Last night I had a good question forwarded to me through my pro staff page on Vexilar’s website.
The person had just gotten a new FL-20 flasher, either bought or as a gift, not sure which. Regardless the person wanted to purchase a transducer to mount on his electric trolling motor for use during that “other time of the year”. He was a walleye fisherman who routinely fished in depths ranging from 14 to 35 foot of water.
Here are some general rules of thumb that anyone can use in choosing the correct cone angle in their transducer, whether its a ice, high speed or puck. Anything less than 20 to 25 ft, the 19′ transducer would best serve your purposes. 12′ ducers work well from 25 to 60 ft of water, and anything deeper than that, your choice should be the 9′ ducer. Now if you go back and forth all the time, or use your boat for walleyes on Erie and then take it west to fish Lake Michigan for Salmon, you might want to choose the 9/19′ dual beam transducer.
My recommendation was for the 12′ puck ducer for mounting to the electric motor. Its the best overall, one beam transducer available for this person’s fishing activity. I also made him aware of the dual beam as another viable option.
If you have a flasher on your shopping list or gift card from Christmas burning a hole in your pocket and you aren’t sure about your options…email away or comment here, will do my best to answer your questions and direct you to the best possible place to make your purchase. good luck