new portable fish finders??

[cujo1969]

Looking to get a new portable fish finder to take on fishing trips remote lakes. What is everyone using?

[TylerThomson]

I imagine any of the smaller 5 - 7 inch models with either a transom clamp or suction cup would serve you well. As far as brands go I prefer humminbird but that's a ford vs Chevy debate.

Figure out what your budget is. Then pick a mounting option and subtract the price from your budget then pick the best fish finder you can for what you have left over.

If you want ultra portable and only want to know depth and basic fish returns the piranha max is a good unit.

If you want side scan down scan and GPS the helix 5 would be a good fit and still very portable.

[calgarygringo]

As mentioned Helix 5 or eben Helix 7 for more screen. Buy it right and have gps and use it on ice too for year round use.

[Toungetech]

Garmin striker 4 works great for me on the 12 ft aluminum and also for ice fishng. prefer it over my flasher for ice fishing.

[-JR-]

LX7 for ice fishing

[splake0]

Originally Posted by -JR-

LX7 for ice fishing

X 2

Or Vexilar fl 18

[happyfisher]

Striker 4 bundle.....its on sale for 200....cant be beat

[happyfisher]

http://www.gpscentral.ca/products/garmin/striker4.html

[Walleyedude]

I used a Lowrance Elite 7Ti last year with the Lowrance ice fishing pack and a Totalscan transducer. I loved it. It's definitely not the cheapest option but it's the "Cadillac" way to have a portable sonar unit for year round use.

Full touch screen, 2D, DI, SI, and full mapping including both the Genesis Social Map and Navionics Sonar Chart Live for auto mapping. The battery would last a day or two, so I bought a spare and rotated them so I always had one that was charged up. The Totalscan transducer was too much for the suction cup mount, but a chunk of 2X4 and a C clamp and you're good to go. It fits in the Loweance ice fishing pack just fine and zips up into a simple single bag for transport.

The Elite 5Ti would work great too. I think the 9 and 12 might be too hard on batteries.

The new Lowrance Hook2 is also an option, fewer features than the Elite TI, but they look like really nice units at a lot lower price too.

[raw outdoors]

I have a helix 5 g2 gps I am very impressed.
It has a flasher built in for ice fishing.
I like it better than the vexilar fl2o I have.

[Willowtrail]

The Lowrance Hook2 is hitting shelves right now. The portable unit is in production and coming out soon. It will be out by the time we hit the water this spring.

Different models come with different transducers and mapping. Depending on model there a Bullet, Splitshot or Tripleshot transducer. Basically in same order 2D sonar, 2D and downscan or 2D, Downscan and Sidescan.

Some have mapping, some a plotter and a small 4” version with sonar only.

Check out the website for more info if or shoot me a pm.

https://www.lowrance.com/lowrance/series/hook2/

[NSR Fisher]

x2 on the Lowrance hook series. I have the Hook 5 model and absolutely love it for ice fishing and I'm sure it will work just fine when I bring it out on open water. They come with all the bells and whistles and can be further upgraded after market. I bet the next generation of Hook's will be even better.

The high chirp mode on Lowrance units in 30 feet of water or less can pick up a 6" perch laying right on bottom. Incredibly detailed returns on the sonar. I usually have to turn my sensitivity way down because it picks up ice crystals on my line as well as my swivel and it messes with me haha. The shallow water mode is really nice for fishing in weeds, you can distinguish quite nicely what's going on even if your screens a bit cluttered and separate fish from structure quite well.

The noise rejection was quite effective too, there were some shacks not far from me that were running multiple flashers and I was able to completely block them out with just a few clicks of a button.

One advantage Lowrance has over Humminbird when it comes to LCD units is that Lowrance's menu's are easier to navigate. Obviously once you've had your humminbird for awhile or you've used them all your life you will learn all the tricks and its a breeze to operate but this Lowrance was the first unit I ever had and I only had to glance at the manual once to figure something out. So straight forward and you can operate it with a glove on.

[Asillywalrus]

A helix 7 with the portable carry case is what i'd go with. As mentioned before, it's a very nice unit that can also use on the ice.