SPRING, FALL, and SUMMER
I usually go to shallow water with weedbeds and mess around for the perch, bass, walleye and pike. Do I need a fishfinder for such activity? Where I go, probably not. The shallow beds usually hold fish, average 6-8 feet deep, and once you find a spot where they are biting, you hang out for a while. Move 100 yards, anchor and repeat.
I would probably benefit from using a finder a bit more. Currently I use a Lowrance Elite 4x HDI, a decent unit in general.
PROS
Reasonable cost. Very good resolution. Works in both open water or on the ice. Good screen size.
CONS
Sometimes, it freaks out and has to be rebooted. It takes a while to boot up, which is annoying on the water. The transducer and power cables are thick and unwieldy. Currently I have the Lowrance bag (about a hundred bucks) that holds the finder and the battery. That helps a bit. The menu system, although it has lots of options, is pretty annoying for me.
On the Ice
Works pretty decently on the ice. My buddy uses a Vexilar flasher, and fishing side by side I noticed that although we both would mark fish about the same time, his Vex was way more real time, and he could get more shots at the fish close-in. I would see a fish line on the screen, but it was hard to gauge timing of when he was coming real close to my lure/bait, as it seemed a bit delayed. The Vex had no problem with that.
The Garmin Striker 4 piqued my interest, as it was only about 100 bucks and has a basic GPS (no maps, just a blank screen with your waypoints, heading etc.) The cables are much thinner, making it less bulky. Although I don't really need the GPS to navigate, as I fish somewhat small waters, it would be an advantage to waypoint an exact weedbed that I've had success in. The weedbed would be visible when water is low, and hidden during high water. Going back to the exact spot would be nice. The menu system is also very basic, which I like. I mean, come on, you just need depth, contour and marking of fish is all. I plan on using it this spring, so we'll see if it outperforms the Lowrance.
Also trying out the Magnetic Transducer Mount from fishfindermounts.com
This (80 bucks or so) magnetic transducer mount (from the great guys at fishfindermounts.com) is pretty nifty. Your transducer mount connects to it, and it attaches to the side of your canoe/boat via very strong magnets. I don't do anything permanent to the canoe, as I have to heave it on and off my car, so this solution works wonderfully. I'm sick of the bulky metal transducer arms and clamps that catch on everything!
ICE FISHING
After many seasons of ice fishing, I realized--- I need a flasher. On the Lowrance, you see the bottom as a straight horizontal line, your lure as a horizontal line above that, and the fish as either a slanted line, or a blob at the bottom that slowly comes up to your horizontal line. Although it does tell you that a fish is approaching my lure, I can't get the feel of exactly how close he is, and if he's following it or not. Using my buddy's Vexilar, it was much simpler to determine.
Which Flasher?
That I can't answer yet, but I know that next winter I will be using one. I have read good things about the Humminbird 45. They make the 35, 45, and 55 flashers. 45 model has a digital depth readout in the middle, which the Vexilars don't have (although you can bolt on a depth gauge aftermarket). Sometimes my buddy has to fiddle a bit to get the depth with his Vex as we drill quick test holes in the ice, but the Humminbird would read it out instantly. The Humminbirds seem to be in all the stores, as they are cheaper (45 is around 300 bucks), as opposed to the Vexilars, which seem to be more in the 500-ish range, as they are harder to find and keep their value longer. They are supposed to be tougher as well.. so that's a decision I have to make.
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