Fish Finder Help?

I've decided before I mount my rod holder I would buy my fish finder and mount them at the sme time as to not have to reposition one or the other.  I am looking at the Garmin 120 System and I ws wondering if anyone has/had one that could give me some feedback.  Any other recommendations are appreciated as well.

Steve

I recently purchased an Eagle Fisheasy 240 and am thoroughly impressed with it.  For $119 it is an excellent value.  It offers incredible resolution and grayline features.  A dramatic improvement over my old Humminbird Piranha unit.  

For the same price as the Garmin 120, the Fisheasy 240 has better features....16 level grayscale versus 4 level grayscale in the Garmin, 240 x 160 pixel resoulution versus 240 x 128 in the Garmin,  1500 W power versus 800 W in the Garmin, 800 foot depth capability versus 600 in the Garmin.

Here's a link at Cabelas.com

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jhtml?id=0029861017595a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnString=hasJS=true&_D%3AhasJS=+&QueryText=fisheasy+240&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jhtml.22&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=fisheasy+240&noImage=0&returnPage=search-results1.jhtml

I have the Humminbird 535 (along with jdyak & sturgy). I like this unit because of the wider screen than the norm - which means you can mount it further up the bow and you can still view the screen without a magnifying glass   AND it's also out of the way of any big fish you may land (on your deck) in the future  

It also has a bracket that swivels around, up and down. You can also detach the unit from the bracket and simply store it in a dry bag/dry box just in case you have a tough landing ahead of you.

(see Joel's pics on the main page ' Photo Gallery for rig photo)

http://www.shipstore.com/ss/html/HUM/HUM535.html

Are both the 535 and the Fisheasy 240 removable easily from the yak?  I want something that I can mount securely to my yak and remove easily when I'm not fishing or during storage.

The H 535 is easy to detach. The bracket also folds flat on the deck - so it does not "stick out". IMO: If and when you roll your yak on a beach landing (like I've done a couple of times at Linda Mar   ) = you don't really want ANYTHING on the yak that sticks out - it might just tear-off from your deck once your yak hits the shore line.

...just my  two-cents.

I have a Matrix 25 and I love it. Nice and big and easy to get on and off.

One thing you might want to think about is how you will mount the transducer. Do you want to use a suction cup mount or do you want to permanently mount it. That might have some impact on where/how you mount the FF, which in turn could influence which one you buy.

See my post below for how I mounted mine... I like the Scotty fisfinder mount... totally detachable.  I'd use a RAM mount too if I hadn't already had the scotty mount attached to my Yak.

The mount on the Fisheasy 240 has no bolts... it snaps on and is easy to adjust up and down and remove.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=391

Erik

Finally I made a decision.  My Humminbird 535 should be here tomorrow according to UPS.  Now I need all the input you can give (pictures are great) in mounting this thing.  I have a Malibu Pro Explorer and had planned to mount it directly between my feet.  However, I'm extremely nervous about drilling into my yak.  Please give a lot of info...

Steve

http://kayaksportfishing.com/equipment/submissions/ted/fishfinder/fishfinder.htm

This is the guide I used to install my fish finder.  Looks like the author installed it on a Pro Ex, too.  

He's done practically all the work for you...  

I was nervous about drilling too.  It goes away once you've installed a few things.  I mounted my finder to a piece of maple hardwood and stuck it in the prowler's console, I just strap that down to the yak and its removeable for those crash landings on the beach.  I plan on attaching a sheath for a knife and one for a set of needlenose.  Its placed far enough up front to give me space in the cockpit but still clearly visible.  I do have to remove it to reach the hatch though.  Then again I'm a little on the short side.  

Steve:

Come by the house and I can show you how I do it.  The Humminbirds come on and off really easy.

hay diverclimber i just got a humminbird matrix 25 west marine in okaland have a bargin basement its way in the back of the store not many people know this but they sell return  that has been test all the part are there the one i have was new in a unopen box lest year model
price was 229$ igot it for 149$ plus 10% off fill out for a card a nother 10% off i walk in there and i was like holly shit jackpot so check it out also pass it a round great deal

for power i use my cordless drill 18 v battery with a in line fuse

I have mine set up so the entire mount comes right off when I am not using it. It takes about 2 seconds to take off and about 3 to put on. I went to Home Depot and bought a 9'' x 9'' drainage grate, cut it to the size I wanted, then bolted the base to it. A short shock cord and 2 eye hooks keep it in place perfectly.
You can check it out by going to the 'Rigged Kayaks' section then "Mike's (TOTE) kayak trolling rig....". Mooch was kind enough to post a few pics of it. I also used the same grate concept for my downrigger. The material is impervious to the elements, even salt water, and is very easy to work with.
Tote