With advancements in technology, forward facing sonar has become a huge tool for finding fish. Guides, tournament fishermen, and the everyday angler can take out a live sonar unit and go out to a basin or flat, and look out 100 feet to easily find fish.
However, once you find the fish, you’ll want to switch to a traditional flasher such as the Vexilar. The simple fact is that a basic flasher is a much more efficient tool to hole hop than forward facing sonar units such as the Garmin, especially considering that the transducer alone weighs more than most flashers. Therefore, this is a tool for locating fish, eliminating the need to drill 150 or 200 holes but not the best option for catching fish.
Although forward facing sonar makes you more efficient at finding fish, your traditional flasher is more essential when it comes to actually catching them.
Using these two systems in tandem are key to finding more success on the ice.
