NorCal Kayak Anglers
Kayak Fishing Zone => General Fishing Tips => Topic started by: mscpg on June 17, 2006, 09:53:06 AM
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I HAVE A WILDERNESS SYSTEMS TARPON 140. WHAT FISHFINDER SHOULD I BUY? DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ON INSTALLATION AND POWER SUPPLY.
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There is a ton out there. I recommend doing a search on this site. You'll find out all you need.
BTW, nice first post.
CHEERS!
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i was wondering about the same thing. Anybody know what is the lastest/greatest availiable out there rightnow. I am willing to spend 300-400 dollars. Any suggestions will greatly appreciated thanks!
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There is a ton of info on this site and a google search using "kayak fishing" will give you hours of research with pictures, how to do-it-yourself, etc. Troy has a very nice setup on his Tarpon 140.
Tim, I'm sure ChuckE has ideas on how to set up the Adventure.
Whatever you do, take a drive down to the Oakland West Marine and go to their Bargain Center that's located in a separate room to the left of their main store. That's where all the West Marine stores return their merchandise for resale. There's good discounts to be found and you don't have to wait for a big sale. I bought my fishfinder there, a bunch of kayak hardware, fishing supplies, marine goop...check it out.
Gary
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IMO: get a dual beam fish finder - I also noticed a lot of Humminbird Matrix users among the NCKA members.
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I was at the WM Bargain Center on Saturday and noticed a few Matrix finders, one Matrix 27 for $160 + tax, a good discounted price. Some 10's and 20's also.
However, based on everything I have seen and heard, seems the best deal is still the Eagle 245DS which is dual beam and you can find it for $100. I have heard those Eagle units are most durable and saltwater friendly.
If $100 was my budget, that's the one I'd get, no question.
(My budget turned into $50 so i could get both the Cuda 168 and a 36" deep collapsible landing net for $100).
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thank cafecaigh and mooch for the info. I'll be at westmarine next Sat.I think i'll get a matrix also.
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Bill/ChuckE/Mooch,
I think we need a survey like you guys did for types of kayaks...
I have a Matrix 25 from the WM Bargain Store and so far so good (6 months)...knock on wood. Troy helped me fine tune it and I need to get (or make one) that cool visor he has for his.
Gary
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take a look at my tarpon 140 i have a Matrix 25 with gps very happy so far
it,s from the WM Bargain Store great place
the bar u see the one the ff is on i made it myself that way i have room up top for fish also i put a strap across the front hatch no way for that top 2 pop off in bad water u never know :smt003
i just put in Flush Mount rod holder,s also the plugs u see in the pic keep the water out the bowl u sit in :smt003
also there a old pic of the way my kayak was setup
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I have an eagle fishmark 320, and I have nothing but good things to say about it.
It is about 140 right now.
It is a little larger than some of the others, but it is excellent.
MolBasser
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See Jelly's post aboat his Eagle 245 ds in the Rigging tips section. This is a GREAT litle ff and only $99. IMHO its impossible to beat in a bang for the buck comparison.
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I use the cheapest one I can find. In a yak you are mainly looking for the bottom and bait fish. I use mine for watching the bottom to adjust my line up and down. When I salmon fish I use it to look for bait fish.
I also like to see where the reefs have real lumpy lines showing big rocks and depth changes, cause that can be a good rock fishing place.
Bottom line is there isn't much to seperate the cheapies up to a few hundred dollars except screen size and some features that aren't that big of a deal. Now, if you want to talk serious business, lets talk about a 600 to 800 dollar transducer that has 60 crystals in it sending bouncing waves all over the place bringing back tons of data and delivering it to a 1200 dollar computer and screen.
What your going to find for three hundred is a transducer that has two frequencies, one narrow beam that will give detail and one wide beam that will cover more area. It will go to a screen and show you certain types of fish according to how much air they have in them and how deep they are. You can not see certain fish like salmon, halibut and I'm not sure about sharks. Even if you did have a fancy transducer, you wouldn't know if you saw a salmon or a piece of kelp. So bottom line you are looking for rockfish, baitfish in schools and the bottom.
Oh, and you won't necessarily see rockfish on your screen when you are catching fish.
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I'm just about to join the fraternity (my new prowler 13 should arrive in the next two weeks). i have looked a few fish finders and gps units. I am looking at the lowrance M68C that combines the two. Does anyone have any experience with this unit? What do you think of it?
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I've been busy pimpin' out my new Outback, and one item I've held out on so far is a fishfinder. I've done quite a bit of searching on various kayak websites, and Google, of course. I'm torn between going with the cheaper-but-well-reviewed option, or going with one a bit more expensive but with more features. One thing I've been considering is a model with GPS capabilities. My train of thought is that it'd be cheaper and more space efficient to have a model that incorporates GPS than it would be to purchase a FF and GPS unit seperately. Am I off base here, or does that make sense?
Good info about the Oakland West Marine Bargain Center, BTW. :smt023
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My train of thought is that it'd be cheaper and more space efficient to have a model that incorporates GPS than it would be to purchase a FF and GPS unit seperately. Am I off base here, or does that make sense?
I chose to purchase them separately because:
- if you had the FF and the GPS together and the battery dies on you, then your stuck with nothing.
- I like having 'em separate because I can always use the GPS for backpacking, hiking and mountain biking
...just my 2 cents :smt002
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I have a Matrix 25 with the GPS option and another downside is the lack of accuracy on the readout -- the default scale is pretty big -- maybe a mile per square, so it's pretty tough to accurately mark a reef, navigate a course etc. If you were driving a PB at 20 knots it would be useful, but at 3.8k, it takes a while to paddle across the screen ; ) There's probably some menu adjustment for changing this that I haven't found yet.
On the plus side, everything is right there and it's real easy to hit the big button with gloved hands and mark a waypoint. And the screen is big enough to easily see as you are paddling.
I agree with Mooch that if you are going to rely on the GPS for life saving navigation I would go with a seperate unit.
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Here's a super cheap one:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=94511
$39 at harbor freight, runs on 4 AA. Only 100' depth capability, but that's okay for all but deep rockfish. Should be really good for divers.
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The issue really boils down to what you want the unit for.
Just depth, then go super cheap.
From there you go up in price and sensitiivty.
Want to know bottom hardness? Want to know if the goo above the bottom is a tree or a plant.
Then you need to spend a bit more.
As a bass fisherman, and a mostly freshwater kayaker, I value high resolution and excellent sensitivity in my unit so I am able to much better to assess the areas I am fishing.
So, you really need to assess what you need from your unit to make the choice.
MolBasser