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After two years of "on the water" kayak fishing experience, I have a set of "must have" features for my sonar unit-
First and foremost it must be a dual combo unit with a full featured GPS- the way I fish under the conditions I fish this is essential for safety and "fishability."
I am not impressed with the present state of the so-called DI units- much hoopla about it, but under actual use- nada- at least in my opinion- unit must have a clear easily seen, crisp display- color is nice but not essential- the features are much more important as is the ease of use- MUST be user friendly- not a geek unit for professional IT users with pages of confusing menus of options and variable settings. I prefer a 4 inch or larger display, but depending on how close it is mounted to the user, this is just a personal preference. It must have a water temp feature clearly displayed on the unit at all times- very important when you cross a temp change in waters to know that- must identify fish vs structure or debris. This is where I am not impressed by the DI units- Their ads don't equal what is seen on the boat- very disappointing when you have raised expectations of looking at an underwater television screen and you find out it is not- right now, I would not spend the extra money on a DI unit, unless it had every other feature you need.
The GPS has to be a full featured GPS with multiple way points, structure maps, overlays, etc. You will be surprised at how useful this is once you use it-especially in fog or reduced visibility of rain, darkness, etc. I find it especially useful when you get a hit trolling that you can come back to the exact same place and get other fish from the same school.
And finally the unit must be dependable and weatherPROOF- There are a lot of makes and models for sale- some are real great values and some are gold plated boat anchors. You can get a lemon from any manufacturer, so product service and warrantee service is paramount when making choices. Garmin, Navionics, Lawrence and Hummingbird are the major manufactures of these units and all have many price point models ranging from basic to professional- for my personal needs- (and wants) my unit is about middle of the road in price at about what most pay for an entry level kayak- it isn't for everyone, but it is a must have for me-
First and foremost it must be a dual combo unit with a full featured GPS- the way I fish under the conditions I fish this is essential for safety and "fishability."
I am not impressed with the present state of the so-called DI units- much hoopla about it, but under actual use- nada- at least in my opinion- unit must have a clear easily seen, crisp display- color is nice but not essential- the features are much more important as is the ease of use- MUST be user friendly- not a geek unit for professional IT users with pages of confusing menus of options and variable settings. I prefer a 4 inch or larger display, but depending on how close it is mounted to the user, this is just a personal preference. It must have a water temp feature clearly displayed on the unit at all times- very important when you cross a temp change in waters to know that- must identify fish vs structure or debris. This is where I am not impressed by the DI units- Their ads don't equal what is seen on the boat- very disappointing when you have raised expectations of looking at an underwater television screen and you find out it is not- right now, I would not spend the extra money on a DI unit, unless it had every other feature you need.
The GPS has to be a full featured GPS with multiple way points, structure maps, overlays, etc. You will be surprised at how useful this is once you use it-especially in fog or reduced visibility of rain, darkness, etc. I find it especially useful when you get a hit trolling that you can come back to the exact same place and get other fish from the same school.
And finally the unit must be dependable and weatherPROOF- There are a lot of makes and models for sale- some are real great values and some are gold plated boat anchors. You can get a lemon from any manufacturer, so product service and warrantee service is paramount when making choices. Garmin, Navionics, Lawrence and Hummingbird are the major manufactures of these units and all have many price point models ranging from basic to professional- for my personal needs- (and wants) my unit is about middle of the road in price at about what most pay for an entry level kayak- it isn't for everyone, but it is a must have for me-
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