Fish Finder Reccomendations

I just purchased a 2021 Hobie Outback and I'm looking to install a fish finder as one of the key components to my rig. Does anyone have good recommendations? I've seen some guys who have the Panoptics LiveScope but the thing is that the transducer would have to hang off the side and it really only works in freshwater from what I've heard. As well as the price, which is something I'm not willing to pay if I'm not going to be able to use it in fresh and saltwater. Definitely leaning more towards Lowrance or Garmin.

Both Lowrance and Garmin make great fish finders.  I currently use the Lowrance Ti5 model which has a 5" touch screen.  I tried a 4" screen before, but it was too small for my age.  I enjoy using 5" split screen to display location and sonar together.  It took me several years to use my FF effectively.  I watched many YouTubes and training DVDs.

Paul

There are a lot of great fishfinders out there. Most on here will use a Garmin or Lowrance. A few others will have Humminbird or Raymarine. I've heard positive out of all of them.

Importantly, decide what features you need. Livescope is a bit over the top and more commonly used on freshwater. To me, it's a step too far in turning fishing into a video game. I would not enjoy it, though I appreciate it's capabilities and the technology behind it.

GPS / Charts - to me, critical. If you do a lot of saltwater fishing, i find them necessary as a mapping / navigation aid. Most have pretty good charts (Avoid Lowarance 'X' models which do not have them). More advanced ones will have bottom contours and even relief shading which can be very valuable for identifying structure that contains bottom fish.

Side imaging has proven very useful to me in my spring crappie fishing to find the fish. I don't use it much for the ocean, but I know people here that like it for finding bait balls while salmon / halibut fishing.

Obviously, lots of other considerations, including more features (custom layouts, touchscreens, etc) and obviously head-unit size. Some guys love small, inconspicuous devices and some of us older guys love our big screens for our aging eyes. Size may also relate to your particular boat, deck space, weight, etc. On my Outback, bigger is better - i have the space and stability. On my smaller, less stable Revo, I prefer a slightly smaller unit.

It goes without saying that Budget may need to be considered too. You can get a entry level Garmin for around $100. Or you could spend up to $2,500+ for a larger, livescope enabled unit.

For my money, I really rely on my electronics and have invested appropriately. I've now had 5 different models over the last 6 years. I'm finally very pleased with my main choice - Garmin UHD 94SV. Other than it is possibly a bit larger than necessary, it's ideal for my use on the Outback. I have a 7" Lowrance Hook2 on my Revo and it's also a nice unit, though not as feature rich, or as clear of images as the Garmin.  A Garmin UHD 7, might be the perfect middle ground.

But again, decide what you're going to use it for and what features you need.

You can buy pretty much whatever your budget allows for when it comes to fishfinders.  I've always gone with smaller units, and am now feeling like I could use a bigger screen as my eyes get older.  If your kayak supports a specific type of unit, I would start there like Lowrance for Hobies transducer spot.  Otherwise you can adapt any FF to your setup.  The important features to me are really just the basics like GPS and map, depth, speed, some readout of the bottom and able to mark bait.

I'm a Garmin fan. I just bought a Stryker 4 (the "Vivid" version, as I recall), and before that I had an inexpensive Garmin that lasted 10+ years with no troubles. They make excellent inexpensive fishfinders for kayak fishing...

The guardian transducer plate in your outback will fit almost any transducer. So you aren’t limited there until you get into 360 or live view stuff. So basically any sidescan or standard transducer should fit.

The biggest factor will be budget and what you want out of the unit. Figure that out and then go down to a shop that has them on display and powered. Start pressing buttons. See if it is user friendly and works the way you want it to. Stand at arms length or maybe a little further away and see if you can read the screen (or however far away you will have it mounted on the kayak). Look into what mapping software is supported and decide if that is what you want.

The guardian transducer plate in your outback will fit almost any transducer. So you aren’t limited there until you get into 360 or live view stuff. So basically any sidescan or standard transducer should fit.

The biggest factor will be budget and what you want out of the unit. Figure that out and then go down to a shop that has them on display and powered. Start pressing buttons. See if it is user friendly and works the way you want it to. Stand at arms length or maybe a little further away and see if you can read the screen (or however far away you will have it mounted on the kayak). Look into what mapping software is supported and decide if that is what you want.

Very good perspective and advice! I shoulda done that when I last changed! My humminbird had died, so I looked at what the OG’s I know were using and what they had lasted upgraded to. I got a Dragonfly, which has been good. The ol’ bird was B/W and very simple, but got the job done.