Best Fish Finders for Kayaks

DV stands for Down View imaging which uses a thin high-frequency beam to create picture-like images of structure, vegetation and fish. Down Imaging return views are the same orientation as traditional sonar, but they have real detail and take the guess work out of interpreting the fish finder results. Trees are very easy to identify, as are rocks and other structure such as sunken boats.

Side Imaging is a type of sonar that uses a razer thin beam to create an areal snapshot of the areas to the left and right of your vessel, roughly 400ft or so on each side. It provides an incredibly detailed view of the lake bottom from an overhead perspective.

This is different than Down Imaging because of the perspective. A pile of rocks on Down Imaging would show up as a single patch of rocks, while viewing it from Side Imaging could display the rocks as being in distinct groups.

Side imaging is very helpful in shallower water such as creeks, bays, and flats due to the orientation of the image. It lets you scan the water more quickly because you can see both left and right at the same time.

CHRIP is an acronym for Compressed High-Intensity Radiated Pulse. It is a technology that transmits a longer pulse than traditional sonar. Instead of pinging a single frequency, CHIRP devices transmit a sweeping range of frequencies that put out much more energy into the water and lasts much longer for a better view.

It improves bottom tracking at high speed and deeper depth. It also helps provide a crisp and clear separation of targets and objects and results in a clearer image.

In general, you will get the best detail resolution with the least background noise from higher frequencies, but they do not penetrate as deeply as lower frequencies.

Freshwater and inshore anglers generally choose higher frequencies such as 200kHz, 400kHz or 800kHz. This will handle water depths up to 200 feet.

If you are fishing deeper waters then you should focus on 80kHz or 50kHz. Dual-frequency fish finders using both 200 kHz and 50 kHz are the most popular with saltwater anglers.

If you look around there are a lot of options on the market that present dual band frequencies or CHIRP frequencies that cover much more of the spectrum.

GPS on a kayak fish finder is personal preference, however I tend to always go for it because it opens up the ability to drop a pin if you find a honey hole or some underwater structure you want to come back to. GPS lets you get back on that exact spot which can be hard to do on the water without reference points.

Fish finders from most brands are supposed to be water resistant, with most having a IPX7 rating which means they can withstand incidental exposure to water of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes.

However, from checking out a few fishing forums you can see that seals can still leak and water will quickly wreak havoc on electronics. That’s why we focused on economical choices with water resistance for the best kayak fish finders.

You will need a 12v battery to run your fish finder. A typical fish finder battery is rated for 12v and 10amp hours. Alternatively you can opt for a smaller and lighter but more expensive lithium ion battery. I personally use the Nocqua battery and is has been phenomenal.

You will need the following two specs to figure this out.

1. Find the specs of your fish finder to see what the current draw is. This is listed in the manufacturer specs.
2. You also need to know how many amp hours your 12v battery is rated for, it will say this on the side.

Once you have these numbers do the math below

Battery Amp Hours
—————————————–        =    hours of run time
Fishfinder Amp Draw

Ex: Garmin Striker 4 is listed as using a current draw of 0.23A @ 12V. In this case for a standard battery with 10ah you will get a runtime of 43.47 hours in a ideal scenario.

Remember, fish finders with smaller screens use less power, while larger models with GPS can drain a battery more quickly.

You have several options for a kayak mounted transducer.

• Through Hull: This involved mounting the transducer on the inside on your kayak and having the beam shoot through the plastic hull. It will be able to read through the hull as long as you securely fasten it and use water or another material or predesigned mount without air pockets to keep it in contact with the bottom of the kayak, however you do sacrifice water temp by using this method.
• Through Scupper: A lot of newer fishing kayaks have added special scupper holes that accommodate a fish finder transducer so it fits flush underneath the kayak and the wiring comes up through the scupper hole. This is a great way to mount the transducer and comes out looking very clean. Lowrance also makes a universal mount that can fit many different kayaks.
• Over the Side: There are many arm mounts available for this option and they work quite well. I’ve used the Scotty Arm Mount with great success. It stays in place and is easy to remove at the end of your fishing trip. No permanent attachment points or drill holes required.