Hobie Forums :: View topic - Fish finder recommendations/advice needed

I am new to kayak fishing and in the market for my 1st fish finder. I plan on ocean fishing with a Hobie Lynx.

Basic research tells me that GPS and a lower frequency for bottom fishing in the depths will be two keys to have, outside of that I am pretty clueless. Should I get a large screen, and if so what size? I have heard some say get the biggest screen you can afford... Is a smaller screen not doable out on the ocean, i.e., will be unable to make out marks? Do I need side scan, or is 2D enough?

I would appreciate anyone's opinions on the matter; overall I would love to go with something simple and light. That said, your experience with trial and error, etc. would be invaluable. Thanks in advance folks.

Author:	choied [ Tue May 24, 2022 12:15 pm ]
Post subject:	Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
I am new to kayak fishing and in the market for my 1st fish finder. I plan on ocean fishing with a Hobie Lynx. Basic research tells me that GPS and a lower frequency for bottom fishing in the depths will be two keys to have, outside of that I am pretty clueless. Should I get a large screen, and if so what size? I have heard some say get the biggest screen you can afford... Is a smaller screen not doable out on the ocean, i.e., will be unable to make out marks? Do I need side scan, or is 2D enough? I would appreciate anyone's opinions on the matter; overall I would love to go with something simple and light. That said, your experience with trial and error, etc. would be invaluable. Thanks in advance folks.

Author:	maxwellmark [ Thu May 26, 2022 9:38 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
choied wrote: I am new to kayak fishing and in the market for my 1st fish finder. I plan on ocean fishing with a Hobie Lynx. Basic research tells me that GPS and a lower frequency for bottom fishing in the depths will be two keys to have, outside of that I am pretty clueless. Should I get a large screen, and if so what size? I have heard some say get the biggest screen you can afford... Is a smaller screen not doable out on the ocean, i.e., will be unable to make out marks? Do I need side scan, or is 2D enough? I would appreciate anyone's opinions on the matter; overall I would love to go with something simple and light. That said, your experience with trial and error, etc. would be invaluable. Thanks in advance folks. A lot of what you are asking are personal choices, how good are your eyes and how much of a budget do you have…. Here’s a good video on fish finder operations. You’ll need to decide for yourself what options or features are most important. That said, I have a Garmin Striker Plus 4, it works perfect for my needs. I can read it in direct sunlight and it didn’t cost a lot of money. Good luck in your research and welcome to the process https://youtu.be/bnCOQIwpdhA

Author:	choied [ Thu May 26, 2022 9:54 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
@maxwellmark, thanks. I will watch them.

Author:	Mahi [ Sat May 28, 2022 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
A 5 inch screen works well in my kayak. A super big screen may be good in a launch but in a kayak you don't want too much clutter. Mine is mounted at the side where I can easily reach it, some folks mount them up front out of easy reach and further distance away, for that you may need a bigger screen. It will also depend just what you want. If you want sidescope etc you may need a bigger screen. For me I have a striker 5 vivid which is a cheap end fish finder but it tells me everything I need to know, it looks good and I'm super pleased with it. I don't think I would benefit from a more expensive finder with more bells and whistles. I fish the ocean in around 30 to 40 feet.

Author:	choied [ Sat May 28, 2022 6:32 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
Thanks @Mahi, appreciate you thoughts. Yeah, I likely will not use side scan too much, and the Lynx isn't great for mounting that big of a transducer. I am thinking I may benefit a bunch from preloaded maps though, i.e., chartplotter as I will fish in different places that I am unfamiliar with. Do you feel as if you would benefit from preloaded maps? I am definitely interested in a combination of low to high frequencies for purposes of clear bottom fishing. Would you choose a different model now that you have been using the Garmin? I guess, more importantly, are you able to see flat fish on the ground with your sounder?

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Author:	Mahi [ Sun May 29, 2022 11:22 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
Yes I would have liked the pre loaded maps. The reason I didn't go there was in my country there is a big jump in price to move up to the model with maps, plus a bigger screen which would have been too cumbersome in the kayak, so I reluctantly decided against it. However I mainly fish the same body of water (5 minutes from my house), and am gradually building up and saving the points of interest as I discover them. A map would have been nice though. If I had to buy all over again I would still get the same fish finder. Yes it does see fish on the bottom although they (to my knowledge) are not flat, they are pelagic fish but will sometimes rest on the bottom. I can see them, and also on the fish finder see the bait go down to them, and they strike soon as the bait gets to them it's quite fun. The other fun thing is I may be hanging a bait over with no bites or fish on the finder. Then I see a school appear on the finder and immediately get a strike.

Author:	choied [ Sun May 29, 2022 2:38 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fish finder recommendations/advice needed
@Mahi, thanks for your thoughts, and all the best to ya!

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