Checking out the fishfinders

[wilnobound]

We are canoe fishers. We are considering buying a fish finder but know absolutely NOTHING about them. We don't want to invest a lot of $$ for an entry level piece of technology.

 

What kind would fasten to our metal Sportspal canoe and where would be the best location to fasten it? (We have a square back model with a wood panel across the back). *IF* we put an electric trolling motor on the canoe would it interfere with the reception of the apparatus?

 

So exactly how does it work? (ie. does something drop into the water and "read" the space from bottom up????)

 

We looked at the Eagle that Canadian Tire has on sale right now, requires a 12 volt battery. Is there a model that would use small batteries so we're not lugging something in and out of the canoe?

[Billy Bob]

There are potable units out there like this one.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...rset=ISO-8859-1

 

And there are portable mounts like this one.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...rset=ISO-8859-1

 

Good Luck,

Bob

[Dara]

For power I have used a 12 volt rechargable for years.

about 2"x3"x6" and a couple pounds

I have been fishing for a week straight and not had to charge it. I'm on my second right now. The first I used for about 10 years, winter and summer.

I carry it in a little soft cooler bag to give some protection from bumps.

 

http://www.pronto.com/mpm/compare/yuasa-np...v-7-10300544251

The charger is almost as much as the battery, but its still working on my second battery.

For the transducer, I had it screwed to a piece of 1x2 and c clamped it to the transom.

In the winter, you put the stick down the hole. Simple and cheap.

 

Or you can clic on the link at the top of the page...duh

Edited July 5, 2009 by Dara

[Garnet]

Prince's auto has those types of battery's. Also BPS sells same for Acu Views about $25 and a much better option than portable fish finders.

 

If you get into fishfinder/gps models a bigger battery is necessary.

 

Garnet

[smally21]

a little pricey perhaps canadian tire carries a portable humminbird, comes in a great ballistic nylon case, suction cup style transopomder and small 12v battery with charger all wrapped up in a weatherproof package with its own base. i sold mine when i bought my boat as it had fishfinders mounted but this unit was geat. other advantages is take it ice fishing, on the boat you rented, in your buddies etc, and if you ever want to permanently mount it buy an accessory transponder. a little rich at 289 on sale but loaded with features!

[Jonny]

We are canoe fishers. We are considering buying a fish finder but know absolutely NOTHING about them. We don't want to invest a lot of $$ for an entry level piece of technology.

 

Look for an Eagle Cuda 300 --- less than $100 when on sale and can be found at Bass Pro Shops and other places. It's not a "portable" but you can make it a portable by following Dara's advice about mounting the transducer on a piece of wood and clamping to the transom. That way you can also move it around a little for the best fit. I did this with a small 12' aluminum boat with a 3 HP that I used for puddle-jumping, and it worked fine.

 

Any 12V battery will power the depth finder. It's just that some will last longer than others. You do not need a big battery. A small 12V utility battery (about $30 - $40) from the Canadian Tire automotive dept. would work.

 

You could set yourself up for about $150 total.

 

Keep in mind that these machine are mostly depth finders, not fish finders. Their key use is showing you depth and underwater structure.

[CLofchik]

Too many people assume big arse deep cycle batteries when they hear "12 volt". It's not the voltage rating that increases battery size, but amps (amps=battery capacity). You can run a small black & white fishfinder like an Eagle Cuda off 8 AA batteries for eight hours, 8 AA batteries will give you close to 12 volts, but a limited amount of amps.

 

Now if you want to keep it cheap, go big on amps, AND keep it portable.......time to go ghetto baby!

 

1 Eagle Cuda 242 (Used off Kijiji) -- $85

1 El Cheapo Tackle Box -- $10

1 R/C battery from hobby store (w/charger) -- $50

2' Aluminum L channel 1x2" -- Swiped from work....shhhhh our lil' secret k?

1 C-clamp -- Princess Auto $2

 

There ya go, for under $150 you get a completely portable sonar that's still decent and will run for days before needing a charge.

 

 

 

 

 

[wilnobound]

Thank you all for your valuable advice and comments. We have some little bit of knowledge to start our search with!

[Victor]

Clofchik gave some good advice on the fish finder and he's got a nice little setup there.

 

It's important to learn how to read the graphs though, I'm still learning .. it's not really useful when you can't read them haha....

[Jonny]

There ya go, for under $150 you get a completely portable sonar that's still decent and will run for days before needing a charge.

 

Yep, good setup, Clofchik, and all you really need for a "portable". Plus if you do it right, and I'm sure you did, it's completely waterproof too.

[NAW]

I bought a portable Hummindbird.

 

This is great for ice fishing and boating. The transducer has a suction cup mount (which I remove for ice fishing).

The last time I was canoe fishing, I just stuck the suction cup to the bottom of the canoe, and turned the transducer 90° to what it is normally set at (for the back of my 14' aluminum). It worked great. You just have to be mindful that you have a transducer mounted on the bottom of your boat. Keep away from rocks, and remember to take it off before you pull your canoe onto shore.

 

The unit was in the $300 range, and came with all the fixin's (case, battery, unit, suction cup, charger, etc.) It only weighs a few pounds.

 

I suppose if I were a more serious canoe fisherman, I would make a bracket like the guys have shown above. However, for the little amount that I do it, I’ll just stick the transducer to the bottom of the canoe.