best fish finder

[Harry Hill]

Who makes the best kayak fish finder. I see all this stuff hds and chirp but I have no idea what any of it means. So I'm looking to buy a good fishing finder that will work for rock fish and yellowtail and wsb. Do I want one that has GPS? Ease of use? I know there are going to be many opinions but I want to hear them. Do I need a 5" screen or will 4" be adequate? Is 7 overkill? I have tried using the search engine but I don't seem to find what I am looking for. Thanks in advance.

Harry

[ful-rac]

Bigger is better! I'm sure being an older guy, you will appreciate the larger screen. Adjustability is important! The new touchscreens are the way to go. HDS7 gen 2 or 3 will serve you well.

[King Saba]

Don't forget to factor in your budget lol!

[Murray]

Considering the environment we fish in, West Marine extended warranty is something you want to consider. 50/200 transducer is also something you want to investigate if you are fishing saltwater.

[YakDout]

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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[2-Stix]

Originally Posted by YakDout

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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x2

[maquinapescado]

One of my last trips fishing, way back in January (work and school over load), I was fishing with Summers in Kuwait (Todd). He did not have a fish finder at the time and I had a poorly working Elite 4. We caught 5 yellows in the 25-35# range.

Point being, the best FF on the market is only part of the equation. No FF out there make up for a lack of time on the water. Get out there, get out there and get out there.

On another note, I'm replacing my POS with a new Elite-5 Chirp because they were 300 with transducers and Nav. My rational for the purchase was price, reviews, word of mouth and the need for a new one that works. Buy warranty.

[alanw]

I started with a Lowrance X-4 black and white unit with no GPS and it got the job done just fine for $80. I did upgrade within a year though to a bigger Dragonfly 6 color unit with GPS and haven't felt the need to upgrade since. Save yourself a little bit of money on a future upgrade by getting the best unit that you can find on sale within your budget.

I'm not a fan of the Lowrance units with all the extra functionality like networking and engine monitoring capabilities built in because your paying extra for stuff you won't use unless you have a boat. I'd look for basic units with GPS, color, charts, and the older your eyes are and the further you plan on mounting it from your eyes the bigger the screen should be. If my DF6 dies I'll be looking at a 7" unit, maybe a new DF or the new Lowrance Hook-7 seems to be a good value.

[Lipripper92592]

Get the best you can afford.....min 5 inch.....I'd suggest the 7" models. The HDS 7 touch has treated me great for almost two years now. If you can't keep from dunking your ff when you come in...then get the warranty.
Once you have your FF.....put the manual next to the toilet and let that be your reading material for a week or so.
Not too many know how to properly set up their FF, it's fun watching people drop irons in the kelp thinking it's a monster school of yellows....... but I think I find myself doing the same from time to time..

[Baja_Traveler]

And spend a few bucks for a small tube of Dielectric grease and use it on your fish finder terminals. It will keep the salt water out and prevent corrosion, thus preventing premature finder failure.

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by Baja_Traveler

And spend a few bucks for a small tube of Dielectric grease and use it on your fish finder terminals. It will keep the salt water out and prevent corrosion, thus preventing premature finder failure.

I always have a tube of dielectric grease on hand, I use it for all my connections on my radio control airplanes

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by YakDout

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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so you don't have a touch screen but you don't like it?

If you are collecting saltwater on your screen perhaps you need to stop splashing saltwater on it.

Also, speaking from experience, the touch screen on the HDS touch works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If your screen is completely wet it will work about as good as a wet screen on a smart phone.

[Harry Hill]

after reading a lot of reviews and reports I decided to go with the Garmin 7sv. It is supposed to have the clearest screen and all the functions of the rest. Thanks for all the input, I could have saved a lot going for the 5' screen but that 7 just gives you so much more.

[Geno Machino]

I have the Garmin 54Dv. Good unit. The connectors at a PITA at times. However, my unit works really well for me.

Geno

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by Geno Machino

I have the Garmin 54Dv. Good unit. The connectors at a PITA at times. However, my unit works really well for me.

Geno

that is good to hear, I was pretty sure the first reply would be someone telling what a pile of bird crap I had bought.

[Geno Machino]

Really user friendly, is the reason I bought mine.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

It depends.

If there was one perfect answer then there wouldn't be so many different products and options available.

Know Thyself.

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by jorluivil

so you don't have a touch screen but you don't like it?

If you are collecting saltwater on your screen perhaps you need to stop splashing saltwater on it.

Also, speaking from experience, the touch screen on the HDS touch works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If your screen is completely wet it will work about as good as a wet screen on a smart phone.

To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by YakDout

To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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To answer your question, yes exactly. we only go on days when its dead calm, why would we bother going on days when its blowing 15-20 mph with a 4' swell?

As far as the HDS touch goes nowhere in my response did I speak highly of it, I simply said that it works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If you're going to give advise on something give advice based on your experiences and not your assumptions or some review that you read. Is the touch unit for everyone? No, its not.

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by YakDout

To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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To answer your question, yes exactly. we only go on days when its dead calm, why would we bother going on days when its blowing 15-20 mph with a 4' swell?

As far as the HDS touch goes nowhere in my response did I speak highly of it, I simply said that it works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. Is it a great unit? The only thing I can compare it to are the Eagle Cuda and the HDS5 and YES, the touch unit is better than those two units.

If you're going to give advise on something give advice based on your experiences and not your assumptions or some review that you read. Is the touch unit for everyone? No, its not and as I already stated I can only compare it to what I've owned in the past so I won't bother comparing it to something I never owned.