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Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:27 am
by eddyt
Newbie question here.

I don't actually own a boat so I've been fishing recently from rental dinghys. I'm looking for a cheap portable fish finder that I can use on a rental without having to drill holes and mount. Basically something simple to tell me water depth, bottom type and where the fish are holding.

Does anyone have any good recommendations? I saw the Lowrance Hook2-4x has a quick release bracket. Can you just clip them on and take it off, and is there anything special I need to look for (e.g. built in battery)?

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 6:14 am
by smile0784

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 8:01 am
by Lightningx
Doesn’t look too bad :thumbsup:

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 12:18 pm
by eddyt
smile0784 wrote:Have you seen these
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 1946317632
Yeah I saw them on ebay but looks kind of dodgy... Anyone tried these before and do they work? Would prefer something a bit more sophisticated so i can tell the difference between bait fish and snapper

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 12:48 pm
by purple5ive
nothing with a built in battery that i know of, but thats not the hard part tbh
The problem you will have is mounting the transducer.
it can be done like how the kayak guys mount it on a swing down arm, but things will start to get expensive real fast.

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:15 pm
by benders
I have one very similar to this and it works very well. Just attach with suction cup and away you go. Mine is a different brand (Eagle) but that isn't made anymore. Still going after five years.
https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product ... prd2418558

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:37 pm
by happyfriggincamper
Humminbird Fishin Buddy is an option - I have one

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 1:56 pm
by skouta
Agree, the Humminbird Fishin Buddy may be what you are after...

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/273028661596?chn=ps

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 2:23 pm
by eddyt
Thanks guys yeah the humminbirds look pretty good! Now to do some more research and decide on the suction cup piranhamax vs the fishin buddy. The piranhamax looks a bit easier to mount on a rental but the fishin buddy looks more sturdy. Decisions...

Re: Portable fish finders

Posted: Mon May 07, 2018 7:12 pm
by cobby
Get yourself one of these to hold a small 7ah lead acid battery
https://sistemaplastics.com/products/kl ... -rectangle.
Mount the sounder onto the lid of box with a section of chopping board between lid and the mount itself.
One of these https://www.chsmith.com.au/Products/Low ... osQAvD_BwE for the transducer.

You should end up with change out of $200 for the 2 items I linked, plus the battery, silicone to reseal the container after making holes for wiring and a cheap sounder like the licence hook2 4inch