Yak guys??

[rwp]

12 minutes ago, swimbaitrookie said:

That part is accurate but when you are wanting to run multiple screens like GPS + down scan + sonar, or down scan + SI, the more screen you have the easier it is to decipher what you're seeing.  It's all about how much you're willing to invest both in money and time to learn to interpret the graphs.  

You're right, but it's still a smaller benefit (per dollar) on a kayak vs a boat. I run a split screen set up nearly all the time and I can see everything I need too. There's also a lot less to see when you're moving along at 2-4mph a kayak vs the amount of water you can cover on a boat.

Obviously if you want side scan, the bigger screen will be better for that because you are looking at more water at the same time.

Like you said, it's all about how much you want to spend.

 

[rwp]

22 minutes ago, Ipleadthefish2 said:

My man!! Really appreciate this.  Also jealous of the Lynx.  One day.  One day.  

I love my Lynx.

 

[Ipleadthefish2]

15 minutes ago, rwp said:

I love my Lynx.

 

That's so dope!! Looks stable as a rock! 

[brootalititties]

7 hours ago, rwp said:

So you only have 2 options with that boat. One, is to mount the transducer inside the hull. You basically glue it to the bottom of the hull. For some, it works great. Others have signal issues. It could be certain transducers or just how it's mounted. The benefit to this is that you can mount it centered and towards the front of the kayak for a more "real-time" photo vs the transducer being under the seat or behind you.

Option 2, is something like this. https://www.yakattack.us/cellblok-battery-box-and-switchblade-transducer-arm-combo-clb-1003/

You can use just the transducer arm, or the entire box. The box is nice, because it holds the battery and all the cables. Speaking of battery, go lithium. Nocqua is the gold standard. For the smaller units, all you need is the 4ah battery. If you going side scan 10ah.

It's crazy how fast it all adds up. $100 battery, $100-150 in mounting solutions then you have to buy the actual unit.

Currently, the Garmin vivid 4cv is on sale for $160. That's a screaming deal and a fantastic unit with down scan. Personally, I don't see a need for a bigger screen than that while on a kayak. You mount it 6" from the seat and you fish. It's not like you're walking around the boat and need to see the screen.

Here's my setup, I have the echomap 44cv (exact same, but has saltwater maps). The only limitations with these units is the lack of side scan, but that's not something I would use for my fishing.

Another thing that's commonly overlooked with fish finders on kayaks is that you need to be moving in a straight forward direction to get an accurate representation of what's below you. Kayaks get pushed around a lot more than boats do by the current and wind. I've caught myself numerous times thinking "what the..... is that?" Only to realize I'm drifting sideways or at an angle and the picture is all screwed up. These units are taking MRI style photographs, a single slice at a time to put together what you see on the graph. If you aren't moving, or moving the wrong direction, it's a mess on the screen.

Good luck!

This has been my biggest issue. I feel like I need a trolling motor to use it properly which would require me to register it so mostly just use it as a depth finder or leave it at home tbh

[swimbaitrookie]

23 minutes ago, brootalititties said:

This has been my biggest issue. I feel like I need a trolling motor to use it properly which would require me to register it so mostly just use it as a depth finder or leave it at home tbh

I used my SI when paddle powered with no problems.  SI seems to work best at 2-3 mph which was easily attained.  Whenever I wanted to check out a spot, I'd set the unit to SI and scan, mark spots I want to check then go back over with down scan and normal sonar.  

I have a motorguide on my yak now that I'm in AZ and have fewer access points to launch from but that hasn't changed how I use my sonar to locate structure features, cover or fish.

Just like everything in fishing or life in general, there's multiple opinions on how to skin a cat.  

No offense meant to cats...

[rwp]

On 10/5/2022 at 10:24 PM, brootalititties said:

This has been my biggest issue. I feel like I need a trolling motor to use it properly which would require me to register it so mostly just use it as a depth finder or leave it at home tbh

I don't use mine to find and single out fish. I use it to find structure, check depths and water temp and see if fish (and more importantly, bait) are around.

Unless you have livescope, it's not too likey that you will locate and catch a single fish very often.

[brootalititties]

30 minutes ago, rwp said:

I don't use mine to find and single out fish. I use it to find structure, check depths and water temp and see if fish (and more importantly, bait) are around.

Unless you have livescope, it's not too likey that you will locate and catch a single fish very often.

Never said anything about finding single fish lol. The issue has to do with the images of structure and bottom being warped or inaccurately tracking due to uneven speed and side to side drift of paddling in my kayak. Like I said it does help me with finding the depth I wanna fish. Not sure what you’re talking about

[rwp]

12 minutes ago, brootalititties said:

Never said anything about finding single fish lol. The issue has to do with the images of structure and bottom being warped or inaccurately tracking due to uneven speed and side to side drift of paddling in my kayak. Like I said it does help me with finding the depth I wanna fish. Not sure what you’re talking about

I gotcha. Yeah, that's a pain for sure. You almost need to deliberately scout the area, mark your spots and then start fishing.