Fishfinder/GPS

[JDSeiders]

which do you have?

Would you buy it again?

[Chad]

Garmin 80, third one-so yes.
Chad

[rick c.]

I've got the Hummingbird Pirhana Max 20 on one Yak and a Hummingbird 100SX on the other, neither of which I would purchase again for Kayak use especially the Max 20 ($100 doorstop)

[Linstad]

I agree on the humminbird pirahna max, i have the 10 and it sux....picks up every stray sonar signal in the atlantic. Good as depth finder, terrible for marking fish/structure. Mine was free...so i technically never bought it, but i wouldn't buy one anyways.

[Fisherman]

Garmin 250 fishfinder and Magellan Meridian Marine GPS are excellent. I've whacked them with my paddle, covered them with fish gung, and doused them with water a couple hundred times and they keep on ticking. My 2 cents, invest in decent equipment the first time and you won't have to replace it later. I also had a "bargain" fishfinder that lasted about 5 months. Come on, all that money we're saving in fuel and financing justifies decent electronics. Cha-ching!

[rick c.]

How much use do you really get from a GPS since most fishing is done within sight of land? I have a Garmin 12 handheld My brother gave me but cant really see a use for it. I did order a VHF radio the other day with a Fathers Day gift card. Uniden MHS-350 submersible should arrive this week.

[FishingRod]

Hummingbird Matrix 17 and Magellan Meridian Marine GPS.
I haven't had a problem with either one yet.

[Chad]

Lots of submerged structure has well known GPS coordinates and you can paddle around all day trying to find them. Underwater humps and unmarked channels and contours are sometimes easier to find by making a waypoint.
Chad

[msaba]

hummingbird matrix 27, really like it. great resolution and 'quick disconnect' feature a big bonus.

[naked goby]

Something to think about when buying a fish finder. The size of the plug. Some are much bigger then others and this should be considered if you plan on drilling a hole in your yak for the cable to run through.

[rick c.]

Just looked at the specs on the Meridian GPS and can see where that one would be useful. The Garmin 12 I have is an older model and not very user friendly (still haven't figured it out all the way). I guess that will be my next electronics purchase. Got a birthday later this month, time to drop a few suggestions.

[hoosierboy]

i have the new eagle 320c easy to use features plus color display makes it easy to see even in the brighest of light. Has a good reas out and a good number of pixels. Small quick disconnect plug so you dont have to drill a monster hole through your yak.

[naked goby]

I've beent trying to find the actual size off all the transducer plugs, but nobody list them on the internet.

My Eagle Fish Easy (and other Eagle and Lowance units) have a plug that's about 1/4". Garmin fish finder plugs are closer to 1-1.5".

This is the only negative thing I can say about the Garmin. When I was selling them at BPS I preferred Garmin products over Lowance. I thought they had better customer service and more user friendly products then Lowance (which makes Eagle).

But because the size of the plug, I would not recommend using them in kayaks. However there is a way around it. That is to run the cable under the froward hatch. Even with my Eagle I do this because I have a fear of drilling holes in my yak and I know of at least one other person that does this with his Garmin.

If I were in the market for a new fishfinder, I would go for the Cuda 168 and if I had the extra cash might spring for the 240 that has the combined GPS.

I'm not a big fan of Hummingbird products, although they have come a long way in the last two years playing catch up to their competitors. They also have a smaller plug then Garmin.

Bottomline sucks in my opinion.

And my disclaimer. This is just my opinion. Feel free to disagree.

[Chad]

The Garmin products do have a large plug. I drill the hole under where I plan to put a Scotty rod holder and then put the Scotty down over the hole and the Scotty bases have a little curved channel that the cord will lay in. I also make a gasket out of 5" rubber hose to go under the base to cover the hole that goes all the way through the rod holder. Last, I apply a little of the lexel to the channel where the cable comes out from under the base. It works like a champ and I bleieve the Garmin make the msot reliable electronics for yaks.
Chad

[Cory ruthless Routh]

Ditto on th Garmin 80, but get it while you can, it has been discontinued by Garmin. The lowrance C68 and C67 are alos goo units with excellent resoloution.

[JDSeiders]

Does the Garmin 80 have incorporated GPS?


Nevermind. For $100 that's wishful thinking. The least expensive GPS/Fishfinder combo I've found is a Lowrance for $339.