Beginner/portable unit

[The Baron]

I’ve got zero experience with fish finder/electronics.  I’m looking for recommendations on a basic, portable unit that can be used on either borrowed boats or a canoe.  I don’t know enough to say what specific features I need/want, but certainly knowing the depth, some idea of bottom structure, water temperature and the ability to find bait (and fish) would be a huge help from fishing without any electronics.  GPS would be great, but I wouldn’t say it’s critical.

 

Are there any specific units that come to mind?  Budget would be modest, but somewhat flexible… say $300-400 USD and could flex to $500 is there was a big benefit for the increase.   Finding a deal on an older unit would be great way to stretch my dollars, as long as the unit is not too outdated in terms of service/support if needed.

 

Thanks in advance!

[MN Fisher]

There's several units out there that have a portable kit.

Garmin Striker 4

Humminbird Helix 5 and Helix 7

Lowrance Hook 2-4x

 

Lowrance doesn't have maps at all

Garmin doesn't have maps built in, but has quickdraw so you can create you own maps

Both Helix models include Lakemaster charts.

 

These are the top brands - and can easily be converted to full boat-mount once you have your own water-craft.

[Standard]

I think any of the small 4" units are a good start, along with a battery box and a clamp-on transducer mount if the main goal is portability.  I have rails on my kayak so I just use the Scotty transducer mount, a little flexy but that's been a benefit when I'm not paying attention and run the ducer into rocks...

 

I'm partial to the Garmin units, I had a Striker 4+ that worked great.  

[Finessegenics]

I was in the same position as you; looking for a simple unit and making it portable. I went with the Lowrance Hook 4x and got a really good deal for it at SAIL. It does its job, all I really wanted to see was depth and water temperature as well as large boulders or logs on bottom, etc... I've seen a few fish on it, but I'm not necessarily using it to find fish. 

 

I made it portable myself, thanks to the fact that I was able to find a suction cup for the skimmer transducer through cabela's. If I'm not mistaken, even humminbird makes a suction cup mount for some of their transducers. Ive heard a lot of negative things about the suction cup mounts but maybe I just got lucky. They can come off, the cable can then get caught in the prop. Lots of problems so just beware if you go that route. Mine has never came off once. I had in on the back of a boat for 7 days and it did not budge once. 

 

There are also the pole mount https://www.amazon.ca/Brocraft-Universal-Portable-Transducer-Fishfinder/dp/B01FX7WMXW/ref=dp_prsubs_2?pd_rd_i=B01FX7WMXW&psc=1) options but those can get a little pricy. 

 

Here's some pictures of my setup. A marine battery box is probably more ideal than this old tacklebox but I haven't had any issues yet. 

 

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

I love the Garmin Striker 4. It works great for video game fishing . 

[Alex from GA]

I have a new in the box Humminbird kayak fish finder with GPS for $150 + shipping if you're interested.  It has a card slot for maps.

[Scott F]

The main difference between a $400 and an $800 unit is the size of the screen. Nearly all the other features are the same. Can’t say what’s going to happen this upcoming year, but if you can hold off, this year’s models are generally discounted when the new models show up in the spring. 

[txchaser]

https://www.fishfindermounts.com/

 

If you end up with one that isn't designed to be portable, these guys make amazing mounts. A lot of attention to detail, and looks and feels like it was made in a machine shop. I have one with an integrated battery and I love it.

 

For what it's worth, I think the next most important feature after what you listed would be mapping or DI. 

 

 

Oh one other thing... If you are on the bank at all the Deeper castables are pretty good for the price. They also have a boat mount, but a phone screen is a little small for in the boat. 

[Smalls]

On 10/30/2021 at 11:03 PM, txchaser said:

Oh one other thing... If you are on the bank at all the Deeper castables are pretty good for the price

Unless  you bank fish a ton, and plan on using it a lot while you are, these aren't really the best choice. You can get a dedicated 5" graph with DI (SI if you shop the used market) and a battery for it around the same price. It's easy enough to build a cell block type container, or just buy one, that will keep everything together and easily portable