Fishfinder ideas for kayak?

[Tony T]

Hey,

Having finally got my first fish in the yak last month, I am now (excuse the expression) hooked by the idea of fishing from it. I am thinking of getting a fish finder.

Anyone have any ideas of what to get?

I don't want to go blowing hundreds on something state of the art and I don't want hassle in installing either an external or internal transducer.
I like the idea of the floating transducer but so far I can only find the handheld Plastimo 400. It looks pretty much what I am looking for but with no user reviews I am a little cautious.

Has anyone used one of these Plastimo models? Does anyone have any recommendations or will I just need go for it and install an 'thru-hull' type?

Thanks

[JimC]

Just go for it and do a proper job! Lots of guys use the Garmin Echos. Go for the 300 if bobs are not an issue but the mono ones will do fine too!

http://sites.garmin.com/echo/

Pricing:
http://www.marinewebstoreireland.com/#/ ... 4532615252
http://www.chmarine.com/acatalog/Garmin ... nders.html

[garymaxima]

the lowrance x-4 pro is worth having a look at. i used it on a yak as my first fish finder and it was a great starter unit for the kayak - waterproof and easy to read. i didn't fancy the idea of through hull shooting and as far as i was concerned, through hull has to be somewhat inaccurate - shooting through a layer of plastic before hitting the water can only reduce the effectiveness of a transducer to some degree in my opinion.

the solution i came up with was to use a device sold by a company called 'mad frog' and the item was called the 'liberator'. this allows you to fish with your transducer in the water rather than shooting through the hull. installation is handy enough and you always get an accurate read;







you can get them from hook1 at http://www.kayakfishinggear.com right here;

http://kayakfishinggear.com/liberator-mini-3x6mountingplatform.aspx

when ordering from hook1 enter the promotional code 'HOOK1IRISH' to qualify for discounts.

if you are on a budget then that's what i'd recommend for starting out with. a dsi unit would be well worth the extra money though

[anthony byrne]

I'm using the garmin echo 150 at the moment fairly cheap and straight forward to use. It's seen about 20 sessions with no problems so far. I mounted the transducer in the hull permanently with Sikaflex and I'm very happy with it.
I've used the garmen 500c for awhile its a lot dearer with a colour screen which is also bigger not exactly an ideal size as with kayaks space is priceless. For what I want the echo 150 is as good and much cheaper.
My first one was a hummingbird very well made and a good sturdy unit. Similar to the garmin 150 in many ways but a little dearer.

[Tony T]

Thanks for the ideas lads. I'll not take the lazy route and get a proper mounted fish finder. I love the idea of the mad-frog that garymaxima has posted, looks the business. To me a mounted transom transducer would remove some of the advantages of the kayak in terms of being able to beach it pretty much anywhere and me being me would no doubt forget it's there and destroy it first outing

I can vouch for the Garmins as we have one on the boat already. Definitely a few things to consider here so I'll not rush out and buy the easiest looking option.

Thanks again.