Re: Questions About Choosing the Right Fish Finder

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: Longboard Steve: : Thanks for your advice. : Steve A. : : : As my son and I are new to kayak fishing, I am setting up our kayaks and I need advice in choosing our fish finders. The majority of my questions are not so much whose fish finder to buy. Rather, my uncertainty is about how I should consider the technical details of the fish finder. So, here are my questions: : : : PIXELS: How significant is the difference in display of “structure” or “fish” when comparing 160 x 160 to 240 x 240? Do you feel it is worth the difference in price? : : : SINGLE MODE vs. DUAL MODE TRANSDUCER FREQUENCIES (50, 200 or 50 & 200 kHz): I will fish in the ocean more than in lakes. I realize that the 50 kHz transmits thru a wider cone angle. How often and when do you use the 50 kHz? In the ocean, I expect to fish in water ranging from 30 to 100 feet and commonly around 40 to 50 feet. At these depths, how important is the 50 kHz in searching for structure? How important is the 50 kHz to help find bait? Should I seriously consider a dual mode 50 kHz & 200 kHz? : : : POWER OUTPUT: How much is enough or too much? Shooting a signal thru the hull consumes some of the fish finder’s energy. I noticed some units transmit at 150 Watts and Garmin’s 240 Blue transmits at 500 Watts. With the 150 W and using their transducer externally, their range is 400 feet. Is that enough power to transmit through the hull? On the 500 Watt model whose depth range is 1,500 feet, I’m sure there is enough power to shoot thru the hull of the Queen Mary. But will this amount of transmitted energy scare the fish enough that they’ll loose their appetite for a piece of rubber or a hunk of metal? Should I go for more power, less power or something in between? : : : I am open to all manufacturers’ fish finders and up until this posting, I have been thinking more about Garmin – BUT that can easily change when I get your opinion. There may be other factor that you feel I should considered, and I would appreciate your input with those topics as well. : : : Sorry for being so long-winded and thanks for your advice. : : : Steve A. : : Steve, I have a Garmin 160 Blue with a duel freq. transducer. I have it mounted externally now but had it thru the hull at first. It worked fine thru the hull but I had problems keeping it attached so I fabricated a mount out of PVC. This allows for maximum detail and accurate temp. readings. As for cone angle 50 vs. 200 kHz there are two things to keep in mind. The narrower 200 kHz cone gives more detail but also "reads" a smaller area. The area seen is approx. 1/3 the water depth. So in 30 feet of water you see a 10 circle on the bottom. If bait is 10 feet down you're looking at a 3 foot circle. The 50 kHz I believe shows an area approx. 50% of the depth. In shallow water this can be an important feature. The Garmin also has a dual feature that uses both cones in conjucntion. Whether you choose the Garmin or another brand the dual freq. option lets you use your FF in shallow water up to the deepest water you'll yak fish. Hpoe this helps, : : Steve

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