Do you have a Yak fish finder you love ?

[Tagger]

I have a Blinky , undependable Eagle Cuda 300 ,, pos imho .. Do you have a FF in your yak you have good luck with ? Not in your boat . I'm interested in one that's good out in the spray .

[wdmso]

I ve got a walmart humming bird 79.00 cheapo and it works great
the transducer is in side the hull .. couldn't see the need for any high end finder

[Rockport24]

I have a humminbird 385ci, it's color and is a gps/fishfinder combo. I absolutely love it, I think it's the perfect size, it doesn't eat through the battery that quickly and it works very well. For about $400 it's a good deal. Now Lowrance recently came out with a similar one in the same price range, so that may be worth looking into as well, but humminbird is about the standard for kayaks at this point because they have focused on them.

I put a little dielectric grease on the plugs, and then rinse the whole thing with freshwater after ever trip and haven't had any issues in two seasons

[BigBo]

Eddie, are you sure it's not a connection problem or more likely a voltage drop? What type of battery are you using?

[Rockport24]

yeah could be a connections problem. I know on my first FF, the power wire connectors got corroded, which is why I started using the dielectric grease.

[Tagger]

Well at first I didn't know about the grease on the connections .. so I got some of that .. The battery is sealed in a pelican case .. Not many miles on it . I talked to someone who had the same FF and they said it went on and off when it was rough .. It's a $99 unit .. I like the idea of a gps incase of fog .. I like seeing the bottom and knowing how deep the water is I'm in ..

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by Rockport24

I have a humminbird 385ci, it's color and is a gps/fishfinder combo. I absolutely love it, I think it's the perfect size, it doesn't eat through the battery that quickly and it works very well. For about $400 it's a good deal. Now Lowrance recently came out with a similar one in the same price range, so that may be worth looking into as well, but humminbird is about the standard for kayaks at this point because they have focused on them.

I put a little dielectric grease on the plugs, and then rinse the whole thing with freshwater after ever trip and haven't had any issues in two seasons

I'll check that out ..

[l.i.fish.in.vt]

Eddie,i have a garmin200,that i used this season,no problems with it, used about 50 days this season.i use a rechargebale battery that i got from cabelas,haven't had it die running it all day.

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by l.i.fish.in.vt

Eddie,i have a garmin200,that i used this season,no problems with it, used about 50 days this season.i use a rechargebale battery that i got from cabelas,haven't had it die running it all day.

I'll check that out too ,. Thanks John .

[smac]

I had a $100 hummingbird from bass pro. got it on sale. It was perfect for me. had it mounted on/in 14" redfish. Did not have a gps on it.

[Tagger]

Just ordered this one .. Wanted a gps unit but can't swing that this year ..I just basically like to know how deep the water is I'm in
Amazon.com: Garmin echo 200 Fishfinder: GPS & Navigation

[The Dad Fisherman]

I'm eyeing the Lowrance Elite 4 for this coming year......$300 and it is a GPS and Fishfinder.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Raven]

i once had a hummingbird fishfinder
a cheaper one>>> fishin buddy
that had great side finding ability
where you could scan sideways in 1'-3' of water
and mark a fish in a specific direction
cast and hook up instantly
which was total fun.

[Tagger]

Like I said ,, I like to know the depth of the water .. My first experience with a fish finder was in the North River and I was marking fish like Crazy . I was really excited until I noticed all the clumps of mud suspended in the water .. Same thing happened in Onset Bay when it was loaded with jelly fish .. I don't trust them I guess ,,,although I'm still a novice .

[BigFish]

I still prefer to kick it old school!!! If they are there...I will find them!!! I like it simple and uncluttered!

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by BigFish

I still prefer to kick it old school!!! If they are there...I will find them!!! I like it simple and uncluttered!

uummm ,, you have your camera mast and go pro Mr. simple and uncluttered Old schooler ..

[BigFish]

I feel if the fish are there I will find out in short order....just because they are there does not mean they will bite! Gotta have video!!

[The Dad Fisherman]

I like being able to get depth, water temp, any structure that I'm not familiar with. Also helps when trolling the T&W to get my speed.

Helps with other types of fishing besides stripes, can locate what looks like a flat sandy bottom when I'm fishing for flatties. I've used it in the yak when I'm in new water and trying to reference a nav chart and find drop offs and humps.

I never really use it to find fish.

I had one on my old yak, Don't Have one on my new yak....and l miss the hell out of it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[BigFish]

Why the hell do you guys think I go yak fishing with you??? I can just yell over..."Hey Ed or Hey Kev.....how deep is it here?"........it works perfectly....for me!! LOL!!

[Tagger]

Originally Posted by The Dad Fisherman

I like being able to get depth, water temp, any structure that I'm not familiar with. Also helps when trolling the T&W to get my speed.

Helps with other types of fishing besides stripes, can locate what looks like a flat sandy bottom when I'm fishing for flatties. I've used it in the yak when I'm in new water and trying to reference a nav chart and find drop offs and humps.

I never really use it to find fish.

I had one on my old yak, Don't Have one on my new yak....and l miss the hell out of it.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Yea Kev ,, I had mine 1 yr and missed the heck out of it the next ... same thing ,, depth ,,temp ,, bottom ,. never really trusted it for marking fish so I never used it for that .. Still learning though .. another toy .

[jonserfish]

i have the lowrance mark-4 and love it. with the gps you can scroll back at the history to see where fish or structure is you liked but didn't mark and go rite back to it. its taken some abuse and still works fine.

[jonserfish]

i only hope that lowrance comes out w/ the 360 like hummingbird. that's all it's missing.

[falkners]

I have 2 Cuda 300's and a 250s in three different yaks and they work great. The oldest is about 5 years old. How and where you mount the transducers is important. You mention yours cuts out when its rough. I am guessing you mounted the transducer too far forward in turbulent or unclean water and it is getting an intermittent return signal causing it to cutout. Mine are all mounted behind the seat inside a piece of 4 inch pvc pipe, imbedded in Lexel caulk. The piece of pipe is mainly for protection so the xducer isn't disturbed. It is attached to the hull with Marine Goop. As an engineer who used to work for a company that made depthsounders I learned that most problems are caused by improper xducer mounting or electromagnetic interference from motors, etc. and not usually the fault of the units themselves. Corrosion on the connectors is also a big issue.

[falkners]

By the way the Eagle Cudas were made by Lowrance under the Eagle brand name.

[Raven]

a photo off that custom mount would be worth seeing!

[yakanglr]

Originally Posted by Raven

a photo off that custom mount would be worth seeing!

Raven, Is this what you're looking for?
Eagle Cuda 350/S transponder mounted to rubber cap, sealed in 4" pipe with water using plumbers goop. Waterproof box from DSG for the battery, both in the rear hatch behind the seat.