Fish Finder - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Schmalzy88 · 03-22-2014, 07:08 PM

What is a decent fish finder for a beginner thats not going to break the bank? looking for something less than $150 (including the battery and extra rigging junk i need). any mounting suggestions would also be appreciated

YakDout · 03-22-2014, 07:29 PM

You won't find anything decent in your price range. Especially if you're looking for all mounts, batteries, cables, transducer to come with unit. I imagine if you do somehow find something in your price range, you needing an upgrade very soon. Just my opinion. Do research before buying, as with anything else.

LawDog · 03-22-2014, 08:37 PM

Lowrance 4x is pretty cheap, there are also the cheap brands like echo and garmin. You can get a small basic black and white unit for around $100 and battery will run about 30. If you want a waterproof battery that's about 90 or build yourself for about 60-70. If you fish a lot just give in and drop the extra $$ on a color unit. GPS isn't a necessity but a nice freature. Look on craigslist. Just keep in mind a ff doesn't really find fish. You find structure and bait and reading it gets easier with a larger, higher resolution color screen.

Go to west marine or bass pro and take a gander at what they have. Take your sunglasses (polarized) to see how the screen looks at different angles.

Schmalzy88 · 03-23-2014, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LawDog

Lowrance 4x is pretty cheap, there are also the cheap brands like echo and garmin. You can get a small basic black and white unit for around $100 and battery will run about 30. If you want a waterproof battery that's about 90 or build yourself for about 60-70. If you fish a lot just give in and drop the extra $$ on a color unit. GPS isn't a necessity but a nice freature. Look on craigslist. Just keep in mind a ff doesn't really find fish. You find structure and bait and reading it gets easier with a larger, higher resolution color screen.

Go to west marine or bass pro and take a gander at what they have. Take your sunglasses (polarized) to see how the screen looks at different angles.

cool thanks for the info. i was looking at the lowrance 4x or 5x. im hoping to figure out how to install it without drilling any holes in the yak. looking on youtube currently for ideas. probably going to buy new as opposed to craigslist cuz i just dont know what a used model has been thru. mostly looking to find the structure below me so that i can match my tactics to the area and target the right species. i dont use sunglasses because i wear regular glasses and dont have prescription sunglasses yet.

alanw · 03-23-2014, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schmalzy88

i dont use sunglasses because i wear regular glasses and dont have prescription sunglasses yet.

Do yourself a favor and drop by Walgreens and pickup a pair of clip on sunglasses for your prescriptions. They're about $15.

LawDog · 03-23-2014, 07:48 PM

If your yak doesn't have a scupper mount for in the water mounting, then just goop the xducer on the inside of the haul. Just get no water temp and reduced depth. There are other options but generally cost money and some time ane effort. Goop in haul takes just a few mins to set and 24hrs to cure

Schmalzy88 · 03-24-2014, 03:21 PM

I believe I have a plan of action for my fish finder setup. Going to purchase a lowrance x4 and all the other necessary parts. I'll post a thread in the innovations section whenever I get the time for the build.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

03-22-2014, 07:08 PM	#1
Schmalzy88 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Bellflower, Ca. Posts: 122	Fish Finder What is a decent fish finder for a beginner thats not going to break the bank? looking for something less than $150 (including the battery and extra rigging junk i need). any mounting suggestions would also be appreciated

03-22-2014, 07:29 PM	#2
YakDout Brandon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,345	You won't find anything decent in your price range. Especially if you're looking for all mounts, batteries, cables, transducer to come with unit. I imagine if you do somehow find something in your price range, you needing an upgrade very soon. Just my opinion. Do research before buying, as with anything else.

03-22-2014, 08:37 PM	#3
LawDog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 143	Lowrance 4x is pretty cheap, there are also the cheap brands like echo and garmin. You can get a small basic black and white unit for around $100 and battery will run about 30. If you want a waterproof battery that's about 90 or build yourself for about 60-70. If you fish a lot just give in and drop the extra $$ on a color unit. GPS isn't a necessity but a nice freature. Look on craigslist. Just keep in mind a ff doesn't really find fish. You find structure and bait and reading it gets easier with a larger, higher resolution color screen. Go to west marine or bass pro and take a gander at what they have. Take your sunglasses (polarized) to see how the screen looks at different angles.

03-23-2014, 07:48 PM	#6
LawDog Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Posts: 143	If your yak doesn't have a scupper mount for in the water mounting, then just goop the xducer on the inside of the haul. Just get no water temp and reduced depth. There are other options but generally cost money and some time ane effort. Goop in haul takes just a few mins to set and 24hrs to cure

03-24-2014, 03:21 PM	#7
Schmalzy88 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Bellflower, Ca. Posts: 122	I believe I have a plan of action for my fish finder setup. Going to purchase a lowrance x4 and all the other necessary parts. I'll post a thread in the innovations section whenever I get the time for the build. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk