Depth/Fish Finders

[NortonJoe]

Ok all of my fellow Kipawa junkies....looking for a reasonably priced depth/fish finder to put on the boat up in Kipawa/Lake Watson for the week.  What are your thoughts?

[RHYBAK]

Joe
What are you looking for?
Just fishfinder?

No GPS?

If it's just a fishfinder then buy whatever is in your budget.
Garmin, Hummingbird, Lowrance.....they are all good

If you go with a GPS, whatever you buy in the US will not have Canadian lake mapping.
It will cost you another 150 to buy a lake map SD card

[NortonJoe]

Just fish finder no GPS.

[T-Bone]

This is highest rated for portable. My old Eagle Cuda was good, but I don't even think they make it anymore.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/garmin-striker-4-portable-fishfinder-and-gps-plotter?irclickid=SJB2%3A7VxAxyIUoxTyMXa6T%3AYUkD0xqXlWUlXww0&irpid=2238339&irmpname=Your%20Bass%20Guy&irsharedid=&cm_soc=AFF&irgwc=1&hvarAID=impact 

[puckster_guy]

This is highest rated for portable. My old Eagle Cuda was good, but I don't even think they make it anymore.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/garmin-striker-4-portable-fishfinder-and-gps-plotter?irclickid=SJB2%3A7VxAxyIUoxTyMXa6T%3AYUkD0xqXlWUlXww0&irpid=2238339&irmpname=Your%20Bass%20Guy&irsharedid=&cm_soc=AFF&irgwc=1&hvarAID=impact

good o0ne. I got one for my tin can. Worked great but I couldn't get it to draw maps. GPS is good.

[fishtildark]

Joe, just bought a Humminbird piranhamax portable, and assume you may need portable too. Was tough to find in stock . It replaces my old humminbird portable that ran on 2 6 volt.  No frills but all i really need is depth, the fish symbols are a bonus but not sure if we catch any of the fish we spot. Fish til dark..

[Jay Thomas]

Hi Joe,

Just my 2 cents. Everybody has different requirements - just make sure any new purchase satisfies your requirements.

While you didn't specify your budget, I'd recommend buying a fish finder that you don't require a magnifying glass to read. The display on the Garmin Fish Striker 4 (referenced by T-Bone) measures 1.9 inches by 2.9 inches (3.5 inches diagonally). Pretty darn small! Approximate cost is $200.

If you were to step up to a 5 inch diagonal fish finder with a display of 2.6 inches by 4.3 inches, cost is approximately $400 (e.g. Garmin Vivid 5 CV)

If you were to step up to a 7 inch diagonal fish finder with a display of 3.4 inches by 6.1 inches, cost is approximately $550 (e.g. Garmin Vivid 7CV)

In my opinion, sonar units are investments in fishing pleasure. And sonar units can have long lives. Indeed, I purchased my Lowrance HDS 7 in 2009.

Good luck with your purchase.

Jay

[RHYBAK]

I WOULD EVEN SUGGEST THIS MODEL

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/lowrance-hook2-4x-bullet-gps-plotter-fishfinder-with-all-season-pack

[GregL]

I WOULD EVEN SUGGEST THIS MODEL

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/lowrance-hook2-4x-bullet-gps-plotter-fishfinder-with-all-season-pack

That's a great deal! Good find.. I was going to suggest a 5 or 7" helix but they are more expensive.