Transducer mount

[wryan]

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone had an opinion about buying an ice fishing transducer vs making a mount and using the transducer meant for the stern of a boat.  It’s a garmin striker that hasn’t taken its maiden voyage yet.  Thank you.


Ryan

[SirCranksalot]

There are various arrangements that can be used. You can find a few on-line. They can be made to work reasonably well IMO but the ice ducers tend to be much more convenient.

[Steidyj]

With a boat transducer, I think the most difficult part would be making sure it’s oriented to the bottom and not off angle. (I was thinking of the same thing but with a lowrance and decided to just buy the ice ducer.)

One easy way would be a 3 piece of wood, like the heritage wood tip ups, and then mounting the boat ducer on the bottom, but again orientation would be key. Could do a more intense build with a stand and a claw like frame to get away from having cross members on the hole and then having a single support extend down into the hole.

[Spider1]

I had a set up where it was attached to an aluminum rod clamped to the diy carrier that held it upright. It worked. Honestly, get an ice 'ducer, you won't be sorry.

[ship of fools]

I had a set up where it was attached to an aluminum rod clamped to the diy carrier that held it upright. It worked. Honestly, get an ice 'ducer, you won't be sorry.

It's definitely worth the money for the ice transducer. It's always level and you'll never have to mess with it.

[hardwater diehard]

It's definitely worth the money for the ice transducer. It's always level and you'll never have to mess with it.

X2 ...in principle a boat transducer will work ...but can be a nuisance as it must be level..and landing a fish means removing the transducer  ...and depending on which Garmin transducer you have it could quite long ..itll go in a 8" hole but may not be the quickest to do so . Yes you can drill a transducer hole ..but thats more drill/time ..

IceDucer = investment + efficiency

[lovethoseyes]

     I made one quite a few years ago for my old fish finder which I had mounded on an old tackle box with two 6-volt batteries (in series) inside.  It worked fine for years until I upgraded to a Lowrance ice machine.  Just try to keep the transducer level.

[Van_Cleaver]

Bought a  Garmin Striker 4+ for my Kayak this season; what a game changer! Since the transducer was attached in the scupper hole (underneath) with marine grade adhesive getting an ice fishing transducer was a no-brainer. Can't wait to try it on the ice! If you are a serious ice fisherman you need it.

[esox_xtm]

I got by for many years even before Vexilar/SiTex was invented with a H-Bird Super Sixty and transom mount 'ducer. Way better than nothing.

Lotsa ways to rig. The simplest one I've seen and used is to put a loop in the cable just above the 'ducer and secure it with a cable tie, loosely at first. By adjusting the size of the loop and location of the tie it can be made to hang more or less straight. Then tighten the tie.

Most of the time mine was on a stick with a wooden hook on it. Stick it down the hole, adjust it more or less straight and lack some snow or ice chips on the "hook" to secure it. Easy to fine tune to see your jig.

Biggest difference with a boat 'ducer is (usually) a wider cone angle. Sure, it's nice to see what's directly below and have better target separation but hey, it's still light years better than none. Really the only other difference is the shape and the ease of it hanging straighter.

I did eventually get a Vexilar and yes, it did double duty for several years as a bow mount on my boat. Atrer all I'd been flasher savvy for over a decade by then. Finally ditched that and went to LCDs as I wanted GPS and mapping on the boat. Yep, those still do double duty on hard water. Love the GPS to walk/drive right to spots (many saved during open water) and mapping to scout new territory.

[wreese3]

here's my setup... works well for me and cheaper than spending the extra money on the ice-ducer.

[wryan]

That picture looks like what I had in mind.  Thanks for all the input guys!