best fish finder

[Harry Hill]

Who makes the best kayak fish finder. I see all this stuff hds and chirp but I have no idea what any of it means. So I'm looking to buy a good fishing finder that will work for rock fish and yellowtail and wsb. Do I want one that has GPS? Ease of use? I know there are going to be many opinions but I want to hear them. Do I need a 5" screen or will 4" be adequate? Is 7 overkill? I have tried using the search engine but I don't seem to find what I am looking for. Thanks in advance.

Harry

[ful-rac]

Bigger is better! I'm sure being an older guy, you will appreciate the larger screen. Adjustability is important! The new touchscreens are the way to go. HDS7 gen 2 or 3 will serve you well.

[King Saba]

Don't forget to factor in your budget lol!

[Murray]

Considering the environment we fish in, West Marine extended warranty is something you want to consider. 50/200 transducer is also something you want to investigate if you are fishing saltwater.

[YakDout]

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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[2-Stix]

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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x2

[maquinapescado]

One of my last trips fishing, way back in January (work and school over load), I was fishing with Summers in Kuwait (Todd). He did not have a fish finder at the time and I had a poorly working Elite 4. We caught 5 yellows in the 25-35# range.

Point being, the best FF on the market is only part of the equation. No FF out there make up for a lack of time on the water. Get out there, get out there and get out there.

On another note, I'm replacing my POS with a new Elite-5 Chirp because they were 300 with transducers and Nav. My rational for the purchase was price, reviews, word of mouth and the need for a new one that works. Buy warranty.

[alanw]

I started with a Lowrance X-4 black and white unit with no GPS and it got the job done just fine for $80. I did upgrade within a year though to a bigger Dragonfly 6 color unit with GPS and haven't felt the need to upgrade since. Save yourself a little bit of money on a future upgrade by getting the best unit that you can find on sale within your budget.

I'm not a fan of the Lowrance units with all the extra functionality like networking and engine monitoring capabilities built in because your paying extra for stuff you won't use unless you have a boat. I'd look for basic units with GPS, color, charts, and the older your eyes are and the further you plan on mounting it from your eyes the bigger the screen should be. If my DF6 dies I'll be looking at a 7" unit, maybe a new DF or the new Lowrance Hook-7 seems to be a good value.

[Lipripper92592]

Get the best you can afford.....min 5 inch.....I'd suggest the 7" models. The HDS 7 touch has treated me great for almost two years now. If you can't keep from dunking your ff when you come in...then get the warranty.
Once you have your FF.....put the manual next to the toilet and let that be your reading material for a week or so.
Not too many know how to properly set up their FF, it's fun watching people drop irons in the kelp thinking it's a monster school of yellows.......:) but I think I find myself doing the same from time to time..

[Baja_Traveler]

And spend a few bucks for a small tube of Dielectric grease and use it on your fish finder terminals. It will keep the salt water out and prevent corrosion, thus preventing premature finder failure.

[Harry Hill]

And spend a few bucks for a small tube of Dielectric grease and use it on your fish finder terminals. It will keep the salt water out and prevent corrosion, thus preventing premature finder failure.

I always have a tube of dielectric grease on hand, I use it for all my connections on my radio control airplanes

[jorluivil]

I like the 5" and 7" hds or chirp models. I wouldn't go 4". You will want to upgrade to a 5 or 7" soon. GPS basically a must have for me. I have never used the newer touch models, but I don't think I'd ever buy one. Maybe for a boat. But the amount of saltwater that collects on my HDS that ISNT touch, I can only imagine how bad it would be when you are putting your fingers on it all day.


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so you don't have a touch screen but you don't like it?

If you are collecting saltwater on your screen perhaps you need to stop splashing saltwater on it.

Also, speaking from experience, the touch screen on the HDS touch works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If your screen is completely wet it will work about as good as a wet screen on a smart phone.

[Harry Hill]

after reading a lot of reviews and reports I decided to go with the Garmin 7sv. It is supposed to have the clearest screen and all the functions of the rest. Thanks for all the input, I could have saved a lot going for the 5' screen but that 7 just gives you so much more.

[Geno Machino]

I have the Garmin 54Dv. Good unit. The connectors at a PITA at times. However, my unit works really well for me.

Geno

[Harry Hill]

I have the Garmin 54Dv. Good unit. The connectors at a PITA at times. However, my unit works really well for me.

Geno

that is good to hear, I was pretty sure the first reply would be someone telling what a pile of bird crap I had bought.

[Geno Machino]

Really user friendly, is the reason I bought mine.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

It depends.

If there was one perfect answer then there wouldn't be so many different products and options available.

Know Thyself.

[YakDout]

so you don't have a touch screen but you don't like it?

If you are collecting saltwater on your screen perhaps you need to stop splashing saltwater on it.

Also, speaking from experience, the touch screen on the HDS touch works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If your screen is completely wet it will work about as good as a wet screen on a smart phone.



To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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[jorluivil]

To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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To answer your question, yes exactly. we only go on days when its dead calm, why would we bother going on days when its blowing 15-20 mph with a 4' swell?

As far as the HDS touch goes nowhere in my response did I speak highly of it, I simply said that it works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If you're going to give advise on something give advice based on your experiences and not your assumptions or some review that you read. Is the touch unit for everyone? No, its not.

[jorluivil]

To answer your question, yes exactly. I don't have one and don't like the concept and I would never buy one. Obviously someone who purchased one will talk highly of it. Splashing water on my screen intentionally? No not really. Being out in rough conditions, ya that will do it. Or does all mighty team sewer only go out when it is dead calm??? Must be nice!!!


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To answer your question, yes exactly. we only go on days when its dead calm, why would we bother going on days when its blowing 15-20 mph with a 4' swell?

As far as the HDS touch goes nowhere in my response did I speak highly of it, I simply said that it works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. Is it a great unit? The only thing I can compare it to are the Eagle Cuda and the HDS5 and YES, the touch unit is better than those two units.

If you're going to give advise on something give advice based on your experiences and not your assumptions or some review that you read. Is the touch unit for everyone? No, its not and as I already stated I can only compare it to what I've owned in the past so I won't bother comparing it to something I never owned.

[YakDout]

To answer your question, yes exactly. we only go on days when its dead calm, why would we bother going on days when its blowing 15-20 mph with a 4' swell?



As far as the HDS touch goes nowhere in my response did I speak highly of it, I simply said that it works much much better when your fingers are wet/moist. If you're going to give advise on something give advice based on your experiences and not your assumptions or some review that you read. Is the touch unit for everyone? No, its not.



Do you carry freshwater to dip your fingers in before you touch the screen? Like I said before, saltwater on the screen sucks. And it happens to people enough to the point that they bring a freshwater squirt bottle along with them to clean the screen that isnt touch. And now you are saying its better to dip your hand in saltwater to get them wet before you touch the screen, just does not make sense to me. Im going to stand behind my answer of I would never buy one.


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[jorluivil]

Do you carry freshwater to dip your fingers in before you touch the screen?


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Yes, its shipped to me from the French Alps.

[ful-rac]

I use water from Fiji myself....

[YakDout]

No wonder you guys arent getting salt on the screen after wetting your fingers, it all makes sense now.


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[jorluivil]

Do you carry freshwater to dip your fingers in before you touch the screen? Like I said before, saltwater on the screen sucks. And it happens to people enough to the point that they bring a freshwater squirt bottle along with them to clean the screen that isnt touch. And now you are saying its better to dip your hand in saltwater to get them wet before you touch the screen, just does not make sense to me. Im going to stand behind my answer of I would never buy one.


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No one is telling you to buy one. I simply said that if your going to give advise give it based on experience and not your assumptions.

And where did I say anything about dipping your hands in water?

Feel free to stand behind your answer but before you stand behind something make sure you know the facts. For one, the fact that you're fishing in saltwater.

[wiredantz]

hds5 gen 2 been working great for years. Rolled over gone through surf. still works.





On the new models the touch green works better when your fingers are wet and moist and have just pulled the mirage drive out to poop.:biggrinjester:

[YakDout]

The only fact Is that I dont like salt on the screen...

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160527/0fbaedcaee0ad4712890c52c361df620.jpg


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[YakDout]

hds5 gen 2 been working great for years. Rolled over gone through surf. still works.











On the new models the touch green works better when your fingers are wet and moist and have just pulled the mirage drive out to poop.:biggrinjester:



Maybe after that, we can use hand sanitizer and REALLY make the screen work better. It has to be better than fiji water because its more of a gel type liquid, what do you think?


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[GregAndrew]

Simply bringing a rag with you is a small price to pay for much faster operation with the touch screens. Typing a simple description for a new waypoint can take 10 minutes on the button only machines. Besides, the salt does not seem to stick to my touch screen like it did to my old HDS 5. I carry a tiny squirt bottle, but rarely ever use it. Water droplets are more of a nuisance to me, so I wipe them down before they dry.

OP, nobody knows what the best fishfinder is, cause nobody has used them all long enough to make an educated guess. Stick with the ones that you are not hearing user complaints about and that you can get a good extended warranty for. Those are going to be your primary concerns with your unit fishing from a kayak.

[jorluivil]

And if you buy the Westmarine warranty with your unit you'll never have to buy a new unit again.

[da22y]

And if you buy the Westmarine warranty with your unit you'll never have to buy a new unit again.

Is that mean the fishfinder will die naturally or we make it die naturally within its warranty period . :)

[jorluivil]

Is that mean the fishfinder will die naturally or we make it die naturally within its warranty period . :)


I've never had to put an electronic unit to death, the units just failed and westmarine said, 'here's your full refund'. It's happened with more than one item that's I've purchased at westmarine, chances are you will NOT find a better warranty on marine electronics.

[swinginFish]

Best advice I ever received re. a fish finder (15 yrs ago from Johnny Ceviche) was to do the research then buy whatever I felt was best with a credit card. It was explained that most issuing banks encourage their credit card use by offering to extend the original warranty by a year on an item purchased with the card. Given how abusive the kayak fishing environment is on electronic equipment, you can trust you'll have reason to utilize the extended warranty no matter what GPS you buy.