ICE and OPEN water fish finders

[gamehog]

Hello. I dont get out and do as much fishing as i would have liked over the last few years but i would like to spend more time doing so. The last fish finder i had was a fishing buddy and i used it both for open water and hard water. i know the electronics have come a long way over the years and looking to see what would be a good option to use year round? i love using the flasher for hard water and have no idea what is best for trolling in open water. i fish for anything from perch to pike and everything in between but mainly perch,trout,walleye and pike and lake trout but in most cases i dont fish much deeper then 50ft and 100ft on a rare trip for summer lakers. i would think something in the $450 range would be good but all ideas are welcome. worse come to worse i will buy a unit for both seasons. Thanks

[fish/hunt4ever]

I have been looking at the hummingbird fish finders so I can pair it with my I pilot trolling motor. Just have not found which one I want to buy yet have been trying to decide if I want the down imagining or the combination with side imagining. Been kind of looking at the helix 7 and like the fact that you can make your own map if one is not available for the lake but still trying to find as much info as I can on the units. And like you trying to stay around the 450 mark.

[bootstrap]

garmin striker 4 kit. about $200

[fishEH]

I just got the Humminbird Helix 5. I got the GPS Chirp DI G2 one with Navionics card. I was contemplating the Helix 7 until I saw how big it was. I wanted it to fit in a 5gal bucket and it would have been VERY hard for that to happen. I've used the Helix 5 3 times on the ice now and now that I kinda have a feel for it I really really like it. I bet I like it even more when Humminbird gets their crap together and gets the proper transducer back in stock! 
I plan on using it in open water too. The Helix 5 is also small enough where I feel I could bring in into BWCA or on a fly-in.

[bobberbill]

Agree with fishEH.. I just got the Helix 5 GPS Portable. It came with the open water ducer, and I'm waiting on the ice ducer that's out of stock. Just under 500. It's replacing my old Lowrance 67xc that still works. A lot of nice features. I modified the bracket to use for ice and it worked very well. I really liked the portability between my boats and the ice.

[fishEH]

Just got the notification from Hodges Marine that my 1521 Ducer shipped. They have them back in stock!!
https://www.hodgesmarine.com/Humminbird-Xi-9-1521-Ice-Transducer-p/hum710273-1.htm

Agree with fishEH.. I just got the Helix 5 GPS Portable. It came with the open water ducer, and I'm waiting on the ice ducer that's out of stock. Just under 500. It's replacing my old Lowrance 67xc that still works. A lot of nice features. I modified the bracket to use for ice and it worked very well. I really liked the portability between my boats and the ice.

[bobberbill]

I just got the same notice a couple mins ago. I was on the waiting list. Order placed..

[fishEH]

Just in time.........for next season. 

[Philip]

garmin striker 4 kit. about $200

Ive been thinking about this for a while now.... used vex fl8 for $200 vs Brand new Garmin for ~$180. I like that the garmin can be used on a kayak and has the different graph options. Waypoint marking is cool too. Not a fan of the small screen size/digital display. The vex is tried and true, but is more of a one trick pony.

Is it true the ducer that comes with the fl8 is kinda crappy for ice? Open ears to all recommendations

[SirCranksalot]

if you are fishing deep water, say 70' plus, you will have picking up your bait/lure/sinker on the cheaper models. I have  Hook 4. I can tell if I still have a minnow on at 50 ft or so but it gets harder around 70-80.

[SirCranksalot]

https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=358597.0;topicseen

[Bucket Rump]

Ive been thinking about this for a while now.... used vex fl8 for $200 vs Brand new Garmin for ~$180. I like that the garmin can be used on a kayak and has the different graph options. Waypoint marking is cool too. Not a fan of the small screen size/digital display. The vex is tried and true, but is more of a one trick pony.

I picked up a portable Garmin EchoMap Chirp unit to use out of my kayak and 14' boat during warm water months that I have also been using along side my Vex FLX-28 while ice fishing this year - the Garmin does have some really nice features the Vex doesn't have with the GPS functions and the Chirp technology (although the ice ducer doesn't do the Chirp function) that make it a nice all-season unit.  If I could only chose one and wanted to use it all year I would likely choose the Garmin - if I were to only use for ice fishing I would pick the Vex hands down.

[Houligan]

Agreed, Hummingbird Helix 5 or the Lowrance Hook 5. Would suggest buying the ice machine version of either units then get the extra transducer for the boat. That way if you wanted to keep it totally portable all you would need to do is install the transducer on the boat and hook your carry bag with unit/battery to it when you wanted. Also would be a good way to keep the ice unit battery up by using it during the summer and charging, many forget to charge or maintain batteries during the off season.

[RapShack]

Ive been thinking about this for a while now.... used vex fl8 for $200 vs Brand new Garmin for ~$180. I like that the garmin can be used on a kayak and has the different graph options. Waypoint marking is cool too. Not a fan of the small screen size/digital display. The vex is tried and true, but is more of a one trick pony.

Is it true the ducer that comes with the fl8 is kinda crappy for ice? Open ears to all recommendations

For what it's worth the new model for this year the Plus 4 has a little bit bigger screen and they added a feature that lets you make your own contour maps by combining the GPS and sonar data.  If you fish places both seasons you can make maps on the kayak and use them to find spots through the ice.  Only bumped the cost up $20 but I'm not sure if it's available in the portable kit yet though. 

[32footsteps]

My LX7 goes on my boat in the summer. A bit more than the price range you laid out but I think it’s better as an open water unit than it is on the ice. You don’t have a GPS on it so that’s a negative but side by side with a 2nd generation helix the LX7 is more accurate. The helix is a great unit as it is but having the tighter target separation with the Marcum is where it sets itself apart.

[Dakpheasant]

I purchased the garmin striker 4 a couple weeks ago and so far I really like it.  It has shown me fish and seems to work well.  I have been using the regular transducer in 15 to 40 feet of water and it works just fine. 

[marknpanfish]

I run the Helix 7 made my own box for it absolutely love it. I would think the Helix 5 would also be a great option.

[buz23]

I purchased the garmin striker 4 a couple weeks ago and so far I really like it.  It has shown me fish and seems to work well.  I have been using the regular transducer in 15 to 40 feet of water and it works just fine.

Am interested in this as a less expensive package for friends who are too darn cheap to match my LX-7.  How is the bottom zoom capability?  Does it zoom in chart or in flasher mode?  How does it work in the cold??

[Philip]

For what it's worth the new model for this year the Plus 4 has a little bit bigger screen and they added a feature that lets you make your own contour maps by combining the GPS and sonar data.  If you fish places both seasons you can make maps on the kayak and use them to find spots through the ice.  Only bumped the cost up $20 but I'm not sure if it's available in the portable kit yet though.

Honestly this is enough to sell me on it, thats an awesome feature. Im really hoping they'll add it to the portable kit. Lots of the water I fish is uncharted

Do you know what the difference is with the 4 Plus and the 4PlusCV?

[shermanpup]

Bought a trolling motor mount x-ducer for my Marcum VX-1 (Used to use a humminb super 60 ). Although not new, full of features, and fancy ,an analog flasher in the front shows depth changes instantly, which is handy . I have an old LCD fish finder in back of the boat which is not so good at night . A flasher is great at night because it is more visible, and if your vision is not so good , this really helps . Just a note

[RapShack]

Do you know what the difference is with the 4 Plus and the 4PlusCV?

The CV stands for ClearVu, it's their version of down imaging.  Not needed for ice fishing but it could be nice for on the kayak.  Seems like most of the downview style transducers are longer than a normal skimmer which is not great if you're going to use that transducer for ice fishing.  If you search Youtube for down or side imaging you should be able to find some info on what capabilities that will get you.

[RapShack]

How is the bottom zoom capability?  Does it zoom in chart or in flasher mode?  How does it work in the cold??

Works fine in the cold.  Think it only zooms in chart mode.  I mostly fish perch and walleyes so I'm almost always running zoom for the bottom 6 to 10 feet, and sometimes in split zoom.  The "bottom lock" feature works, but every few seconds it makes the amplitude scope freak out a bit so I just leave it in manual.  If you move shallower the auto range decreases and you're still zoomed in on the bottom, if you go back out deeper you just have to hit the down arrow key to get the zoom box back down.  The flasher mode is pointless on a small rectangular screen,  you get a tiny circle and a bunch of wasted space.  I run mine in traditional with the amplitude scope on. 

[gamehog]

looking at a few of the finders that everyone is talking about and i would like to try maybe the PLUS4 for my boys to try but it is a 12volt system. So what would be a inexpensive small 12 volt battery that would work good and last all day or for several days but not be to heavy or bulky OR would it just be better to spend the money on the Helix5 since it runs off of those baby battery's? Thanks

[SirCranksalot]

Does anybody else have probs seeing their lure in deep water on the cheaper FFs?

[RapShack]

Any 12V power source will get the job done, most guys run Sealed Lead Acid type batteries, lithiums are lighter but more expensive.  The Helix doesn't run off anything different than any of the other machines.  The Plus 4 is rated to draw .23 amps.  So if you wan't to get a rough idea how long a battery will last take the Ah rating and multiply by 4.  A 5Ah battery for example should get about 20 hours.

[Dakpheasant]

Am interested in this as a less expensive package for friends who are too darn cheap to match my LX-7.  How is the bottom zoom capability?  Does it zoom in chart or in flasher mode?  How does it work in the cold??

I honestly dont know if the Garmin striker 4 will zoom.  I use the flasher mode most.  I am brand new to flashers and sonar but I can see my lure and I can see fish and I can actually catch fish with it.  I bought the plain unit and a battery and built a box.  For my investment of less than $150 I am very impressed.  I drill 3 holes in a line about 2 ft apart and put the sonar in the middle hole.  My son and I can follow both our jigs and see fish with this set up.  The cone angles are 15 and 45 degrees.  Hope that helps!

[RapShack]

Next time you guys are out try it on traditional mode with the amplitude scope turned on, you just might like it.  It's a bit more intuitive and easy to see than the dial, plus you can use zoom which is nice in deeper water with the small screen size. 

[3300]

marcum offers a high speed transducer for their digital series. can be transom or troller mounted.

[Philip]

I bought the plain unit and a battery and built a box.  For my investment of less than $150 I am very impressed

Could you post a pic of your box? And/or with the transducer in the water? Doesnt the base unit come with a different transducer than the portable/ice version?