Fish Finder: Hook 4X or Humminbird HELIX 5 DI G2

[azmdted]

I'm in the market for a new fish finder and I'm thoroughly confused with the latest offerings. For the next couple years I'll only be out a half dozen times a year or so. I want good decent functionality, and I don't want or need a Mega.... For anyone who may have already done the same analysis, what do you think between a Lowrance Hook 4x or the Hummingbird Helix 5 DI G2? Or, at the upper end (for me) is the Helix 5 CHIRP DI G2 GPS really that much better? Is CHIRP worth the extra money for fishing the bridge bases and rockpile? I mainly just fish the Severn and under the Annapolis bridge so I don't think GPS is really important to me.

The other consideration is that I have a 2015 Hobie Outback and would really like to use the Lowrance transducer mount if possible. Can the Humminbird transducer fit there?

Thanks in advance,

Ted

[Seasalt]

Ironic that I have both hook 4 and Hummingbird Helix 5 DI CHIRP. But unfortunately, I have both rigged and never used it yet. I can chime in after several months.

As for rigging, I will say Lawrence has Hummingbird beat, even if it wasn't for rigging on a Hobie Outback which comes "Lawrence Ready". Couple things noted are:
* Lawrence instruction was better compared to Hummingbird
* Lawrence included a fuse while Hummingbird did not (extra cost)
* Lawrence wires were thicker and much longer compared to Hummingbird. Since I installed the battery on the rear hatch, for Hummingbird I had to buy a longer wire (extra cost).
* Lawrence insert into the Fishfinder were based on a rivet/twist caps and color coded. Hummingbird's wire ends were just normal electronic plugs.

I do have to admit, Hummingbird's screen was "prettier". . Maybe Hummingbird is a high maintenance pretty fishfinder... we will see...

[azmdted]

Thanks, that's useful. Do you have any sense on which one might be more waterproof? My old Mark 4 had a card slot on the bottom and I think corrosion there is what killed it. After posting the question above I realized that I can get the hook 4 at essentially the same price as the hook 4x since there's a $50 rebate on the 4.

Right now I'm leaning towards the Lowrance Hook 4 since I don't think there would be any added expense to setting it up in place of the Mark 4. I just can't find any head to head comparisons to see if the Humminbird is really that much better.

[RavensDfense]

I can add a little to this. I have had the Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp (DSI and Sonar) and currently own the Helix 5 SI. Like Seasalt said, the wires on the Lowrance are definitely better quality; as are the connectors. However the Helix does have "grooves" on the end of the connectors to guide them into place. The male end is also on the wire itself and not in the head unit, so if one breaks, you just need to replace the wire.

As far as the image goes, I would give the nod to the Helix. Aside from the side imaging, the traditional sonar and down imaging on the Helix required zero "fine tuning" out of the box. It was clear and crisp without the hassle of working through all the settings. Others may have a different experience but I have found the Lowrance units to be cumbersome when trying to make the image clear. Things like sensivity and thermaline were always an issue for me that didn't seem to occur with the Humminbird. I'm hoping the smaller wires and connectors aren't an issue because besides that I am very very pleased with the Helix 5.

Good luck in your decision.

[Seasalt]

I can add a little to this. I have had the Lowrance Elite 5 Chirp (DSI and Sonar) and currently own the Helix 5 SI. Like Seasalt said, the wires on the Lowrance are definitely better quality; as are the connectors. However the Helix does have "grooves" on the end of the connectors to guide them into place. The male end is also on the wire itself and not in the head unit, so if one breaks, you just need to replace the wire.

As far as the image goes, I would give the nod to the Helix. Aside from the side imaging, the traditional sonar and down imaging on the Helix required zero "fine tuning" out of the box. It was clear and crisp without the hassle of working through all the settings. Others may have a different experience but I have found the Lowrance units to be cumbersome when trying to make the image clear. Things like sensivity and thermaline were always an issue for me that didn't seem to occur with the Humminbird. I'm hoping the smaller wires and connectors aren't an issue because besides that I am very very pleased with the Helix 5.

Good luck in your decision.

Wow... that was helpful for me as well... thanks RavensDfense!

[azmdted]

Thanks guys. Seasalt: any chance you can take your boats out tonight and give me a report before I order one tomorrow

[Seasalt]

Thanks guys. Seasalt: any chance you can take your boats out tonight and give me a report before I order one tomorrow

That's funny because I almost went fishing this morning with my Revolution with Hummingbird. I will probably go tomorrow. I'll let you know my initial thoughts.

[Redfish12]

Any interest in a brand new lowrance hook 3x for $60?

[azmdted]

Any interest in a brand new lowrance hook 3x for $60?

Thanks for the offer, but I've already ordered the 4x. Good luck, hopefully somebody will jump on it.

[azmdted]

I thought I would reply back to the thread now that I've had the 4x for about a month. I absolute the love the Lowrance Hook 4x. I got it for about $180 delivered on sale at West Marine. I've had it out on the bay 4 times now and have come back with 2 rockfish 3 of the 4 times, and the other time I 'settled' for only one, but he was 32" so I was smiling.

Coming from the black and white Mark 4 I find the color absolutely essential in telling fish from the rest. The downscan sonar so far hasn't been of great use to me, but I keep it on anyway in split screen mode with the finder on the top and sonar on the bottom. This units ability to see and present fish is fantastic. It fit right into my previous Hobie Lowrance mounting kit and putting the transducer in the pre-configured transducer mount flush in the kayak is great. My only nit pick is that the cables that come from the battery have a red connector and the transducer with a blue connector, but the connections on the back of the display are both blue. You would think Lowrance would have made the power connector red to match the cable that plugs into it. Easy fix, an inch piece of blue electrical tape on one side of the unit and an inch piece of red on the other and I don't even have to look at the back of the finder to hook it up.

I took the suggestion of some on here and soldered a two wire trailer type connector to the battery and the end power wires. Great idea, easy and much more secure connection than the spade ones I had been using before.

I can't speak to the Humminbird, but for an under $200 fish finder the Hook 4x is perfect for my needs on my Hobie.