Best Depth Finder for Kayak Fishing

[warnerwalter]

I recently bought a kayak and am now in the market for a depth finder. I have zero experience with depth finders, so buying one seems a bit overwhelming. I mostly fish brush in small creeks that range in depth from 5 to 20 feet. $400 is my limit on spending.

What kind of fish finder would be best? Side imaging? Down imaging? I appreciate your input.

[jimp]

You should probably go to a BPS or a Cabelas and look, punch some buttons, ask questions, punch more buttons, try and determine which brand/model you can easily operate and understand what it's telling you, then look some more. Youtube has tons of reviews on the various models and their features which can help in the decision process. It's a ford vs chevy thing, you may like HB and someone else likes Lowrance.

[dwaw]

Might consider starting with a Flasher. Its simple, gives you real time and with the ability to stay/hover over the spot, it would work very well. Maybe a Vexilar FL-8 or similar. Its also indispensable for hard water fishing!

[ILRiverRat]

If I'm not too late to the party and you're still 'in the market' - I'll throw out some thoughts. First off, it just depends on what you're wanting it to do. (and try not to overwhelm you with information). Since you're new to 'fish finders' (I hate that term) - then do some surfing on the internet and check out the youTubes available. There's a tremendous amount of information available. It all comes down to what you want to do. I'm new to kayak fishing so I can't offer advice there and I haven't put one on my own yet (or my little 'pond boat' - a 8' Sun Dolphin) I do know a bit about graphs, GPS etc and have a pretty sophisticated system of Side Imaging/Down Imaging that's networked on my bass boat.

I think that putting an expensive unit on a kayak (again, depending on what you're wanting to do) is overkill. I would think (as suggested above) a flasher would be a great option, gives you instant feedback and probably would meet your needs - but they take a bit of getting used to. However, if you're trying to park over top of whatever you're fishing they are an infinitely better choice than a LCR type display (which typically is going to require motion to get the advertised 'pretty pictures') Almost worthless in a motionless - sit on top type situation.

Also bear in mind (and this varies by model) - but 'most' units come with a 20 degree cone that shoots the signal. In the depths you're describing - you need to be aware that you're looking at coverage of approx. 1/4 to 1/3 your total depth. So - if you're in 20' - you have about 4' of coverage. In 5' - you'de be lucky to be 1.5' or so. So - not a lot there obviously. Also make sure the unit you by has a 'shallow water' setting. I'll spare the science - but suffice to say that it doesn't take near the signal strength to read accurately in shallow water and adjusting them can be tricky. For a small unit - I'd say that most would be fine with a 12v Motorcycle battery. I can tell you the big units with SI/DI like their power!

If it were me - I'd opt for a low-end unit - one of the $100 ones like they all make. Again - depending on what you're trying to accomplish. I've got a hummingbird LCR with a 60 degree cone that I'm considering putting on mine but I just don't know if I'll need it or not. MOst of the places I"d go - I'll know that there's a brushpile or 'something' there - just need some sort of 'electronic eyes' to find it. IF you travel far and have good satellite coverage - the addition of the GPS would be invaluable for tracking your location, assessing distances, timing and all that. But in narrow, deep areas where you might find creeks - getting signal coverage might be a problem. In Kansas it's probably not an issue - in the Ozarks of Missouri - it certainly can be!

This time of year there are usually lots of fishing/boating 'shows' - try to find a seminar to attend and spend an hour or two. It'd be well worth your time. and I'll certainly try to answer your questions. I'm also sure you could find a lot of information on the "Fishing Electronics" forum here on the CDC. There's a lot of other goods sites out there too - but I probably shouldn't advertise them here.

Best of luck...

[G.Gordon]

I'll differ on that opinion. Kayak fishing takes more time to get to your area and more time finding the fish, that said, side imaging with the ability to go 2d or just DI would be my bet. That way you can use SI to scan more area than just under the boat scouting for fish holding areas, then as quiet as a kayak is, circle back and fish it with that image in mind.

[warnerwalter]

I'll differ on that opinion. Kayak fishing takes more time to get to your area and more time finding the fish, that said, side imaging with the ability to go 2d or just DI would be my bet. That way you can use SI to scan more area than just under the boat scouting for fish holding areas, then as quiet as a kayak is, circle back and fish it with that image in mind.

Have any specific recommendations, G.Gordon? What kind of dollar figure am I looking at for the setup you are talking about?

[jhef]

lowrance elite 3 with chirp..easy to install..light on the wallet..easy to use..with down scan imaging...dont get too complicated your fishing from a kayak..remember the k.i.s.s. method.. (keep it simple stupid) ....less is more when your kayak fishing, only thing you cant be cheap on is a good life jacket..

[jaoeyp]

Check out the Helix 5 options from Humminbird. $199 for Sonar unit, $249 for down image unit, $100 more for either of those with GPS, and $499 for side image unit.

[Archery1]

I have had the Lowrance Elite 4X HDI on my kayak for a year now. I'm still learning how to make the most of it but really like it. Because of the new models ( chirp etc) they can be picked up cheap. I bought mine at BPS outlet for $130. I saw one in there a couple months ago for $100.

[JPSchneid]

Side-imaging allows you to cover much more water, which is important in a kayak. See the attached screenshot showing crappie hanging over a brushpile 20 feet to my left. I'm viewing an 88 ft swath of the bottom (44 ft left, 44 ft right) with side-imaging.
Using traditional sonar, best case I would only have seen 9 ft to either side (cone diameter=depth) and might not have seen the brushpile or the fish. Note the paddle strokes in the water column
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101685...n/photostream/

Just to prove they were crappie ... Notice the brushpile in the 2D/DI views and the trail pulling him up to the boat
https://www.flickr.com/photos/101685...n/photostream/