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AVec80X
Joined: 28 Mar 2014
Posts: 199
Location: East of the River
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 Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 2:51 pm Post subject: Fish FInder in the Yak |
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Looking for some fish finder input from fellow kayak fisherman out there. I know nothing about them, other than stuff I've read on the net. Any one model more kayak friendly than the next? Are they really worth the $$$?
Thanks in advance.
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NorthEastFisherman
Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 582
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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I have an elite 4x by lowrance and I bought it for the ice but I heard its mainly for kayaks so I'm gonna try it out.
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ripline
Joined: 26 Feb 2012
Posts: 121
Location: Shelton
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:27 pm Post subject: |
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I have 2 boats and am used to using electronics when fish. So when I picked up a kayak, as much as I enjoyed it I was lost without electronics. I didn't need anything fancy but wanted to know the depth, if there was structure under me, where the weed lines were, where the drop offs were, etc.
This was the cheapest one I found and it fits my needs just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-00950-00-echo-100-Fishfinder/dp/B004FKP1XM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1396138526&sr=8-4&keywords=garmin+fishfinder
You can go as basic as this or get whatever you desire but I found I personally can't fish without one. Go to youtube and look up mounting one too, I fabricated a console using a cutting board from walmart that cost me just a few dollars. |
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Just4fun
Joined: 08 May 2007
Posts: 1389
Location: Saybrook
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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IMO,..it depends on the kind of fishing that you do, but at the least you want one so you can tell how deep it is where you are fishing. You might be 100 yds from shore and some places will be 3 feet deep, whereas others will be 100 feet deep,...it's pretty helpful to your fishing to know which spots are which!!
It is also very handy to have gps built into the unit so you can mark a good spot that is offshore a little and get back to it in the future.
Sure you can go out in a yak without electronics and just fish the visible structure along the shoreline,.. But it just expands your chances of getting on fish tremendously (especially for daytime fishing...) when you can see where the humps, drop offs , rock piles, etc are!
I am talking mainly saltwater here though,...if you are strictly freshwater, you can probably fish almost as well without any electronics by concentrating on the visible weeds and shoreline structure,..in freshwater, there are a lot of fish there, close to shore. In saltwater though,..there are very few fish close to shore during the daytime......just my $.02
As far as models go,..I have a Humminbird 597 combo with both sonar and GPS...the key reason why I bought it was that at that time Humminbirds had a quick disconnect feature where you could easily disconnect the unit from its mounting base without having to mess with any wires. At the time they were the only brand that had it,...now some other brands like Lowrance also offer that kind of mounting feature,...for me, I would not buy one for a kayak without it!
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Michael
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 3823
Location: Bridgeport
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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I have a Lowrance X4 Pro
I was looking for something inexpensive that still had good readings (depth, temp, weeds, fish, rocks, etc) and would best fit somebody fishing in smaller lakes and ponds and saltwater near shore (depth). |
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AVec80X
Joined: 28 Mar 2014
Posts: 199
Location: East of the River
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Rookie
Joined: 08 May 2007
Posts: 487
Location: Milford Ct
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| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:22 am Post subject: |
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what do you guys use for power on kayaks for these?
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ripline
Joined: 26 Feb 2012
Posts: 121
Location: Shelton
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| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| AVec80X wrote: |
Anybody have any experience with the Humminbird Fishin Buddy line? |
I used to have a Bottom Line Fishin Buddy II several years ago and it was functional and very portable, it might be just right for your multiple needs. The Humminbirds have to be a whole lot better than that one was, they are not fancy but serve a purpose.
| Rookie wrote: | | what do you guys use for power on kayaks for these? |
I have a Cabelas battery, the same one use on my ice flasher. You can also get one at an electrical supply house, maybe Home Depot... 12 V emergency exit light batteries I think they are. |
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Michael
Joined: 28 Jan 2012
Posts: 3823
Location: Bridgeport
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| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Rookie wrote: | | what do you guys use for power on kayaks for these? |
I have a wholesale battery holder that can hold 8 AA batteries and has a wire sticking out to connect it with the wire from the fish finder.
I keep the battery holder in a small plastic container covered. Drill or poke a hole big enough on the side of the container so you can connect the wires. In order to connect the wires, get those small plastic caps used for twisting wires together.
Batteries I use are rechargeable Duracell. |
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PECo
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 5203
Location: Avon, CT
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| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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The least expensive Humminbird color fish finder with GPS is the PiranhaMAX 196ci, which I think is perfect for a kayak. You should be able to find one for well under $200. You'd also have the option of mounting the transducer inside the hull of your kayak. Battery-wise, the Cabela's 12 volt, 8.0 Ah battery works great.
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Marky2002S
Joined: 22 Jul 2013
Posts: 59
Location: Middlebury, CT
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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Ripline, can you maybe post a link on what you did with that cutting board? Im just about to install my transducer and am trying to learn as many methods as I can.
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"That's why it's called fishing not catching." |
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limeymotors
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:44 pm Post subject: |
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I use a 12v Battery from a Cordless DeWalt drill to power my Humminbird. Works well , it's small and I can recharge it easly. - Duncan
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ripline
Joined: 26 Feb 2012
Posts: 121
Location: Shelton
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| Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 6:59 am Post subject: |
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| Marky2002S wrote: | | Ripline, can you maybe post a link on what you did with that cutting board? Im just about to install my transducer and am trying to learn as many methods as I can. |
Marky2002s the console was for mounting the head unit on a sit in kayak. The transducer from the unit I mentioned above shoots through the hull as long as there is a little water under it.
Here is a youtube link to the console.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxABiFC3Nyk |
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Marky2002S
Joined: 22 Jul 2013
Posts: 59
Location: Middlebury, CT
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| Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Thank for the info.
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"That's why it's called fishing not catching." |
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anointed130
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
Posts: 592
Location: Hartford,Ct\Springfield, MA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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I actually have a portable fishfinder that uses a suction cup for the transducer, so I can stick to the side of the yak. But I sold my yak now I have no use:(
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"Come after Me, and i will make you to become fishers of men"
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