Fish Finder recommendations

[mclanea]

New to these forums, new to kayak fishing, looking for some input on entry-level fish finder. I'll mostly fish Mission Bay, SD Bay, and freshwater lakes. Thanks!

[alanw]

Entry level might be something like the Lowrance X-4 at around $100. From there you can go bigger, add color, add GPS. Check http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/servlet/the-Kayak-Accessories-cln-Electronics/Categories for some popular choices.

[Wintersun]

At the low low end at $160 there are finder/chartplotters like the Lowrance Mark-4 with the black and white display and a 83/200 transducer. For another $60 you can move up to the same model with a combo 83/200 and 455/200 transducer or for $80 more the Lowrance Elite-4 Gold (has the Navionics ocean maps included) and a color display and 83/200 transducer.

You save money with Lowrance by getting their Gold unit which includes the micro SD card with the Navionics charts.

If you buy a better unit you can move it from one kayak to the next and protect your investment. The cheap unit becomes a throw away if you later decide to get a better one.

Budget for the mount and for a 12v sealed lead acid battery as well as for the finder.

Kayaks vary widely in the amount of effort and drilling required to mount the transducer, finder, and battery.

[Cbad Mike]

Whatever you decide on I recommend seriously considering a sonar/GPS combo unit.
Don't under estimate the need for GPS for both marking your spots and getting you back to land in the fog.
:cheers1: