Kayak Fishfinder: Yay or Nay?

[Koz]

5 hours ago, Bass Junke said:

https://www.fishfindermounts.com/product-page/15mm-magnetic-transducer-mount-kit

 

This works pretty awesome. I bought the more powerful magnet for 10 extra bucks. I don't use it anymore, the Sea Ghost has a recessed compartment for a transducer. The issue with this is you need to be able to access the inside of the hull and the outside of the hull at the same time. I would have a hard time using this on the Sea Ghost because I have no access to the inside middle of my kayak if that makes sense. A magnet needs to be on the inside and outside and they have to be applied together. 

That looks interesting, but I don't have access to the inside of the hull. There are no compartments in this kayak.

 

It's interesting that some of you out there are spending more money on your fishfinder than your kayak. I'm not ready to make that kind of leap yet. I'm looking in the $400-$500 range plus the battery and mounts.

[flyfisher]

2 minutes ago, Koz said:

That looks interesting, but I don't have access to the inside of the hull. There are no compartments in this kayak.

 

It's interesting that some of you out there are spending more money on your fishfinder than your kayak. I'm not ready to make that kind of leap yet. I'm looking in the $400-$500 range plus the battery and mounts.

It is all about the tool to get the job done.  if a 500 kayak does it for you great, if a 2k fish finder does it for you then great.  I know for me, the only concern I have with cost is the budget I set but other than that it is about what I get doing what I want it to do.  Speaking of which....my 6 year old Helix. 5 is due for an upgrade......

[Bankc]

13 hours ago, Koz said:

That looks interesting, but I don't have access to the inside of the hull. There are no compartments in this kayak.

 

It's interesting that some of you out there are spending more money on your fishfinder than your kayak. I'm not ready to make that kind of leap yet. I'm looking in the $400-$500 range plus the battery and mounts.

You can do that pretty easily, and have a nice setup.  You can buy a 7-12 Ah SLA battery and charger, and that Scotty 140 and 368 mount system that will allow you to mount your transducer and display on a non-permanent, easy to use basis.  That's about $100 right there.  Then you might want to add a battery box.  A pre-made one will run you close to $100, but you can make your own out of an ammo box, some waterproof cable glands, some EVA foam glued in with rubber cement, and spade connectors to connect the fish finder to the battery.  That'll run you about $50.  That'll leave you a few hundred for the fish finder itself.  For $200-300, you can get a pretty decent fish finder for a kayak.  

 

Or if you really want to save some money, you can just drag a castable fish finder behind you and use your smart phone as the display.  A lot of kayakers do that.  No mounting and no batteries required.  Just some heavy duty braided line.  

[Fishingmickey]

Koz,

     Just to add some more ingredients to the soup. I really like the ram mounts for both my transducer/s ( I have live scope on my kayak). Does you kayak have T-bolt tracks up towards the front? If so using a 1" ram ball with a T-bolt and the Ram transducer mount really works well for me. 

     I switched out the two bolt 1" ball with the track mounted ball. So when I am traveling I can flip up the transducer and set it inside of the hull/cockpit. I don't tighten it down hard so if I hit something wood, reeds, weeds, bottom, etc. It will swing up instead of bending the arm or damaging the transducer. 

     I have my fish finder mounted on the opposite side using a double ball 1.5" Ram mount.  One ball in mounted on my "H" rail (would work for track mount also. The other ball is on the bottom of the fish finder mount. 
I like having the transducer mounted forward so I can see my lure if I am fishing vertical.  

 

My fish finder mount is similar to this pic.  I disconnect the cables and remove the fish finder when it's not in use. 

 

Hope that gives you some ideas!

Fishingmickey

 

[J Francho]

If that's the arm made of aluminum you bend into shape, it's another really good option that I still use sometimes. 

[Koz]

1 hour ago, Fishingmickey said:

Koz,

     Just to add some more ingredients to the soup. I really like the ram mounts for both my transducer/s ( I have live scope on my kayak). Does you kayak have T-bolt tracks up towards the front? If so using a 1" ram ball with a T-bolt and the Ram transducer mount really works well for me. 

     I switched out the two bolt 1" ball with the track mounted ball. So when I am traveling I can flip up the transducer and set it inside of the hull/cockpit. I don't tighten it down hard so if I hit something wood, reeds, weeds, bottom, etc. It will swing up instead of bending the arm or damaging the transducer. 

     I have my fish finder mounted on the opposite side using a double ball 1.5" Ram mount.  One ball in mounted on my "H" rail (would work for track mount also. The other ball is on the bottom of the fish finder mount. 
I like having the transducer mounted forward so I can see my lure if I am fishing vertical.  

 

My fish finder mount is similar to this pic.  I disconnect the cables and remove the fish finder when it's not in use. 

 

Hope that gives you some ideas!

Fishingmickey

 

 

My kayak has the Uni Track system. I have no idea if that's exclusive to the Feel Free brands or others use that type of system. Which begs the question, why isn't there a universal standard for tracks? Does every vendor really need the extra $30 for a specialized mount?

 

I've been looking at things like the Yak Attack Cell Block or the Lowrance Kayak kit to handle the battery and the mounting. But if I use something like that and stack the items or separate them on one or both sides, I need to first get some measurements and rough out the width and height that it will occupy on the track.

 

I want to see how it will impact casting, working the rod when landing a fish, standing on the deck, and any other ways it could impact fishing. I would hate to buy a bunch of gear, set it up, and find out that it impeded my ability to fish.

 

By the way - thanks to everyone this is turning into a very informative thread for myself and others looking to mount electronics in their kayak. There are a lot of good ideas and options being discussed here. Thanks again, and I hope others find this useful in the future.

 

 

[J Francho]

Every track I've run into uses the same T bolts. 

[king fisher]

If I was robbed at gun point, I may give up my wallet, rods, lures, and Kayak, but I would die before giving up the waypoints on my Garmin.  I did catch, fish, and did have fun fishing out of my kayak before I had a fish finder, but have completely blocked those dark times from my memory.  Yes a fish finder is worth it.

[Koz]

After reading through everyone's replies and advice, I decided to go with a side scan unit. After looking at all of the prices and options out there I decided since this was my first fish finder I didn't want to spend a ton of money to find out that I didn't like it.

 

So on the Lowrance website I purchased a reconditioned HOOK² 5 with TripleShot Transducer and US Inland Maps for just under $300. I also bought the cover for it, and now I need to add the other items.

 

So I don't have to run a bunch of wires everywhere or worry about battery placement I'm going to get the YakAttack CellBlok. With that mounting location I'm going to get the Dakota Lithium 12V 7Ah LiFePO4 since it weighs only 2.2 pounds unless someone can point me to a lighter battery in that price range that will fit in the CellBlok. It also looks like I need the Yakattack Feelfree Unitrack Adapter.

 

I'm still concerned about the choice of the arm with the longer triple shot transducer, and YakAttack says their Switchblade Transducer Mount Deployment Arm will work with that transducer. Better safe than sorry - or having to do a return. I am a bit concerned that some reviews say this is a flimsy unit.

 

I figured I might as well round it out with the YakAttack Fish Finder Mount with Track Mounted LockNLoad.

 

The Lowrance unit has already been ordered, but if someone has better options for the battery, arm, and fish finder mount that will work with the CellBlok I'm all ears.

 

 

[Bigbarge50]

As a guy who has been driving himself crazy with analysis paralysis trying to figure out what unit to put on my big fish 105 yak and how to mount it...... this thread has been insanely helpful so thanks to the OP and all who have contributed. 

 

(I am leaning towards the hummingbird helix 7 with downscan and sidescan and now maybe the fishfinder-mounts.com box ... might  need an adapter to make it work on the T bars on the bigfish/feel free line)

[Koz]

9 hours ago, Bigbarge50 said:

As a guy who has been driving himself crazy with analysis paralysis trying to figure out what unit to put on my big fish 105 yak and how to mount it...... this thread has been insanely helpful so thanks to the OP and all who have contributed. 

 

(I am leaning towards the hummingbird helix 7 with downscan and sidescan and now maybe the fishfinder-mounts.com box ... might  need an adapter to make it work on the T bars on the bigfish/feel free line)

I ended up buying a reconditioned Hook2 5 Tripleshot directly from Lowrance. After everyone's comments I wanted a unit with sidescan, and because it is a reconditioned unit the price was palatable.

 

It's supposed to arrive today along with the battery. All the mounting equipment and the arm arrived yesterday. With any luck I can get it all on the water after work today.

[Koz]

I finally had time to set everything up and got out on the water for about 30 minutes before some heavy rains moved in. It was really windy and choppy out there, but my goal was just to fire up the unit and start playing around with it. Unfortunately, I left me cheat sheet back in the office.

 

I stayed close to my launch point and was in waters only 4-12 feet deep. But as I'm pedaling and playing around, I realized that while the downscan, sonar, and side scan are great for looking at structure, humps, and dropoffs that it's only moderately effective for finding fish.

 

Why? Because by the time I see what's on the screen I'm past the fish. Sure, I can mark them and circle back on my kayak, but that's ineffective, especially if the fish are on the move. Standing on a boat you *could* toss behind the boat, but sitting in a kayak I'm not going to flip a cast over my shoulder behind me.

 

It seems it would be a more effective to find fish by mounting a sidescan transducer at 90 degrees on the front of your kayak to see what is in front of you as you move through the water.

 

Anyway, I'm still a rookie at this and need to spend some time out there in calmer waters. I need to make some adjustments with the transducer arm as it bent around a bit when I was hitting 4 mph when cruising. I hope I can get a day off this week to play around with it. I'm also looking forward to exploring deeper waters.

[TnRiver46]

On 6/10/2021 at 11:58 PM, Koz said:

After reading through everyone's replies and advice, I decided to go with a side scan unit. After looking at all of the prices and options out there I decided since this was my first fish finder I didn't want to spend a ton of money to find out that I didn't like it.

 

So on the Lowrance website I purchased a reconditioned HOOK² 5 with TripleShot Transducer and US Inland Maps for just under $300. I also bought the cover for it, and now I need to add the other items.

 

So I don't have to run a bunch of wires everywhere or worry about battery placement I'm going to get the YakAttack CellBlok. With that mounting location I'm going to get the Dakota Lithium 12V 7Ah LiFePO4 since it weighs only 2.2 pounds unless someone can point me to a lighter battery in that price range that will fit in the CellBlok. It also looks like I need the Yakattack Feelfree Unitrack Adapter.

 

I'm still concerned about the choice of the arm with the longer triple shot transducer, and YakAttack says their Switchblade Transducer Mount Deployment Arm will work with that transducer. Better safe than sorry - or having to do a return. I am a bit concerned that some reviews say this is a flimsy unit.

 

I figured I might as well round it out with the YakAttack Fish Finder Mount with Track Mounted LockNLoad.

 

The Lowrance unit has already been ordered, but if someone has better options for the battery, arm, and fish finder mount that will work with the CellBlok I'm all ears.

 

 

I wouldn’t worry about flimsy for a transducer mount, you will want a little give (a lot of them are designed to fold up when they hit something). If it’s mounted solidly, it can be more easily destroyed when you hit the bottom or a log 

[J Francho]

Try cursering over to something you see in the SI and mark a way point. Then use the GPS to navigate strait to it. This will give you feel of how far behind you it is, which is really not much at all, unless your chart speed is too slow. All sonar has worked like this for decades - it's not unique to a kayak.  Only in the past few years has there been forward viewing sonar. At any rate, if you see something on the SI on your port side, it's a couple pedals and a left turn to cast to it. If I see something on the DI, I usually pedal way past it and approach from a distance. That's why being able to drop way points is important. The other method is trolling. You see it on the graph, and you get ready for a bite in a minute. 

[flyfisher]

It isn't as ineffective as not even knowing they are there in the first place.  I mark likely fish holding spots then use my casting circles feature on my hummingbird to give me an idea of how far away I am from the targeted area.  I don't bother with marking moving fish but if I see a bait ball I will no doubt throw something there way.  

I am also 99% sure that if you turn your sidescan sonar 90 degrees it won't work like you think it will.

[HookInMouth]

I've been resisting the urge to add anything to my kayak for almost three years now. Finally decided to add electronics because I ran across what seemed like a good deal at Bass Pro. Picked up a Garmin Echomap UHD 73sv with the GT54 ducer for $449.99. Not sure if the side scan will work or not with my paddle-powered SS127 (nope... not adding a motor... I will not... must resist...) and I have no idea how I'm mounting it. Probably the pod and then I'll just be careful. 

 

But I'll be figuring one of these out on a kayak too shortly. 

[J Francho]

I've been using SI in a paddle kayak for nearly a decade. It works great. Adjust chart speed to your usual paddling tempo. 

[HookInMouth]

13 hours ago, J Francho said:

I've been using SI in a paddle kayak for nearly a decade. It works great. Adjust chart speed to your usual paddling tempo. 

Don't underestimate how slow I am haha. Seriously, that's good to know. 

 

I'm probably showing exactly how little I know about marine electronics but...have you had any issues with "leveling" the transducer? I don't think my boat spends much time level in the water. It rocks, wind, waves, my weight in the seat. 

[J Francho]

So does any boat. 

[HookInMouth]

Right. That's what wasn't making sense to me.

[Koz]

9 hours ago, HookInMouth said:

Don't underestimate how slow I am haha. Seriously, that's good to know. 

 

I'm probably showing exactly how little I know about marine electronics but...have you had any issues with "leveling" the transducer? I don't think my boat spends much time level in the water. It rocks, wind, waves, my weight in the seat. 

I'm in the same club trying to figure everything out. Sometimes we get spoiled in our instant gratification society and forget many things require a learning curve.

 

My transducer in on a YakAttack arm that hangs over the side of the kayak and my first time out I noticed the transducer had spun sideways. When I got home I noticed there was a C-clamp on the arm that needed to be tightened.

 

There was no mention of this in the instructions, but looking back it should have been obvious. I felt pretty dumb there for a minute.

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, Koz said:

Sometimes we get spoiled in our instant gratification society and forget many things require a learning curve.

Ya - I've had my Striker 7CV from the start of the 'season' and I'm still learning how to effectively work it. Who knows how long it'd take me if I had something like an Echomap ??SV.

[HookInMouth]

14 hours ago, Koz said:

I'm in the same club trying to figure everything out. Sometimes we get spoiled in our instant gratification society and forget many things require a learning curve.

 

My transducer in on a YakAttack arm that hangs over the side of the kayak and my first time out I noticed the transducer had spun sideways. When I got home I noticed there was a C-clamp on the arm that needed to be tightened.

 

There was no mention of this in the instructions, but looking back it should have been obvious. I felt pretty dumb there for a minute.

Absolutely. I've actually been studying like I had a career shaping test ahead. I've watched pretty much every video I can find, read the owners manual like twice, and right now the unit is hooked up to a battery on my kitchen table haha. I'm familiar with the unit now. It's really easy to navigate with the touchscreen. I can find what I want and quickly. The real test is going to be knowing what I'm looking at on the water and how to apply it. I'm sure that will be a learning curve.

 

I've seen a lot of guys talk about how they bought one and never really figured it out and don't use it much. I've made it a point that if I invested in this I wasn't going to do that. I'm going to learn it and apply it. Might take a while though. 

[Koz]

2 minutes ago, HookInMouth said:

Absolutely. I've actually been studying like I had a career shaping test ahead. I've watched pretty much every video I can find, read the owners manual like twice, and right now the unit is hooked up to a battery on my kitchen table haha. I'm familiar with the unit now. It's really easy to navigate with the touchscreen. I can find what I want and quickly. The real test is going to be knowing what I'm looking at on the water and how to apply it. I'm sure that will be a learning curve.

 

I've seen a lot of guys talk about how they bought one and never really figured it out and don't use it much. I've made it a point that if I invested in this I wasn't going to do that. I'm going to learn it and apply it. Might take a while though. 

If it’s on your kitchen table have your pets and kids walk by the transducer ?

[J Francho]

Going through the manual or videos with your unit on demo mode in the kitchen is how I figure it out too. You will be way ahead of most of you do that. 

Edited June 30, 2021 by J Francho
my stupid phone screwed this up!