I need a fish finder! I have a SMALL 14’ fiberglass john boat that I’m looking at putting a depth finder in. I have googled until I’m blue in the face and still cannot determine which model/brand is my best option. Here’s what I’m looking for:
I want a finder that won’t show grass clumps as fish
My boat does 10mph at best and has a flimsy hull, maybe 1/4" thick.
I want one that will show structure and fish (obviously)
I want one that has all the stuff I need to get it working as soon as I buy it.
I have looked at the piranhaMAX 150 and the lowrance x4?.. both from 79 bucks to 99 bucks.
Questions:
Which model is best suited for rivers and creeks with the occasional deeper trips?
Which model has EVERYTHING I need to get going?
Can I run it off of a battery or do I need special hook-ups?
Has anyone used these cheaper depth finders with great success?
Finally, does anyone have one they want to sell for relatively cheap that works and has everything I need?
My dad just uses a Walmart brand…Garmin I think. Around a hundred…but there is one for sale on either swap shop or classified for 35.00. You kit also contact stonoman as I think he had a pretty nice one for sale since he upgraded.
Maybe some string with notches and a weight? If it gets hung up, there is structure. If fish bite, they are there!
I have a cheap ($79) Lowrance on the front of my boat. Was more concerned about depth than anything. It does that. Finds fish too I’m sure if I feel like studying it. Got a Garmin for that.
I believe unless you pull off a Craig’s List coupe, you may have to adjust your criteria.
I have a piranha that is 11 years old. Paid $59 new. Small and simple still working good; came with everything to get started. Bought a temp sensor to plug into it a few years ago and it works good too.
You might need to crimp on battery clips, but others wise can hook right up to a battery.
I use it for depth only. I have never learned to read a depth finder to see what is a fish or not. Depth works great. Just this year the backlight went out, but for 11 years old and low cost, what more can you expect.
The depthfinder on my son’s ProSkiff died several months back. We selected a Hummingbird PrianhaMax 175 as a replacement. As I recall it was less than $100. It included the transducer, cable and mounting bracket. Installation was simple. We direct wired to the battery with an inline fuse. You should use 3M 5200 to seal an holes you put in the transom.
There are lots of good options in the price range. Kind of hard to go wrong with entry-level Lowrance, Hummingbird or Garmin.
Dustin, look for something that has dual band. Amazon.com is a great place to look for them.
Stick to known brands like Hummingbird. I nearly bought one a while back and I will in the near future I’m sure.
quote:Originally posted by Vinman
Maybe some string with notches and a weight? If it gets hung up, there is structure. If fish bite, they are there!
I used to have one of these, but my dad made it when he was stationed in Korea. He brought it home, and we dusted it off once to use it, but unfortunately he notched it in Korea, where feet are all metric, and our waters are all English feet. That, and Dad couldn’t count in Chinese anyhow, so we had to throw it away.
Fish tales…that’s theone my daddy has. He uses it to crab and it gets put through a lot of weather in his open skiff with the mudd, bait and such…great sounder for the money for sure!
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