Anybody use a fish finder?

Fishing
#1

HI,



I’m new to kayak fishing (have a friend who’s a year or so ahead of me in it and last year I got started myself). Do many of you use a fish finder at all? Or is that considered cheating among the more serious fishermen… My buddy and I are going to pick one up to take out next spring just to for a bit of fun and I’m looking online at some now. Thinking of ordering this Fish Hunter one, anyone have a recommendation on it?



http://www.fishhunter.com/



It’s a new type in that it works through your iphone (don’t worry, comes with watertight phone case). It has a gps app to pinpoint good spots and some other cool fishing features. Honestly I will probably give it a whirl anyway since it’s only 200 bucks between the two of us and looks fun, but still just wondering if there are any reccos out there.


#2

Using fishfinders is not cheating in my
book. In fact, it helps one to target the specific fish they are interested and minimize bycatch. I use an old portable hummingbird fishfinder for saltwater fishing here on the west coast. Its crude but it gets me to the structure or helps me locate schools in the water column.

#3

$200?
You can get a used portable fishfinder for a lot less than that. $20 or $30 at yard sales and Craigslist. Heck, I got one given to me a month ago. With those, you don’t have to risk dropping your iPhone over the side.


  • Big D
#4

Here is my setup…
Total cost was a little under $200 I think. PiranhaMAX from Walmart, about $150. 12V alarm system battery from Home Depot, about $20 and watertight box for battery about $10.



Used marine goop to secure the battery box and transponder to the inside of the hull. Slice a pool noodle about 2" thick and trace the transponder outline on it. Use razor knife to cut out the middle of the noodle and goop the noodle to the inside of the hull. After it dries and is secure, fill transponder cutout with about an inch of goop and then gently push transponder down into goop filled noodle mount. Make sure there are NO air bubbles in the goop, or the transponder may not function properly. It’s hard to see it in the picture because I used a pink noodle, but the transponder is mounted about a foot aft of the battery enclosure inside the hull.



This setup does the trick for me, water depth is accurate and bottom formation and structures are pretty easy to read. Much better than nothing at all!



Have a good one!



http://i.imgur.com/TwwF9XN.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/uIvU9g2.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/TArm2Va.jpg



http://i.imgur.com/5OgTZkB.jpg






#5

For big water?

– Last Updated: Dec-19-13 12:54 PM EST –

How can a fishfinder be cheating in a paddle-craft? I don't consider it cheating even with a motor anyway.

If you're fishing on small lakes, I don't think it's worth the bother or expense. Too easy to learn the hot-spots without it, and if you are paddling, it's not like you're going to jet around the lake from spot to spot.

But for bigger water, it would push your learning-curve right up - especially in conjunction with a gps.

I agree with others though that the price is unnecessary. You can get a perfectly functional used portable fish finder and gps for under $100. Keep your I-phone in a dry box. It's too important a device to risk fiddling with it when not necessary.

#6

four hands?
How are you going to fish, paddle, and hold on to your I phone all at the same time.

#7

Good point.
The portable fish finder and gps units that I refer to have solid mounts available - made for rugged use - and are waterproof without any special case. The I-phone…not so much.

#8

thank you!
Thank you everybody, I appreciate your insights here.

(Great noodle setup!)



Hopefully I can figure out how to USE this fish finder since it just took me 5 minutes to figure out how to post a reply to this whole thread…

#9

Good looking rig!

#10

Portable unit
I mounted my FF on a small plastic box with a battery inside and the display on top. I attached the transducer to a small float which I just drag in the water along side the boat. I did this because I have both an aluminum Jon boat and a kayak. It works well to show where the drop offs, and the structure that hold fish are.

#11

Hell Yeah
I use one in my canoe and don’t really care if others don’t like it. you will find more fish and boat more so try it, you won’t be disappointed. I’m a bit spoiled nowadays though, don’t think I could go back to basics. trolling motor, fish finder, loaded cooler, rod holders etc. the beauty of it is you can sneak up on the critters and go deep into the shallows where knowone else can. I.E. big bassin’

#12

I use several kayaks…
So I have a Portable Eagle EasyFish 245DS, I cut out the foam also, but instead of permanently mounting the transducer I use Ultrasound gel ($5 on Ebay) as the medium to shoot through the hull. Works GREAT and I can move it from boat to boat. Water soluble gel so just rinse it after use…

#13

picture please?
I bought a Lowrance X-4 Pro a few months ago and still haven’t gotten it mounted on my Scupper Pro. I didn’t realize when I bought it that it needed an external battery. I love the idea of just putting the transducer out next to the kayak–could you post a picture of what you attach it to? I’m considering a scupper hole transducer mount, but that is just more money that I don’t want to spend.

#14

I’ve
used them for years.The best place IMO for the transducer is in a scupper if you have a SOT.My OK Prowler 13 has a scupper intended for doing it that way.On past boats-Malibu eXtreme I removed a small area of the foam from the hull inside the bow hatch.WS Tarpon 16 I mounted it to the rudder.

#15

fish finder
I don’t use one in my kayak!

#16

what kind of transducer
do you put in a scupper? I started looking at FFs and think that would be the way to go. Any recommendations?