Fish Finder ( I am in the market for one )

[tufnik]

I use the Piranha Max 170 FF using the wet box install. So it now shoots-through-the-hull, but the fish isn't detected on the screen anymore. Does the Elite work well through the hull?

[Grady-Black]

I use the Piranha Max 170 FF using the wet box install. So it now shoots-through-the-hull, but the fish isn't detected on the screen anymore. Does the Elite work well through the hull?

Yes, it works very well Tufnik, I use the wet well/duct seal also and it works great!
GB

[HokieDJ]

On the Elite 4, How do you know you are using the Gold Maps on the SD card or the standard maps provided with the FF?

Also, Do you get a lot of noise? If I'm in open water, it looks like it should be working. When It's next to the pilings, it goes nuts and shows all kinds of garbage. I'm interested in your settings so I can tune it.

[Grady-Black]

When I select Lowrance in the map setup I get no contour lines, when I select Navionics, i get contour lines.

I have my sensitivity set to about 73% I do get some surface noise, especially when paddling but I like the detail at that setting.

http://www.lowrance.com/Root/Lowranc...-10161-001.pdf

[c-villefisherr408]

Mark 4s the way to go especially for a kayak. U lose color but colors not really necessary. U get a gps fish finder for 200 bucks cant be beat

[J.A. Veil]

For what it is worth, the latest Bass Pro Shops sales flyer advertises some very low prices on Lowrance (some only on Black Friday -- others throughout next weekend). The Elite 4 DSI unit is on sale for $249.99, and the Elite 5 DSI unit is on sale for $399.99. The Elite 4X is on sale for $169.99, and the Elite 4 Combo with map card is $299.99.

They also have two entry level black and white Hummingbird units on sale. The PiranhaMAX 170 is on sale for $69.99. The PiranhaMax 150 is on sale for $59.99.

I am not promoting Bass Pro Shops over other vendors, but those prices are quite low if you want one of those units.

[c-villefisherr408]

I work there lol the 4x is reg price the x in the title indicates no gps i cant stand down scan cuz i wanna be able to see the fish clearly. Mark 4 i still believe is the way to go. The elite 4 with fishin hot spots i think is what will come with it is pretty sweet

[c-villefisherr408]

Mark 4=pretty much exactly the same as elite 4 minus 100 bucks and color. Fish finder/gps for 200 bucks cant be beat

[tufnik]

Thanks for the heads up on the Mark 4. Will look at it.

Hey, any issues with the DSI? Worth it?

[c-villefisherr408]

Doesnt show fish very well. Thats the only negative ive really heard of. If ya wanna see fish go sonar if ya wanna see structure go dsi

[Addison]

Yeah this is good way to fish finding i am also a fish finder and i am finding fieshes on Kayak by Kayak fish finding camera and this si good for he catc hthe fishes from those places where the enterance of boat is not possible so this is good way ton fish finding on Kayak but you must be a experience person before to ride on Kayak

[wfauby]

I have a small Humminbird Pirahna that someone gave to me and I love it...the best $80 i never spent. I didnt have much hope in it being much help due to its size but its great. I am a former amatuer bass tourney angler and i can honestly say this little unit has caught me more fish than any i had on my fiberglass boats. My .02 cents is rig up the tranducer so it is directly in the water...never was a fan of shoot-thru-hull but many here are...my transducer is attached to a small diameter piece of pvc attached to the side of my yak. As far as DSI vs Sonar i concur with a post above...dsi shows structure great but not the fish..sonar shows fish & structure but requires a little more interpretation and you dont know if the object is directly below or to one side. You can google or bing search for images/videos of dsi screen shots and see what i/we mean about showing structure well. At any rate, check out your options and get what works best for you. Good luck

[c-villefisherr408]

The elite 4 with chip the chip is specifically for lakes also. Id go mark 4 or elite 4 any day for kayaks

[c-villefisherr408]

Now the reg elite 4 has a adhanced base map that has the bay and the entire east coast. Adhanced base map shows contour lines bouys channel markers etc.

[ComeOnFish]

Past five years, I went through following inexpensive basic FF:

1 Eagle
5 Hummingbird 170 (Two went bad eventually but three were defective. Got the money back for three from Dicks)
2 Lowrance x4 (One is still working for a year)
1 Lowrance x4 Pro (It is still working for a year)

4 units stopped working in a few weeks after submerged in the water - My kayaks got turtled or I forgot to remove the FF during the self rescue practice. It was my fault.

About the reading on these inexpensive basic units:
• Like all other unit, I needed to adjust the default setting, such as contrast and noise filter
• Once turning the FISH ID mode off, I needed to learn to interpret the images. I can tell WP, Croaker and striper by looking at the images. I still can’t tell clearly a bait ball from other unknown noises
• Depth reading is good.
• Temperature reading is good most of time, especially during night and cloudy days
• The only issue I have these unit is that the unit displays black screen when I am close to the pilings/walls because sonar picks up pilings and wall as bottom structure. So I keep the distance from the piling\wall before I drop the lure
• I have no issues with wet transducer well made of Duct Seal

I almost forgot to tell this - Currently I own three kayaks
Joe