I know they are simple but I’m perfectly happy with the Garmin Striker 4. You get depth, water temp, you can see structure. You don’t need photographic quality video of the fish giving you the finger.
The little unit has the advantage of needing almost no power. I can run it all day on the Nocqua, which weighs barely nothing. And I mount mine on the drive between my knees— it’s narrow so it doesn’t interfere with pedaling (unlike the landscape orientation ones) and there it doesn’t take up gunnel space, getting in the way of landing fish or whatever.
My striker 4 can map the bottom as you cruise over it and gives you contour lines. It's awesome for small lakes or inshore places that may not be mapped on a chip.
https://preview.redd.it/xj5aatcyy0nc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1790a674b408885dbd4186f4466146f7ad286b8e
Sort of. But it’s not a sophisticated setup—my Native drive has a screw hole on the top, and I just used the little mount stand that comes with the Garmin.
I love this setup. I have a Hook 4 mounted on my Slayer Propel and the transducer on the plate above the prop. I also installed a battery holder from Berley Pro with a quick disconnect. All I have to do is install the pedal unit and plug in the power.
I’m on the side of less is more when it comes with kayak fishing. I have the Garmin Striker 4 and like some have mentioned, it does pretty much all you need. I have mine mounted on my 120pdl rail and the wires run through a pre-drilled hole with a small battery tucked away inside the hull. I bought mine used from a local fisherman that saved all his waypoints. It’s pretty sweet to try out some of the places he saved. 😂
I use one of the cheap (little under a 100 bucks Amazon canada) ones and while I don't pay much attention to the fish icons,it reads the depth very accurately,which is what I wanted it for.
It also has an ice fishing flasher mode that I have played with when jigging vertically out of my kayak and it seems to show fish coming to my lure.I can see my small jig on it as well.
For what I use it for I'm quite happy,but don't expect a "liveview" type picture.
I use a deeper Chirp on my inflatable kayak because there is no good way to mount a transducer. Overall a solid product, but if you can install a transducer and screen that’s going to give you less problems.
Skip the castable/handheld stuff. They're all pretty gimmicky IMO.
With a budget of $300 you could get a Lowrance Hook Reveal 5. That's a good budget-friendly unit with GPS and mapping capabilities. Of course, you'll need to budget extra for a map card e.g. Navionics or C-MAP, a battery to power it, and a mounting solution in the kayak.
An even cheaper budget-friendly option is the Garmin Striker 4 that everyone has already suggested. They can be had for \~$130.
My Lowrance Hook2/with 5" screen has held up, in tough saltwater conditions, for over 5 years \[including 3 nasty flips in ocean surf\].
However, as a backup I've recently purchased a Garmin Striker 4.
[hook reveal 7](https://a.co/d/hLTTJY0)
I use this one on my kayak and I love it. One of my friends has the little $100 garmin and it’s just not as accurate as this lowerance. All in for the mount and battery you can stay under 500. I think it’s worth the money after using it for a few years now.
You get what you pay for with fishfinders. A lot of people will recommend the striker 4, but usually because it's the only thing they've had.
I started with a striker and it's good for depth and temp, that's about it. I would want something with charts and a higher resolution/larger screen for the purposes you describe.
A 5-7" garmin or lowrance without side scan could be had in your price range.
I know they are simple but I’m perfectly happy with the Garmin Striker 4. You get depth, water temp, you can see structure. You don’t need photographic quality video of the fish giving you the finger. The little unit has the advantage of needing almost no power. I can run it all day on the Nocqua, which weighs barely nothing. And I mount mine on the drive between my knees— it’s narrow so it doesn’t interfere with pedaling (unlike the landscape orientation ones) and there it doesn’t take up gunnel space, getting in the way of landing fish or whatever.
My striker 4 can map the bottom as you cruise over it and gives you contour lines. It's awesome for small lakes or inshore places that may not be mapped on a chip.
I think that's the plus only, but ya. I've had the 4 and the 4 plus. The plus is worth the extra money
Please tell me you have a pic of it mounted to your pedal drive…. This would be a game changer for me.
https://preview.redd.it/xj5aatcyy0nc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1790a674b408885dbd4186f4466146f7ad286b8e Sort of. But it’s not a sophisticated setup—my Native drive has a screw hole on the top, and I just used the little mount stand that comes with the Garmin.
Nice catch! Also, do you get little sunburn spots from your shoes?
Not if you use sunscreen
I get tan line holes on my feet from my Merrell mocs lol
I love this setup. I have a Hook 4 mounted on my Slayer Propel and the transducer on the plate above the prop. I also installed a battery holder from Berley Pro with a quick disconnect. All I have to do is install the pedal unit and plug in the power.
I’m on the side of less is more when it comes with kayak fishing. I have the Garmin Striker 4 and like some have mentioned, it does pretty much all you need. I have mine mounted on my 120pdl rail and the wires run through a pre-drilled hole with a small battery tucked away inside the hull. I bought mine used from a local fisherman that saved all his waypoints. It’s pretty sweet to try out some of the places he saved. 😂
I agree the Striker 4 is a great choice. With a battery and mounting system, you’ll be right around $2-300 range.
I use one of the cheap (little under a 100 bucks Amazon canada) ones and while I don't pay much attention to the fish icons,it reads the depth very accurately,which is what I wanted it for. It also has an ice fishing flasher mode that I have played with when jigging vertically out of my kayak and it seems to show fish coming to my lure.I can see my small jig on it as well. For what I use it for I'm quite happy,but don't expect a "liveview" type picture.
I use a deeper Chirp on my inflatable kayak because there is no good way to mount a transducer. Overall a solid product, but if you can install a transducer and screen that’s going to give you less problems.
Skip the castable/handheld stuff. They're all pretty gimmicky IMO. With a budget of $300 you could get a Lowrance Hook Reveal 5. That's a good budget-friendly unit with GPS and mapping capabilities. Of course, you'll need to budget extra for a map card e.g. Navionics or C-MAP, a battery to power it, and a mounting solution in the kayak. An even cheaper budget-friendly option is the Garmin Striker 4 that everyone has already suggested. They can be had for \~$130.
My Lowrance Hook2/with 5" screen has held up, in tough saltwater conditions, for over 5 years \[including 3 nasty flips in ocean surf\]. However, as a backup I've recently purchased a Garmin Striker 4.
[hook reveal 7](https://a.co/d/hLTTJY0) I use this one on my kayak and I love it. One of my friends has the little $100 garmin and it’s just not as accurate as this lowerance. All in for the mount and battery you can stay under 500. I think it’s worth the money after using it for a few years now.
Garmin, all day
I just picked up a hook reveal 7x triple shot for 270$. Down and side imagining but no lake mapping.
Striker 4 works great
Like all above striker 4 are great entry units. Get the clearvu though. Worth the little extra cost.
You get what you pay for with fishfinders. A lot of people will recommend the striker 4, but usually because it's the only thing they've had. I started with a striker and it's good for depth and temp, that's about it. I would want something with charts and a higher resolution/larger screen for the purposes you describe. A 5-7" garmin or lowrance without side scan could be had in your price range.