking for and we hope our ice fishing sonar reviews helped you to understand this.
This flasher comes with a 20 degree ice inducer and selectable depth ranges from 20-160 degrees. It has 2000 watts peak to peak output power and an 8ft transducer cable. Another nice feature of this flasher is the 3 stage automatic battery charger for its 12v, 9amp battery.
Although there is an automatic battery charger, I would still prefer to have a battery indicator light included. It also comes with MarCum’s 12 level interference rejection system.
Pros
- Automatic battery charger
- Can separate targets down to 1 inch
- Infinitely adjustable zoom
- High resolution display
- Interference rejection with 12 levels
Cons
- No battery indicator light