Fish Finder Ideas...

[KChookem]

I use a Fishing Buddy and it works very well for depth and temperature at low or no speed. I usually lose the depth reading when traveling about 9-10 mph, but that might, or might not, be fixed if I hung it differently. Mine has been very durable, reliable, and does not use a lot of batteries.

The "C" clamp holder does not fit every boat well. For example, on a Willie DB the clamp will not fit everwhere on the double gunnel rail, and on a uni-rail sled, it took some modification of the clamp size.

As far as a fish finder, it is not the greatest, but is satisfactory. Having said that, in the Sidefinder mode, as the instruction manual states, you can get false readings when aiming against a bank, or into brush, etc. For more info, PM me.

[ 01-12-2004, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: KChookem ]

[KChookem]

Just occurred to me that there are portable units, and I recently saw a small, rechargeable, 12 volt, 7 amp, gel-cell battery for $25, including charger (found in a popular and prolific catelog). Battery is 4"H x 6"L x 2 1/2"W, is leakproof and maintenance free.

[Corkie Monster]

Get the portable Eagle Fish easy. It cost less and works alot better then the Bottom Line Fishing Buddie. We used the Fishing Buddie for around 4 months. Nothing but problems. Problems included inacurate depth, foggy screeen, somtimes it would not turn on or off, and it did'nt work worth a dang in murky water. The Eagle Fish easy models have alot better screen resolution, alot more portable and cheaper. Around $150.

Compare for yourself These models are around the same price.
Eagle Fish Easy

Bottom line Fishing Buddie

[ 01-13-2004, 07:59 AM: Message edited by: Pete ]

[Beefcake]

Unless I missed something, I don't think the Eagle has temp. Even if it does, it would be surface temp (which isn't always indicative of where the fish are). If you don't need temp, the Hummingbird is a similar unit for less money (I think I paid about $120 at Fisherman's last year).

There is one other issue to consider: you should base your choice somewhat on the speed of your boat. Obviously you won't be fishing at 40 mph, but I also use mine to warn me of shallow water while cruising to the fishing areas. The Fishing Buddy bracket is not designed for anything over about 5-10 mph. The Eagle or Hummingbird with the suction cup mount is good to about 35 mph. If you are into going faster than that, you can permanently mount the transducer for the Eagle or Hummer and just unplug it from the base when you want to remove the unit. If you use the suction cup, be sure to re-mount the transducer with new spit before each day out.

I learned the above lessons the hard way. A friend of mine bought a new sled, and he borrowed my portable Hummingbird until he could get his electronics installed. He left the suction cup on for a couple of trips in a row, and it failed and sucked the transducer through the jet. Now he owes me a new transducer. (By the way, this is the same friend that borrowed my driftboat before I had ever used it and wrecked it... Maybe I need new friends?! [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] )

Hope this helps a little. Good luck.

[ 01-12-2004, 11:19 PM: Message edited by: Beefcake ]

[skahorse]

Hey all,
I need a fish finder. Not so much to find fish, but to get the depth and water temperature. The only problem is, my boat doesn't have any electrical. I don't want to spend the money to setup electrical, so I am looking at some of the portable units on the market. I came across two styles.

One;
Bottom Line Fishin' Buddy

And two;
NorCross™ HawkEye

Anyone have any experience with either of these units? Anyone have any other solutions for my dilemma? Thanks in advance!

--Skahorse

[ 01-13-2004, 07:58 AM: Message edited by: Pete ]

[salmurai]

I use a Bottom Line Fishin Buddy on my 13' Gregor and am happy with it. I have two mounting brackets, one on each side, so I can use the sidefinder feature when fishing a shore line. That way it doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing. Keep a spare set of batteries on board. I've had it 7 or 8 years without any problems. It's really simple to use..... Just my $.02 worth

[skahorse]

Thanks all for the help! I do like the idea of permanently attaching the transducer, so I'll look into the Eagle, and also the Hummingbird. Beffcake, any idea what model hummingbird that is that you are talking about? I'd like to try and look it up on the net.

Thanks again everyone.

--Skahorse

[Mojo]

Skahorse,
Ther are several inexpansive models of Eagle and Lowrance fish finders available. I used to have a 14 foot aluminum boat, and I made an Eagle into a portable, by mounting it on a piece of 1X4, that I clamped on to the seat while fishing. The transducer was mounted to a piece of 1X2 aluminum square tubing that was the 18" long (same as the height of my transom). I clamped the top of the tubing to the top of my transom with a C clamp, and carried a small 12V gell cell(deep cycle) that I paid about $18.00 for. It worked great, stayed all hooked together (except the battery), and stored in an old gym bag. I think I had a total of about $130.00 invested in the whole mess.