Ok, I'll start by saying that I'm a complete ignorant in these matters. I love kayak fishing, and do that whenever I find time (which is not very often lately :S), but I've never used a fish finder to track the fish; I just... sort of... sat there... in hope

So, it's not like I haven't done my homework, 'cause I have. I've been searching for the most suitable fish finder for me whole day now, and I'm nowhere near the decision :S

What do I need: a fixed or portable finder? A side or down scanning finder? Hummingbird (btw, I may have stumbled across one just beautiful; how useful, you tell me :P Apparently, it's waterproof, and this has to count for something, right? :)) or Garmin or Lawrence or...? And why exactly do I need that particular type, model, brand....?

I hate to be the first poster because I am also kind of a rookie on electronics. I would go with a fixed model if I were you. There are plenty of options for mounting it, which is an entirely different conversation. How much is your budget? There are many options that are $150 or less that should suit your needs if all you want is basic black and white sonar and depth reading. I'll start of saying I'm partial to lowrance. My current model is the elite 4x dsi and I love it. It is a down scan unit, no sonar. I didn't want to pay the money to get side scan, but can see why somebody would. It's awesome. Just starting out I wouldn't get side scan. I believe academy has a deal on the 4x dsi and another one for $150 if your interested. I chose the 4xdsi for its size, down scan capabilities, and price. Super easy to use. Another thing you need to ask yourself is, do you want your model to have gps capabilities. GPS is awesome and can be a real game changer. I wish mine had it. If you have any questions about the 4x dsi let me know.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

I think the one you picked out may be a good starting point. It also depends on where and what you are going to fish for. If you post what type of fishing you like to do it may be easier to suggest what a good option would be. You may also want to get a unit with GPS in it. Fish normally relate to structure or depth Also a map such as navionics makes a big difference .

I started yaking last year, and put a elite 5 dsi. The dsi is good , but now I wish I would have gotten one with a 2 d option. I would go to bass pro if I were you and just play with them all. The people there usually know a thing or two, and there are always bass guys walking around. Just don't be afraid to ask for help. This forum is great place to start. My elite 5 dsi is a great little unit. It has gps chart plotter colored and came with the gold card. I found it on a electronics wear house, and got it all, transducer, wiring for 300. Just have to search for deals. I would def go to place where you can play with the model your looking at. As far as brand goes, it's all preference. I had a humminbird on my john boat, it was fine. I think you can't go wrong really, just get what you want, and what you like in your price range. Good luck!

^^This^^ The new DSI versions of the "HDI" series that Lowrance introduced this year to replace the previous Mark 4/5 and Elite 4/5 series also include 2D sonar. You can get some good prices right now on the older versions, but the ability to choose between 2d and DSI or view both at once is very attractive.

I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a sonar unit for my kayak.

Your technology options, besides color or black & white, are:
1. traditional sonar
2. down imaging
3. side scan
4. GPS/map software

If all you want is the basic sonar, depth, and water temp, the black & white lower end units will work fine. I'm leaning to the traditional + down imaging. I'd like to see the structure below in some detail.

I'm not sure what you mean by fixed or portable. Many of the models will take a Ram mount so you can put it on and off a kayak easily.

depends on your budget. i got a HB with DI, sonar and GPS. it sucks compared to others

I upgraded from a black and white sonar to color dsi with gps. Big difference even though I wished it had both dsi and regular sonar (for when sitting still). At the price the Lowrance Elite 4 dsi combo sells for now I'd make the same decision again. I wanted something small that didn't take up much space and with it in mounted within arms length I don't feel I'm missing out on not having bigger screen at all.

I just enjoy looking at exactly what is below me, can change the color if I get bored, and can trace my route back in the dark or fog. Being able to take screen shots from unit and enlarging them later was also a great feature of it for the money. Since I don't permanently mount the unit, I can take the whole unit into the house, find the lake I plan to fish on the map that comes with it (or upgrade) and zoom in to exact area I'm gong to fish and mark bends in the creek channel that I want to fish.









The days route on Fork

i have the same unit as iconn and i love mine also. the ability to see a medium sized minnow while your jigging it is very nice. also i can take screen shots with the gps coordinates and then txt it to my friends with the same.unit. and they will see exactly whats there and what to look for.

If I was to do it all over, I would opt for one that does DSI, 2D Sonar and GPS. I figured I'd just use my Garmin 60csx for the gps and while it does work, it's turning out to be a pain. 2D sonar, I just can't make neither heads nor tails what's below me and believe DSI would help me in that area.