Very simple and intuitive interface. It works just as I had hoped. However, there are two points that seem to be glossed over at times. First, this unit has to be connected to a 12 volt power supply such as a car battery or one of those car battery booster type units. So if you plan to use it in a kayak you need to plan for a power source. Second, the screen/keyboard unit is not water resistant at all. If there is a chance of rain or spray you need a ziplock bag or some such to cover the thing.
Hands down best budget fish finder i have ever used. I use it on a job boat and have no complaints. Very accurate in deep/shallow waters as far as i can tell. The amount of detail you can see on color fish finder vs black and white is AMAZING! GPS comes in handy for marking hot spots and marking the dock you used to get in the water so you don't get lost trying to get back. CHIRP is also a game changer. The two things ill never go without again is CHIRP and color! This is a great budget unit.
We mounted it to a removable stand to take off boat when not and use and to switch between boats. The stand was a great purchase!!
This is a great fish finder and gps system that I would highly recommend for boaters who travel. I recently used it for the first time on a 10 mile canoe trip and I couldn't be more happy with its performance. I was able to plot my course on a paper map to get the coordinates of each leg, and then add all the waypoint coordinates into the unit the night before creating a route.
The next day on the water the gps unit kept track of where I was, how long it would take to get to the next waypoint, and how long it would take to get to the final destination. It also told us our speed which is very valuable for trip planning.
I have two boats I use, one is a row boat for fishing where I mounted the transducer on the electric motor propeller, and a canoe where I mounted the transducer in the hull using a foam mounting piece. In both cases the fish finder worked well and I love that I can swap the unit between the two. Note that I use velcro to make the unit swappable between the boats, but permanently mounting it would not be hard at all. The base is very nice and you can adjust it to face any direction.
During our trip we were rained on and the garmin had no problems in the rain. It held up very well.
If you just need a fish finder for local lakes and you're not traveling in your boat and you don't need to use waypoints, this is probably overkill. But if you're looking for a great gps and fish finder in one, this is a fantastic unit and I highly recommend it.
Quick note about my setup, I built a battery box to power my charger but I know there are nice little battery boxes premade available that might be more hardy and compact than the one I built. You will need to explore power options and be able to wire the unit to whatever power source you choose. I like that flexibility.
I do like this finder. It worked very well on it's maiden launch on my kayak. I paired it with the 141 transducer mounting arm track mount. I used a Outdoor Products Watertight Box to mount the 12V 7AH Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) Battery for Piranha MAX 160 Fish Finder inside with watertight switch. It was very clear display with good contrast. I like it's size and not in the way while paddling or fishing. The you can raise it up when landing/launching.
used this on a trip to canada, and was super happy with it. To not only have a fish finder to give you the correct depths, but to incorporate the GPS was great. It was super useful on unfamiliar water, because if you pay attention the 1st time you can follow your path to get home safely. Also, we used it to mark fish that we caught, and was able to use the split screen to pin point those spots and see depths. Pretty cool for this price point.
Feature Product
- CLEARVÜ SCANNING SONAR - Shows you more of what is in the water around your boat. This high-frequency sonar gives near-photographic images with detailed representations of objects, structure and fish.
- THE POWER OF SIMPLE - Offers a keyed interface with dedicated buttons. The device is easy to use and easy to install. Available in 3.5-, 5- and 7-inch display sizes. Water rating IPX7
- WAYPOINT MAP - Use the waypoint map to easily view, mark and navigate to locations such as brush piles, stumps and docks. Maximum depth-1,600 feet freshwater, 750 feet saltwater. Current draw at 12V : 0.23A
- CHIRP SONAR - CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies which provides a wider range of information. CHIRP sonar is able to create crisper fish arches with better target separation.
- BUILT-IN FLASHER - View your sonar data in the classic flasher format; ideal for ice fishing or vertical jigging.Display size: 1.9 x 2.9 inches (4.9 x 7.3 cm); 3.5 inches diagonal (8.7 cm)
Description
Following in the success of the STRIKER fishfinder series, Garmin is proud to announce the new STRIKER fishfinders with ClearVü technology. These devices are designed to allow you to mark your favorite fishing spot and easily navigate back to it tomorrow, saving you time and money. STRIKER series fishfinders are available in 3.5-, 5- and 7-inch display sizes. Display resolution: 480 x 320 pixels.
Paired this with a Nocqua pro power kit, and mounted it on my 12' Jackson Cuda. It's my first fish finder, so I have nothing to compare it to, but so far I love it. It's easy to view, and easy to navigate. The fact that a roughly $100 fish finder has temperature, speed, depth AND GPS is incredible. It's perfect for a kayak.
My only critique is that my unit seems to struggle in shallow water with a soft bottom, or mossy conditions. In depths below 6-7 feet, especially in muddy conditions, the Striker 4 loses the depth measurement. All other features work great, but depth just goes to either a flat line, or blinks the last depth it measured. It's essentially a moot point, because I don't need a fish finder to tell me I'm in shallow water. I want depth to show me structure, drop offs, ridges, etc. Beyond 6-7 feet, it's dead accurate.
Fast shipping. It has a lot of features for such a small price including heading, bearing to waypoint, water temp, gps speed in statute miles or knots, distance to waypoint, eta to waypoint, current time, and ofcourse depth. I cannot speak as to the accuracy of finding fish as I use it solely for depth and navigation. I wish I had bought it a long time ago. One tip for anyone with a fiberglass hull: Bury the transducer in silicone at the bottom of your hull and avoid drilling holes in your boat. It is a cinch to install.
Ice fishing... Made three holes, two for fishing, one for sonar. Using regular transducer just hanging it in water. Adjusted level with bracket included. We could follow a worm from the surface to 31 foot depth. We could see our #8 hooks at the bottom. Machine predicted a fish every time before we got a bite, so we we're ready to set the hook. Fish alarm didn't work for bottom fish, but dual zoom made it so we had a good view of the bottom and could see when they were rising for our lines. We could distinguish which line they were after by depth.
Very accurate. Little noise on screen. Amazing for the price. I was worried about the transducer not being ideal for ice fishing, but I have no need for anything better.
7ah battery lasted 8 hours from 12.5 to 12.0v.
Lightweight, sturdy, and very flexible mounting options included. Ability to mark location is handy too.
Love this fishfinder. Great size and easy to use. Does everything very well.
This unit is by far the best GPS fish finder i have ever owned. I owned half dozen of other units but none compare to this Striker 4. It is accurate, it reads the water depth while moving, it gives you so many options to view your water depth and your waypoint location. For the 110 dollars it costs, it is well worth more than that. I highly recommend this unit.
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