Depth finder for kayak

[honkerslayer]

I’m wanting to put a new depth finder on my kayak and am looking to stay under $500. I have Lowrance on my boat but am open to trying something new for the kayak to get the best bang for the $. I appreciate any suggestions!

 

[Up Y'oars]

I have a used one for sale, if you're interested. Has the suction cup for the transducer, carrying case for the unit, and digital monitor. It's a Hummingbird 385i and has a newer battery.

 

[Migrator Man]

I put a helix 5 on mine with a ram transducer mount. I got the one with just chirp sonar and gps after rebate for $200 and bought the ice transducer ($70) for Hard water fishing too. Works great!

 

[Vollmers]

X2 on the helix

I put a helix 5 on mine with a ram transducer mount. I got the one with just chirp sonar and gps after rebate for $200 and bought the ice transducer ($70) for Hard water fishing too. Works great!

 

[honkerslayer]

Thanks guys! I’ll give the Helix a look!

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

What type of kayak are you looking to mount this on? Is it a sit in or sit on? I have a sit on and it has a place to mount the transducer under the kayak. I put a simple Lowrance 3" on mine. I only need to see the bottom contours. Look at how much power the sonar will require. Carrying a heavy battery all the time sucks. I tried the 8 AA battery configuration for a couple trips and it would only last 6 hours before the sonar shut down due to low battery. Also how much will you cry when the kayak flips and the sonar becomes completely immersed in water? Just a couple things to think about.

 

[honkerslayer]

I have the WS Radar sit on top that has the “pod” and the transducer mounts to the bottom. I have a really old Lowrance unit on it now and it works but I want to upgrade. I use a vexilar type battery and it works great. I’m not concerned about tipping. Thanks!

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

Honkerslayer, looks like a nice rig. At 34" it should be plenty stable. Are you going pedal or paddle?

 

[honkerslayer]

I have the pedal drive. I am a huge fan of it. Especially when fishing in some wind. Keeping positioned is way better than paddling.

 

[Ristorapper]

Motor guide is coming out with a kayak trolling motor soon. Anchor/spot lock baby!! But then you have your feet on the pedals!!

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

Trolling motor for kayak, here in ND that makes it a powered vessel and must be registered. Paddle or pedal and registration is not necessary. The other issue now becomes weight. A trolling motor probably will double the weight of a kayak. I find I like the portability of kayaks. Sand bar in the way, no problem. Small lake, limited access, no problem. Do they plan on having the trolling motor internal to the kayak? If not, it would limit how shallow the kayak could go, forget rocky points and riffles. I can see how it would make boat control easier for fishing. I use the kayak when it is warm for the workout as well as fishing. Do others here feel the same way?

 

[honkerslayer]

I really like fishing out of the yak. I have a cabin on sak and I fish out of my boat plenty but it’s nice to walk down and fish for a bit whenever I get the itch without launching the boat. Especially in the evening after dinner. Nice way to get a little exercise without it seeming like exercise. I catch quite a few fish too. Caught some really nice walleyes when they were shallow early and now the big pike are heating up. Of course the smallies almost always cooperate.

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I’d post some pics if I could ever figure out how to do it! Ugh!!

 

[ELLS]

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Sorry about that one guys. Should be in the haha’s

 

[ORCUS DEMENS]

Ells, Problem with dyslexic fingers?