fish finder or no finder

[EastSiideRyda]

How many kayak anglers are using them on this forum? And does it make that much of a difference in freshwater spots like the Potomac and lakes/creeks surrounding?

[plastic boat]

for shallow water it almost pointless. but for the deeper areas I like to use one.
I prefer a GPS/fish finder it is nice when plotting where I caught the fish and how deep or what they were holding over "Pattern"

[EastSiideRyda]

ok, when talking depth, how deep? more than 10 ft? I totally see the use in the bay, but what about the Potomac, Mattawoman Creek, etc?

[DOGFISH]

There are considerable depth differences in Mattawoman. Those differing depths could make a difference when wanting to work an edge, or choosing a lure. Also, on the upper Potomac, a 6' hole in a 3 or 4 foot flat area may make a difference. More information always seems to be good. I also like the GPS/Fishfinder combo.

[EastSiideRyda]

I've been eyeing a few combos myself.. It'll be my first, never used one. Looking to install either an Garmin 301dv, Lawrence 4hd, or humminbird 197c DI, but it's tough to get a decent priced scupper mount except for the lowrance

[Matt Eikenberg]

Electronics are extremely beneficial. Fishing a tidal fishery like Mattawoman, electronics will allow you to find the deeper pockets and creek channel where the fish are while the tide is going out or in the process of coming in. Drophotting is my favorite technique and without electronics I don't think I would use it. Being able to more effectively find hard bottoms, structure, ledges and bait can dramatically increase your catch rate. Fishing a tournament or fishing with friends, I never leave home without my lowrance elite 5 hdi. Can you catch fish without them? Absolutely! If you can afford it, they are great to have.

[EastSiideRyda]

OK Matt, explain the significant differences between the elite 4 and elite 5 hdi

[Matt Eikenberg]

The Elite 4hdi is a more compact unit. Great for kayaks. The elite 4,5 and 7 are the same unit. The only thing you are paying for at this point is screen size. I stand up a lot and that is the reason I went with the 5. If you utilize the split screen feature, the 4s screen just isn't big enough in my opinion.

[Turtle135]

For shallow fisheries like the Upper Potomac river I could get by without mine. You can either see the bottom or the tell tail signs on the surface of the water will give you a clue what is down there. On Maryland reservoirs, lakes and ponds they really add a ton of useful information in finding and patterning fish. I always have mine with me these days, even on the river, as water temperature adds another piece to the puzzle (I have my transducer in the water for an accurate water temp).

[Matt Eikenberg]

The elite 4 only has 2d sonar and has the chart plotter I believe. The hdi has 2d sonar, chart plotter and down imaging. The down imaging allows for better structure clarity. With 2d sonar it can be difficult to tell the difference between a fish holding on the bottom or actual structure. If I'm not using my plotter, I always have my 2d on with my down imaging. This allows me to cross reference between the two. 2d shows fish a lot more clear then the down imaging.

[Matt Eikenberg]

Turtle135 is one of the smartest anglers I know!

[Mark]

I do not have one. But when I am fishing with folks who have fish finders I often ask them how deep the water is. I re-visit many of the same local areas so I have stored much of the depth info in the data bank between my ears. I know approximately where the major holes, drop-offs and plateaus are in my local haunts. But frankly a few feet one side or the other could make a big difference in my catches. A fish finder would give me precision.

A major benefit of fish finders that I cannot store in my head is the GPS tracking information. Some of the nicer units allow you to precisely retrace productive paths. Also the feature that allows you to store tracking information from distinct trips can yield beneficial data for future use. Lastly knowing how far you traveled in a day has some intrinsic value, although it probably won't help you to catch fish. But it's nice to know.

Someday I will get one.

[Turtle135]

Turtle135 is one of the smartest anglers I know!

Thanks Matt, I am just an average fisherman who spends a lot of time on the water chasing bass

[Skidsteer]

I was new to depth finders this season and found mine very helpful. I mostly use the down image to tell whether I am on a big group of fish or whether I just got lucky and caught a loner. It helps to find the "center of mass" of the school so to speak when perchin in the summer (3-5 feet of water) - and then start catching cast after cast.

As mentioned - also good for trolling back over a spot where you just got hit - either by tracing your prior trail or marking the spot and trolling through it from different directions.

Based on my experience as a noob - I'd recommend something with down imaging. I think it's easier to learn how to read it.

Sorry I can't comment on freshwater uses.

[DanMarino]

I pretty much agree with Turtle135.

Mattawoman = No sonar unit. I'm fishing shallow and in the weeds/pads.
Upper Potomac or Monocacy River = No sonar unit. I'm fishing rocky areas and current breaks. No need.
Wilson Bridge Potomac River = Yes sonar unit.
Weems Creek, Severn River, South River = Yes sonar unit.
Rocky Gorge & Triadelphia Reservoir = Yes sonar unit.
Other lake/pond fishing = Yes sonar unit.

I use a very basic black and white Humminbird that I got off Craigslist for $20. It has helped tremendously.
Once the kids are out of college I'll upgrade to a unit that also has a chart plotter/mapping feature.