My water preference has always been the river, the Brazos mostly since only 15 minutes separates the wanting from the doing in my case. I'm not the most proficient or prolific fisherman but identifying river environments that increase the odds of landing a fish seems fairly straightforward. My take on adding a fishfinder has been that it would add weight and distraction with no real benefit. And besides, it seems demeaning that a human of reasonable intelligence would require electronics to outsmart a fish.

Then comes the drought and very very skinny water on the Brazos. Add 100 degree days in late summer and the appeal of 2 feet of water disappears. So off to the lake I go where boat traffic and the threat of getting plowed over has substantially subsided due to low lake levels. The problem is that I end up loading the kayak at the end of most lake days smelling of skunk. There is some consolation in reading the posts that proclaim Lake Granbury as not that prolific a fishery but, it would still be nice to catch a fish occasionally.

So now I'm in the lake and adding weight is no longer an issue given the relative ease of launching from a boat ramp. The distraction of squinting at a small screen displaying the underwater world could be a welcome addition to my day's entertainment. And I am resigned to the fact that the lake fish has many more places to hide. My question to those that have made the transition: Did you get your money's worth when you added a fishfinder to your arsenal?

Yes, and I would recommend Side Image if it's in your budget.

It sounds like you don't want one but want to get talked into one.

Weight is minimal. 4-5 lb battery, sonar unit + transducer, mounting rig, and you're still under 10 lbs. I have the Lowrance Elite 4 HDI, the size is very nice for a kayak. I find it more useful for reading depth and seeing structure than actually seeing fish on the sonar. A GPS feature will let you mark structures.

You could also book a Brazos float with Shane Davies.

all u need top of the line . side image down image 2d sonar gps.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/10250962/Re:__Humminbird_598ci_HD_SI_Co#Post10250962

click right here

If you are fishing a lake or river you are very familiar with, most of the time you wouldn't need one, but on a new lake or trying to find that new honey hole they are a must have.
I use mine just about every trip. Just figure it's part of your kayak, just like rod holders, you can live without them, but they are nice to have if you need them.

I live by an underfished reservoir in East Texas where literally anyone can catch healthy fish in numbers. I usually take the FF with me now that I have a good one with SI on it, but I do so more so I can learn how to use it as I'm catching fish than as an aid.

On the other hand, I will typically yak fish in several time zones each year in waters I don't know well. In those settings, a FF has been indispensable for putting me on fish. I have caught fish I wouldn't have, and I've been able to mark spots while cruising to return to. Having a FF has been a real aid to me in these scenarios. For me, I'm still learning how to use the SI. I haven't found that as helpful as the DI yet, but this could be impacted by two factors: 1) this is the first real FF I've ever owned, and I just got it a couple of months ago and 2) I think SI's benefit to a fisherman is directly correlated to the screensize of the FF... I wonder if my screen is large enough to maximize benefit. I've caught a couple fish with the SI by docks because it helped me determine where to cast, but that's about it.

I've fished Granbury a number of times, and I would bet a FF would be of great help there. That's not a bass factory like we have here in East Texas, and the added aid of a FF could be a real blessing there. TOW will help for sure, but that's a big lake that requires a lot of TOW to learn. The FF will improve the learning curve.

The other thing the FF has helped me with is chasing cruising fish. In the fall particularly as fish go on their eating binge, electronics can be real helpful in reducing the frustration in finding fish in new places.

Thus, for me, I don't hook up my FF when I'm on my home water most of the time (it also forces me to read water), but I find it really beneficial when I'm on new water.

I have one but the transducer wire pinched and broke or something. Its been broke for like 4-5 months. Im in no hurry to get another. I love the maps but i can do recon at home on a paper map.

I have a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI with a scupper mounted transducer in my Cuda 12. I have only had it a few months but really enjoy knowing how deep the water is. In the river I fish I thought the water was a lot deeper in some places that is really was and using it for structure has been a help. You should get one I know you will be glad you did. I second what Tallgrass05 said you need to book a trip with Shane Davies. I have been fishing rivers all my life and I learned a lot about river fishing spending a day with Shane Davies. It was time and money well spent!

Many people don't like them but I have a portable fishfinder. I got it for under $50 it's not fancy you can toss it over the side or let it read thru the yak. It reads fine for what I use it for which is white bass run and chasing specks.

Totally worth it. Fish finders are fun and help you find active fish. When the bite is off, you can spend more time finding and marking underwater cover and structure drop offs. The 4x HDI is a good one.

A fish-finder is to a fisherman's what a deer stand is to a "hunter"

A FF is just another tool. It is most certainly worth the $ spent if used correctly. Ok on lake G-bury the entrance of Indian Harbor cove on the north east bank at the main lake bend towards the power plant there is an old submerged stock tank dam....find that w/o a fish finder...a rock pile north of the rail road bridge on the west bank...the old sunken tree at the top of the "H" etc... I used my FF extensively when I lived on lake Granbury and it paid off! Unless Im ONLY going to fish 1 particular grass bed or only a frog, I use my FF all the time. Even on my home lake in the same area Ive fished for 4 years I can still find new bottom structure...to me a FF is like having a quality rod/reel... yes I can fish with a cane pole, but im limited...why not add another tool to your arsenal to find those spots that are hidden from us on the surface. BTW I use the cheapest gray scale HB FF made...all I need at present time. If I fished in a more structural friendly lake I would certainly up-grade.

Using a fishfinder is addictive, especially at first when there is so much to learn.


finding active bait/fish



Seeing how one piece of structure in the middle of nowhere can hold fish/bait


Fishing a spot you've always caught fish but never knowing exactly what it was they were holding on.


Watching a school of active bass come through a bridge that was completely void of bait or fish minutes earlier.

Watching the water temps in different parts of a lake and knowing which coves warm the fastest in the winter, which cool the fastest when a norther hits, how a cold rain runoff influences a particular cove. All great information to help in finding fish, especially when the fishing is tough.

If I could afford it, I'd have one of those big humminbird units complete with the 360 imaging!!