Fish Finder

[beachmover9879]

What Fish Finder is everyone using? Looking for something with GPS as well. Finally ordered kayak that's worthy of outfitting it with fishing gear.

[Jim McFalls]

I've been using a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI for the past 6 years and I love it. I just replaced the power cable and battery because I was having some issues there. Sadly, this unit is no longer made. I think the Hook series replaced it. The small size of the Elite 4 is perfect for my Revo.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[J.A. Veil]

You can find basic FF/GPS units for a few hundred dollars and other more advanced and complex units costing $2000 or more. Before diving in too fast, it may pay to use the Snaggedline search feature to learn what types of units have been discussed here before. One important consideration is what you want your electronics to do for you. Depending on where you fish, how you fish, how deep the water is, and other factors, all or most of your needs may be met by a $300 machine. If you feel that you need more advanced features like down scan, side scan, large screens, etc. you can research machines from $300 to $1000. Few kayakers need to spend more than that, but some do.

There are quite a few reputable brands out there (Lowrance, Garmin, Hummingbird, Raymarine, and others). If you stick with one of them you should do alright. Like most other consumer products, owners often have brand loyalty. They will tell you that their brand is the best. So don't just listen to one person's advice -- get several opinions. The marine electronics industry continues to be a rapidly evolving sector. A unit that was near the top-of-the line 3 years ago may be discontinued this year. You can buy leftover but new stock of the older unit and get a good value.

[brianisoutside]

I am using a hook 5


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[john from md]

I use a Humminbird Helix 5 in my big yak and a Piranahmax 4 in the small yak. Both have given me no problems and lots of fish.

[CHOC]

I'll sell you a Helix 5 with side imaging that's brand new for a great price. PM me. I have two of the same unit. Don't need the spare.

[ronaultmtd]

I have two units...Hummingbird 798 with side scan on Daughter’s Compass...and the Hook2-7 TS on my Outback...both work. The Hook2 is “user friendly”...meaning you don’t need a four year college computer programming degree to use it effectively. Plug it in and go fishing...well, almost...I setup a custom screen option and then it is plug it in and go fishing. After having small screen units that were hard to see, I went with the seven inch screen...had this Hook2 unit for two years of hard use. If you go with side scan feature...I would highly recommend a larger screen than five inches...and don’t discount side scan...in shallow water it is my most used feature- I find it especially useful in finding structure and fish. You have the zoom feature to set the width of side scan to casting distances..and cutting the distance coverage greatly enhances the details you see on the screen...I usually set mine for fifty feet on each side...any Fishfinder is a tool...it does make you a better informed fisherman If you know what information you are seeing on the screen...water temperature, speed, map are all pretty straight forward...but bait balls, different species of fish, debris, rocks, dropoffs, downed trees, stumps, sunken boats...mud flats, sandy bottoms all have distinctive signatures...

[mike o]

I have an elite 4 that i'm not using and would be willing to sell.

[Oldbayrunner]

In today's realm of fishfinders brand is a matter of personal preference. If your comparing apples to apples they all are very close. How you use a fishfinder on a kayak for some may be very different then how someone else uses one, so one first needs to figure how advanced they would like to become with their usage and have the features available to learn. How big a screen depends on how well you want to see your imaging, especially if you want to run multiple screens at the same time. The difference between entry, mid and upper models in imaging can be huge so that can be a consideration on if the price is worth it to you or not..... So my advise would be to go somewhere like Cabelas or Bass Pro, play with the different brands and models then make a decision on what your think will work for you.

[john from md]

That's good advice.