Fishfinder Help

[teamtrout]

So I am looking to pick up a fishfinder- something cheap that I can use for ice fishing and open water fishing. I have been looking at the Humminbird Piranhamax models, but need some help. 

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Humminbirdreg-PiranhaMax-165-Sonar/1545175.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dfish%2Bfinder%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=fish+finder&WTz_l=Unknown

 

This one is on sale and is dirt cheap. But I dont understand how they work. Does it just sit in my boat and display the bottom on my screen, or do I need to stick something into the water over the edge? Do you need something special for ice fishing, or can I just walk over the ice carrying it and look for schools of fish? 

 

And there are tons of cheap humminbird piranhamax's, but is there actually a difference between them?

 

Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks in advance, Troy

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Thats fine for a starter depth finder. For ice fishing you will need to rig something to hold the transducer vertical and still.

Temp is very important, most have that on even basic units now.

You will likely start with this, then go super expensive three years later, only to realize this entry level unit IS JUST FINE for basic shallow water fishing. (Under 50')

Save your money in the future and just stay basic, you can tick away thousands needlessly on these devices, money better spent on a nice used outboard or small jon boat.

Power your unit with a 12volt 7Ah battery off Amazon and your set. Powersonic is the best brand in that size.. (I'm a fire alarm tech, thats the brand we use everyday, good batteries)

[teamtrout]

Thanks for the reply

 

Just wondering, what do you mean by holding the transducer vertical and still? Is that the part that dangles in the water?

 

 

Power your unit with a 12volt 7Ah battery off Amazon and your set. Powersonic is the best brand in that size.. (I'm a fire alarm tech, thats the brand we use everyday, good batteries)

And do they not come with batteries when you buy them?

 

Sorry for the lame questions, I have no experience at all with fish finders

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Yes, thats the transmit and receive sounder. It needs to be mounted solidly in either scenario.

Choose a brand that allows you to choose your transducer style, i have heard Hummingbird allows you to do so.

[Wayne P.]

Yes, thats the transmit and receive sounder. It needs to be mounted solidly in either scenario.

Choose a brand that allows you to choose your transducer style, i have heard Hummingbird allows you to do so.

 

The PMax uses a single frequency 200 kHz transducer. It is not sofisticated enough to use more advanced transducers. Sofistication adds cost.

[teamtrout]

So basically my fish finder is mounted in my boat, with a long wire transducer going from it down over the edge into the water? And the transducer needs to be attached to the side of the bat somehow?

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Yes, just look on you tube etc,.. Plenty of info out there.

It needs mounted in a very specific location, AND YOU WANT TO DO IT ONCE..

Best bet is (on aluminum boats anyway) install a teflon puck pad on the rear of the boat ONE TIME, TWO HEAVILY CAULKED SCREWS,.. Any future outer hull "in water" accessories mount to this pad vs penetrating the hull 15 times over. (Wish i had a link, i dont)

The unit you are looking at is a basic unit, IT HAS TEMP, your golden.

(Be ready for others to say you need a $600 HD unit, thats fine,.. There's tons of opinions on these units. I'm done with unnecessarily expensive gear. I'm looking for, depth, temp, thermocline, if it marks fish (or should i say air pockets ) great.. Still doesn't tell you what kind of fish (air pockets) its marking)

Keep it simple, heads up,... Look forward and keep on casting.

[Wayne P.]

So basically my fish finder is mounted in my boat, with a long wire transducer going from it down over the edge into the water? And the transducer needs to be attached to the side of the bat somehow?

Yep, that is pretty much it.

The unit comes with a transom mount type transducer.

Most transom mounted transducers have 20' cables to accommdate most size boats and there are extensions available for larger craft.

[Inflatable Raft Bum]

Your included transducer looks plenty ice fishing (mount to a vert. 2"x4") friendly, and yes designed for transom mount

[Wayne P.]

While this video is for a more sofisticated unit, the principal is still the same.

You have a display and a transducer.

 

.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS4twSOs3DM

 

The unit does include installation instructions.

 

If you want an easy setup for ice fishing you can exchange the transom model for a ice fishing type that has a float.

Just look through the transducer types on the Humminbird web site.

 

An even better setup for ice fishing is the carry case with battery/charger and transducer designed for that purpose. All those accessories add more cost though.

[teamtrout]

Alright, thanks guys. I have a jon boat, but just wondering, is it possible to transport these? Like I often rent boats at a large pond, where you can't use a personal boat. It would be a perfect spot to use a fish finder, but theres no way you can be drilling holes in their canoes. Id assume no...

[Wayne P.]

Alright, thanks guys. I have a jon boat, but just wondering, is it possible to transport these? Like I often rent boats at a large pond, where you can't use a personal boat. It would be a perfect spot to use a fish finder, but theres no way you can be drilling holes in their canoes. Id assume no...

You can make any unit portable if you want.

I have a portable setup for a 10" display Humminbird Side Imaging unit to use for demos:

 

[teamtrout]

You can make any unit portable if you want.

I have a portable setup for a 10" display Humminbird Side Imaging unit to use for demos:

 

Thats pretty cool! How would I fix the transducer with that though?

[Wayne P.]

Thats pretty cool! How would I fix the transducer with that though?

The cheapest way is with a 1"X 2" board and a "C" clamp.

 

I used the shaft and mount of a transom mount trolling motor.