Best Ice Fishing Fish Finder of 2024

Choosing the best ice fishing fish finder can be challenging, especially for beginners. This guide aims to simplify the top fish finders on the market, so you can make a more informed decision on which ice fishing fish finder is best for you and your fishing style.

While you can’t go wrong with any of our top picks, there are some that are better built for different types of ice fishermen and different types of fish.

Humminbird Ice Helix 7 – The Best Overall Ice Fishing Fish Finder

Pros

• Dual screens that can show flasher, 2d sonar, maps
• Built in GPS makes finding fishing spots easy and convenient 
• Large, high detail, well lit screen makes it easy to see what’s happening below you

Cons

• Price
• Heavy

Overview

The Humminbird Ice Helix 7 is our top pick for the best overall ice fishing fish finder on the market, as well as the best fish finder for under $1000. The large, bright and detailed screen along with more features than you could ever use make this ice fishing fish finder a no brainer.

One of the best things about this fish finder is its year round capabilities. Once the ice fishing season comes to an end, you can still use it on the open water. Strap it to your kayak, pontoon, or boat and use it year round. Instead of having a separate fish finder for both ice fishing and open water, why not just get one that can easily do both?

Multiple frequencies and transducer beam angles make it easy to hone in on the fish, whether you’re fishing in shallow or deep water, or the top, bottom or middle of the water column.

The split screen allows you to view both flasher and traditional 2d sonar at the same time, which can come in handy. You can also pull up maps on one screen and your flasher on the other, letting you quickly find the water depth you’re searching for.

This unit is a bit on the heavier side with the standard battery it comes with, so consider upgrading to a light weight and stronger lithium battery.

Garmin Striker 4 Ice Bundle – The Best Ice Fishing Fish Finder for the Money

Pros

• Lightweight
• Inexpensive
• Long battery life

Cons

• Small screen size

Overview

The Garmin Striker 4 Ice Bundle is great for beginners and experienced fisherman alike. It is a great option for those looking for an inexpensive fish finder that is lightweight and loaded with features.

This fish finder is year round capable, which is one of the best things about it aside from the price. Because this unit is so lightweight, it makes a great fish finder for smaller boats, float tubes, pontoons and kayaks.

The built in GPS and waypoint marking make it super convenient to reach new fishing locations, as well as revisit old spots.

Vexilar FLX-30BB Ultra Pack Lithium with Broad Band Transducer

Pros

• Powerful
• Seven frequency settings allows you to get super targeted
• Day/Night settings

Cons

• Heavy
• Expensive

Overview

The Vexilar FLX-30BB is hands down the best ice fishing flasher on the market. If you prefer the traditional flasher style over the newer digital screens like the Humminbird Ice Helix, this is for you.

Vexilar is known for one thing: Ice Fishing Flashers. That’s what they specialize in and have been doing for years. And with the FLX-30BB, you get it all.

With the seven different sonar frequency settings and two transducer beam angles, you’ll be able to find and accurately target fish with ease. The 20 IR settings combined with the seven frequency settings gives you an unheard of 140 different interference rejection options.

The Vexilar FLX-30BB comes with a handy carrying case, custom tackle box, adjustable rod holder, and their exclusive broad band Ice-Ducer.

Vexilar FL-8SE

Pros

• Inexpensive
• Easy to use

Cons

• Only one beam angle and frequency

Overview

The FL-8SE is Vexilar’s base flasher unit. If you’re looking for a basic, inexpensive flasher built by one of the biggest names in ice fishing, this model is for you.

Although this fish finder only has one sonar frequency and one transducer beam angle, it will still work fine for the majority of applications. If you plan on fishing super deep water, targeting the bottom, there are other fish finders that will work better for you.

Garmin LiveScope Ice Fishing Bundle

Pros

• Powerful
• LiveScope lets you see schools of fish up to 200 feet away
• Preloaded LakeVü g3 maps
• Large, detailed screen

Cons

• Heavy
• Expensive

Overview

The Garmin LiveScope Ice Fishing Bundle is the most advanced fish finder on the market and comes with Garmin’s LiveScope technology. LiveScope allows you to see up to 200 feet around you below the ice. This allows you to see where the schools of fish are, so you can drill holes accordingly, and aren’t blindly walking around guessing where the fish might be.

LiveScope is a huge advantage and completely changes the game. One of the biggest challenges for ice fisherman is actually locating the fish. It’s not like open water fishing where you can freely scan the water in your boat.

Another great feature is the ability to create custom views that combine Panoptix sonar, maps or the flasher on your screen.

If you can afford it, the Garmin LiveScope is hands down the best ice fishing fish finder out there.

MarCum LX-9L

Pros

• Flasher/Underwater camera combo
• Large screen
• Year-round capable

Cons

• Heavy
• Expensive
• Only one sonar frequency

Overview

The LX-9L is the first sonar/camera combo unit and is Marcum’s most advanced and feature packed fish finder, coming with both sonar and an underwater camera, giving you the best of both worlds in one unit.

We listed the hefty price as a con, but it’s actually kind of a great deal when you consider that it’s a sonar/camera combo. If you’re new to the world of fish finders and underwater cameras and are looking at potentially getting both, consider going with the Marcum LX-9L.

Fish finders are a game changer, but so are underwater camera’s. They give you the ability to see how fish are actually interacting with your lure, so you can make adjustments to your fishing technique or change the lure.

MarCum LX-7L

Pros

• Large screen
• Year-round capable

Cons

• Heavy
• Expensive
• Only one sonar frequency

Overview

The Marcum LX-7L is basically the same as the LX-9L minus the underwater camera.

The large 8 inch screen with four vivid color palettes is one of the biggest pros of this fish finder.

Customize your screen to show any combination of range, gain, battery voltage, digital depth, interference rejection, or target adjust.

The multifaceted sonar display lets you customize your view to include things like vertical zoom, vertical water column, flasher, and horizontal graph displays.

Humminbird Ice 35

Spec

Pros

• Large display for a flasher
• Easy to use
• Inexpenive

Cons

• No carrying case
• Only two sonar frequencies

Overview

The Humminbird Ice 35 is a great entry level flasher built by one of the top companies out there.

This flasher is very comparable to the Vexilar FL-8SE in terms of features and price. It is slightly more expensive than the FL-8SE but comes with a few more features like an additional sonar frequency and transducer beam angle, giving you a little more control.

If you’re new to the world of ice fishing electronics or fish finders and would like to try one without spending an arm and a leg, the Humminbird Ice 35 might be your best option.

Humminbird Ice 55

Pros

• Large display for a flasher
• Comes with carrying case
• Inexpensive for what it is

Cons

• Only two sonar frequencies
• Heavy (13 lbs)

Overview

The Ice 55 flasher is Humminbird’s top, most feature rich flasher. It has a large 6-color fiber optic display with a backlit keypad which easily lets you see what’s going on and change settings regardless of lighting conditions.

For being Humminbird’s best flasher, it comes with a decently low price tag compared to other fish finders/flashers.

One of the only downsides to this unit is the weight. While it’s still very portable, coming in at 13 lbs, it might not be the best for ice fisherman that are always on the move.

What to Look for in an Ice Fishing Fish Finder

With so many brands and models of ice fishing fish finders on the market, it can be tough deciding which one to choose. There are so many factors like screen size and display, cone angle, portability, price, imaging, ease of use, etc. Below we’ll go over these factors so you can make an informed decision and purchase the right fish finder for you.

Screen Size / Display

This is one of the top deciding factors for a lot of people. Getting a screen and display that easily shows you what’s going on is probably the most important factor. If you can’t see the screen and constantly have to bend over or get close to your fish finder to tell what’s going on either because the screen is too small or too bright, that’s an issue.

If you can afford it, look for a fish finder with a large bright display like the Humminbird Ice Helix 7, Lowrance Hook Reveal 7, or Garmin LiveScope. If you can’t afford one of these models, fish finders with a 5 inch screen like the Ice Helix 5 or Garmin Striker Plus 5 will be suitable 

Most flashers like the Humminbird Ice 35 or Vexilar FLX have dials/displays of a similar size, so choosing a flasher really just comes down to features and ease of use more so than screen/display size.

Ease of Use

Lets face it, for most ice fisherman, a simple flasher with basic features and easy to adjust settings will be fine. But, for the more refined angler, you’ll want to pick up a more advanced and feature rich model like the Ice Helix 5 or 7 or the Garmin LiveScope.

Whichever route you choose to go, all of the top brands and products listed on this page have easy to use interfaces and most come with instruction manuals on how to use the unit and adjust settings. There are also tons of YouTube tutorials out there if you want to see it hands on.

Transducer Beam Angle

While many fish finders have transducers with multiple beam angles, some units come with a transducer with only one angle. Your beam angle can be very important depending on what type of fish you are targeting, water depth, and lakebed structure.

For instance, if you’re fishing in deep water for walleye that are sitting right on the bottom, you’re going to want a small narrow angle so you’re only picking up fish that are close to your lure. If you’re fishing shallow water, you’re going to want as wide of an angle as possible.

Be sure to check the transducer beam angle before buying and make sure it matches up with what type of fishing you typically do. As previously mentioned, a lot of fish finders come with multiple beam angles, but some, like Vexilar, may come with a 9 degree,12 degree, or 19 degree angle.

Battery Life

While you can always purchase a higher amp hour lithium battery, fish finders are already so expensive, so why do that when you can just choose a unit that has good battery life right out of the gate?

Most manufacturers do not list battery life, because it can vary so much depending on screen brightness, battery type, etc. But you can see how much power a unit draws by visiting the manufacturers website typically. 

Battery life should not be a huge deciding factor though, as most fish finders will last several trips without the battery dying. Another thing to note, fish finders with more features and bigger displays typically use up more battery, so if you’re after a big screen and a lot of features, don’t focus too much on battery life.

Frequency

Most fish finders have multiple frequencies typically in the 50-200 kHz range, which allows the unit to work well in both shallow and deep water. A low frequency is best for deep water, whereas a high frequency will work best in shallow water.

Look for a fish finder with dual frequencies for better ease of use, or if you really want to hone in on fish and get the most out of it, get a unit with multiple single frequencies.

GPS / Waypoints

Having a fish finder with a built in GPS can be a game changer. Especially on bigger lakes or places you’ve never fished before. Some units like the Ice Helix 7 will show you lake depth/contour so you can look for ideal spots to fish and see water depth before even drilling a hole.

You also have the ability to make waypoints so you can keep track of areas that you’ve fished easily find your way back to any “honey holes”.

FAQs

Ice Fishing Fish Finder vs Flasher: What’s the Difference?

A flasher is a type of fish finder, which has a dial showing what is being detected by real-time sonar data. Flashers are very simple to read and understand what you’re looking at, and are the “go-to” when it comes to ice fishing fish finders. With a flasher, you get to see what is happening directly beneath you with most flashers having a cone angle of anywhere from 8° – 20°, depending on what type of unit you get and what your settings are. This means you can see fish directly below you, or 5, 10, even 20 or more feet out to the side, depending on water depth and how wide your cone angle is.

Can You Use a Regular Fish Finder for Ice Fishing?

The short answer is yes. But it takes a bit of work to take it off your boat and use it out on the ice. You’ll need to figure out a container to transport it in, get a small portable battery, and get a foam float to use on the transducer cable. If you’re trying to pinch pennies, this can be an option, but fish finders made specifically for ice are highly recommended. They are better built for cold temperatures, are made to be portable and most have a foam float that comes with the transducer.

Do You Need a Fish Finder for Ice Fishing?

The better question is: do you want to catch a lot of fish? Because if so, a fish finder is a necessity for ice fishing. Fish finders have so many benefits, iit really doesn’t make sense to ice fish without one. Benefits include: knowing what depth of water you’re in, where the fish are in the water column, being able to see if there’s actually any fish or not, seeing when fish are approaching your lure. Without a fish finder, it’s all a guessing game. 

Example: You could be sitting on top of a school of fish not getting bites, but you wouldn’t know if you didn’t have a fish finder, and you’d move locations not knowing it was just your lure that needed to be changed. Or you could be sitting in a spot with no fish all day, but you keep trying different lures not realizing you just need to move locations.

What do Fish Look Like on a Fish Finder / How do you Read a Fish Finder?

On a typical flasher, the bottom of the dial indicates the bottom of the lake bed and the top will be the surface of the water. The space between the two is the water column. Your jig, or a fish, will simply show up on the dial as a line anywhere between the top and bottom. Put your jig in the water and let it fall and you’ll see the line move down as your jig descends. See a line randomly appear somewhere on the dial? That’s a fish. Quickly reel up (or drop down) to it and see if it bites.

What is a Transducer on a Fish Finder?

The transducer is what sends and receives real time sonar signals in the water. It connects to your fish finder and sits in the water. You can think of a transducer as the mouth and ears of a fish finder. It sends out signals and listens to what comes back, displaying the results on your fish finder screen.