Any kayak fish finder preferences here? And why do you prefer one over another? I have been fishing for about a year without one and wanna fish tournaments eventually so I imagine it would be helpful there.

Seems like there are a few recent threads on this topic. You will get a wide variety of responses, so my advice is to buy the biggest fish finder you can afford that fits your needs and fits on your kayak. The bigger screens really help to see fish, especially on side imaging. If you are not familiar or don't want side imaging and plan to use traditional 2D sonar exclusively, then a bigger screen is not necessary.

Good luck.

The RayMarine Dragon Fly is kick a**.

I really like mine. The 2D is the same as the others but the down scan is killer.

I have a Lowrance Mark 4 on my kayak. Does a fine job in most ways, but I wish I had a larger screen every trip out.

I'd recommend the Humminbird Helix 7 with Side Image. This is a great unit for the price and is easy to learn.
I would not buy a FF without Side Image and GPS especially if you plan to fish tournaments.
Be sure and get the correct battery (amp Hr / type) for the load of your FF and how long you want to power it between charges.

Something with a wide screen, SI and GPS. I have Humminbird and Garmin units and like them both.

They all work. You should do demos and work through the menus on each and see which has the best user interface.

Thx for the help guys I have been to a few demos and have heard a lot of different "perks" from salesmen, but haven't puled the trigger yet. I'm probably gonna go with a hummingbird or lowrance. For you guys that have experience with these two products do you have any personal pros and cons with your devices?

I haven't heard much about these products or ran across and so far. What can you tell me about it?

I don't own one, but the Deeper and a few similar models might be the "finesse" way to go.

I am thinking one could literally tie it on to a really short rod and a cheap spinning reel, and cast it out. If for some reason breaks off, just go retrieve it. Or, just hang it over the side of the kayak.

It'd give water temp, depth, bottom contour I think . . . some say decent for identify fish.

This is certainly no option for the high end user but a low end approach.

Brad

You could buy the low end lowrance for 100 dollars less though. No clue the quality, but less to juggle while fishing. I have heard good things about the deeper sonars though!

Do you have navionics or chart Plotter?

I honestly never heard of this brand in my research so far it's lowrance this hummingbird that! Thanks for the suggestion.

The new Helix units have a brighter screen for a better view in bright daylight.
A lot of people claim that HB Side Image is better than the Lowrance, I've never had anything but HB but
have been very happy and will be upgrading to the Helix soon.

i had the $100 Lowrance hook3x for my first ff and it was just too small for me and i personally cant find bass on 2d, much much easier to see on ds, so it was basically for depth and temp at that point. I got the Elite 5 hdi for an upgrade, had sonar, ds, chartplotter more than i even knew how to use at the time but its a great ff for the price. i dont think they sell it anymore i still see it at a few stores. i sold mine with my fs12t and when i upgraded to my sg130 i tried to get the elite 5 again but i couldnt find one so i got the hook 5 and its just as good if not better (i hear the hook just replaced the elite) its got a few other options than the elite had but they are almost identical units. The 5-inch screen is ALOT better than one of those 100 dollar units its worth it to just spend a little more money. i have never used any birds but i do hear that the ds picture is more clear but i really dont have a problem with the ds picture on mine.