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Message
What's a good depth finder for a kayak
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:44 pm
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:44 pm
Any suggestions?
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:44 pm to reds on reds on reds
Lowrance elite 4 hdi
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:49 pm to DownSouthDave
How much did you pay for yours if you don't mind me asking. I'm seeing all different prices on those
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:53 pm to reds on reds on reds
I have the elite 4 dsi which is a GPS/depth finder combo. I like it alot, my one complaint is that I can't load custom maps on it. Wishing I'd had gotten the Elite 5. I believe j bought if for $279 on sale.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 7:56 pm to YOURADHERE
What's the difference between the dsi and hdi
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:08 pm to reds on reds on reds
I really can't remember.
Elite hdi has the dual frequency transducer and a chart plotter. I like it a lot. The down imaging is really impressive for structure, while the traditional fish finder mode is better for seeing fish and bait balls. It's full color and you can load maps on it. You can import coordinates and markers onto the unit itself, but you habe to use a 2gb or smaller micro SD, which is a pain to find.
I don't know if I would want to upgrade just for the 5. The unit takes up a lot more space for just a slightly bigger screen. The 7 however, is Cadillac. If I got to fish the gulf more, I would buy one.
Eta: the 4x looks to be just a fishfinder, not a chart plotter.
Elite hdi has the dual frequency transducer and a chart plotter. I like it a lot. The down imaging is really impressive for structure, while the traditional fish finder mode is better for seeing fish and bait balls. It's full color and you can load maps on it. You can import coordinates and markers onto the unit itself, but you habe to use a 2gb or smaller micro SD, which is a pain to find.
I don't know if I would want to upgrade just for the 5. The unit takes up a lot more space for just a slightly bigger screen. The 7 however, is Cadillac. If I got to fish the gulf more, I would buy one.
Eta: the 4x looks to be just a fishfinder, not a chart plotter.
This post was edited on 5/27/15 at 8:14 pm
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:18 pm to reds on reds on reds
With your OT baller status, go ahead and spend the extra change to get the 5" screen.
The Elite 4 DSI or HDI is my choice also though.
GPS/chartplotter, downscan, etc.
4" screen is hard to read sometimes, especially in split screen mode.
The Elite 4 DSI or HDI is my choice also though.
GPS/chartplotter, downscan, etc.
4" screen is hard to read sometimes, especially in split screen mode.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:30 pm to reds on reds on reds
How do you plan on using it?
If you are just looking for depth, a Lowrance Elite 3x for $99 will work perfectly and not break the bank.
If you are planning to fish structure in deep lakes or take the kayak offshore to fish reefs, spending a little more on a unit with DSI or CHIRP will be a sound investment.
Most kayakers fish shallow waters, and rarely go further than 15 miles from launch. Having GPS is nice, but realistically its usually not needed.
If you are just looking for depth, a Lowrance Elite 3x for $99 will work perfectly and not break the bank.
If you are planning to fish structure in deep lakes or take the kayak offshore to fish reefs, spending a little more on a unit with DSI or CHIRP will be a sound investment.
Most kayakers fish shallow waters, and rarely go further than 15 miles from launch. Having GPS is nice, but realistically its usually not needed.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:32 pm to nahtanojc
I may be in the minority, but I really like my chartplotter. I ha e a terrible sense of direction and it comes in handy when fishing new sections of marsh.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:40 pm to DownSouthDave
thanks for all the info fellas. Gonna go check out the elite 4 hdi tomorrow
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:45 pm to reds on reds on reds
And gonna check out the elite 5 and 7 while I'm there
Posted on 5/27/15 at 8:56 pm to reds on reds on reds
Elite 4 hdi or the 5 is the way to go, or the chirp. You can use satellite imagery on the gps and the downscan is nice. I have maps made for my elite 7 and they are a life saver.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 9:00 pm to WHODAT514
Yeah I'm leaning towards the 5 right now. The 7 would be nice for a boat but I think it's a tad too big for the yak
Posted on 5/27/15 at 9:28 pm to reds on reds on reds
Dsi is a different type of sonar made to show much more detail in depths of less than 200 ft. It takes some getting used to, I have an elite 5 dsi on my boat that I use for snapper fishing. My boat is 20 ft and out of Alabama there's no way I'm fishing in more than about 120ft of water. Now that I'm used to it I like that it doesn't just show up as big blobs. That being said the newer lowrances I believe have both dsi and traditional sonar imaging so u get the best of both worlds.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 9:38 pm to reds on reds on reds
There are a lot of factors.
What kayak? - Some kayaks come setup or are better setup for different fish finder. i.e. Hobie = "Lowrance Ready"
Where you will mount display? - Mounting a 4" screen 6 feet away from you on the front of your kayak is pointless. You can't see it and you can't reach controls. I prefer a small screen, very close to me. One of my favorite spots is mounted between the legs right at the seat with the screen flat (pointed straight up). My body could block the sun/glare and screen + controls were close.
Where you will mount transducer? - This actually may be the #1 decision in FF shopping for kayak. Transducers come in all shapes and sizes. Some transducers do not certain kayaks well. I first tried a rigged scupper mount and had to baby my kayak everywhere and eventually about tore the mount including cracking entire scupper area. I then tried over the side mount. This not only picked up every piece of grass in the area, it created a huge amount of drag with just the transducer and arm. I was very surprised how much drag. This caused me to completely leave the transducer at home and only bring power cable and running GPS only until I got a kayak with specific transducer mount location.
Where you fish? Depth you fish? - Here in south Louisiana, water depth is only greater than 10 feet in shipping canals. I have a difficult time making out the bottom when its very soft mud. Different transducers are meant for varying depths.
I know some people are brand loyalists but Lowrance has pretty much separated itself from the pack in the last few years. The new CHIRP series is essentially enhanced HDI for those targeting individual fish. Since it takes some depth to even target fish, I don't think this is useful at all for kayak fishing south Louisiana. Since the CHIRP has come out, the HDI series are always on sale or discounted heavily. I think the HDI series is the best bang for the buck series out there.
There are some misconceptions out there about HDIs. As far as I can tell, the Elite 4 HDI and Elite 5 HDI run the same software and read the same files. They can both read custom sat imagery cards and can accept 32GB microSD (It's true DSD!). I've heard that there are some processing speed differences between 4 and 5 when navigating menus.
Elite HDI pros - Price and ability to NOT get any 3rd party sat imagery (Elite Gold). Using Google Earth Pro with the Elite HDI series is a game changer. You can create routes, waypoints, etc in GE and import into your GPS or vice versa, save your tracks (where you've been) and import to GE. I can not begin to describe how powerful Elite HDI + Google Earth really is. I'm not even going to mention Lowrance Insight Genesis (Google that!).
Elite HDI cons - Transducer is huge making it difficult to scupper mount. Cable ends are huge but they will fit in 1" hole saw + West Marine thru hull plug. HDI's drain more battery than comparable non-fancy FF. Doing some research, the Elite 5 needs a higher than your basic 6-7AH battery for a most of the day trip. 6-7AH battery should last the Elite 4 a good 12+ hours on the water.
TL;DR - Lowrance Elite 4 HDI or Elite 5 HDI if you can easily mount transducer. Or if you want to leave transducer home during summer and just use GPS. 4 vs 5 is screen size preference and how far away you mount display.
What kayak? - Some kayaks come setup or are better setup for different fish finder. i.e. Hobie = "Lowrance Ready"
Where you will mount display? - Mounting a 4" screen 6 feet away from you on the front of your kayak is pointless. You can't see it and you can't reach controls. I prefer a small screen, very close to me. One of my favorite spots is mounted between the legs right at the seat with the screen flat (pointed straight up). My body could block the sun/glare and screen + controls were close.
Where you will mount transducer? - This actually may be the #1 decision in FF shopping for kayak. Transducers come in all shapes and sizes. Some transducers do not certain kayaks well. I first tried a rigged scupper mount and had to baby my kayak everywhere and eventually about tore the mount including cracking entire scupper area. I then tried over the side mount. This not only picked up every piece of grass in the area, it created a huge amount of drag with just the transducer and arm. I was very surprised how much drag. This caused me to completely leave the transducer at home and only bring power cable and running GPS only until I got a kayak with specific transducer mount location.
Where you fish? Depth you fish? - Here in south Louisiana, water depth is only greater than 10 feet in shipping canals. I have a difficult time making out the bottom when its very soft mud. Different transducers are meant for varying depths.
I know some people are brand loyalists but Lowrance has pretty much separated itself from the pack in the last few years. The new CHIRP series is essentially enhanced HDI for those targeting individual fish. Since it takes some depth to even target fish, I don't think this is useful at all for kayak fishing south Louisiana. Since the CHIRP has come out, the HDI series are always on sale or discounted heavily. I think the HDI series is the best bang for the buck series out there.
There are some misconceptions out there about HDIs. As far as I can tell, the Elite 4 HDI and Elite 5 HDI run the same software and read the same files. They can both read custom sat imagery cards and can accept 32GB microSD (It's true DSD!). I've heard that there are some processing speed differences between 4 and 5 when navigating menus.
Elite HDI pros - Price and ability to NOT get any 3rd party sat imagery (Elite Gold). Using Google Earth Pro with the Elite HDI series is a game changer. You can create routes, waypoints, etc in GE and import into your GPS or vice versa, save your tracks (where you've been) and import to GE. I can not begin to describe how powerful Elite HDI + Google Earth really is. I'm not even going to mention Lowrance Insight Genesis (Google that!).
Elite HDI cons - Transducer is huge making it difficult to scupper mount. Cable ends are huge but they will fit in 1" hole saw + West Marine thru hull plug. HDI's drain more battery than comparable non-fancy FF. Doing some research, the Elite 5 needs a higher than your basic 6-7AH battery for a most of the day trip. 6-7AH battery should last the Elite 4 a good 12+ hours on the water.
TL;DR - Lowrance Elite 4 HDI or Elite 5 HDI if you can easily mount transducer. Or if you want to leave transducer home during summer and just use GPS. 4 vs 5 is screen size preference and how far away you mount display.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 9:50 pm to AutoYes_Clown
Thanks for all that info I'm definitely gonna have to put some thought into where I'm gonna mount the transducer. I'm going over to see the guys at KC tomorrow to pick up my yak and I'm gonna talk to them about it and see what they recommend.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 10:03 pm to reds on reds on reds
If you get into a bind as far as mounting, check out the YakAttack "Cellblok".
All you need is a gear track and you are good to go.
Drill free, self contained, battery sits in the box.
All you need is a gear track and you are good to go.
Drill free, self contained, battery sits in the box.
Posted on 5/27/15 at 10:15 pm to Polar Pop
I was looking at something like that but I heard that it drags hard in the water
Posted on 5/27/15 at 10:17 pm to reds on reds on reds
Yeah you would definately want to kick the arm back if you need speed/traveling longer distances.
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