Portable Fish finder / GPS

[stevensinks]

I would like to get a portable Fish finder with built in GPS to take on my trips to Canada. I would like to keep the price under $500. Do any of you know of such a unit. Thanks

[stevensinks]

OK Im gussing that sence I havent been able to find and no one has told me about a portable Fish finder / GPS unit that no one makes one. So Im thinking that I can just get a regular Fish finder / GPS and take a batt along with me. I would like one with the internal GPS so I dont have an external antana. Which unit would you suggest? Thanks

[Golden Eagle]

I've been using my Lowrance X-15 for years. For remote areas I take a lawnmower size marine battery. A new one with a full charge will last a week. I've even used a solar collector, but doubt if it did much good. My tranducer is mounted on a board, 18" X 3 1/2" X 3/4" thick. Board is held onto the transom with a 4" C-clamp and the X-15 is secured onto the seat with a 2" C-clamp. It has put me on lots of fish.

[eyedoktr]

Look at the Lowrance M68C. You can even get an ice fishing package for it.

[elmo]

I made mine with a depth finder and used a small tackle box, mounted the swivel in the top of the box inside top. When I open it the 2 -6 volt battries lay on either side of the box bottom with foam in the centerto lay the face of the finder on when I close it. My batts. will last a couple of weeks easy. Transducer is mounted on a rod clamped the rear of the boat. Works great for me. I think that in the Bass Pro Cat. you could buy a clmap/bracket made from Alum. for a transducer.

[stevensinks]

Thanks for the replies. Eyedoktr Im checking on the 68. Elmo that tackel box is a good idea. When I figure out which unit I want Ill have to find a box to fit it.

[needmoredaysoff]

We used a portable fishfinder this year, the Humminbird PiranhaMax 215 Portable Fish Finder. It is easy to use, but because it works by a suction cup you can only use it at very slow speeds. The reads are accurate though, and it sure was better than nothing. But i caution you to SECURE IT WELL. If anyone snags a transducer/cable while trolling chamberlain narrows lac seul, please send it my way....


http://www.amazon.com/Humminbird-PiranhaMax-Portable-Fish-Finder/dp/B000MPPXUU



RK

[SinOrSwim]

The Humminbird 595c is currently selling for about $350 at Cabelas afer rebate and it has built in GPS.

You will have to make it portable however.

[stevensinks]

I saw that. I have never used a humminbird so I dont know much about them. Have you used the 595? If so what do you think of it?

[SinOrSwim]

Now, I don't have a great deal of background with locators as I don't really fish very much. However, I loved the look and functionality of the 595c when I used it for the first time this weekend. Love the split screen with GPS on one side and the sonar on the other.

Can't wait to use it in Canada and make sure I am INDEED going over the exact spot where we have caught the fish.

Make sure you go color too. It rocks!!!!

[oldblue2008]

We have used them for 25 years on our trips to northern Sask. The first one was a 1981 Lowrance 180 flasher(which still works), but most of them were the older Eagles. I bought an x96 Lowrance a couple of years ago from cabelas. it was set up with the case, battery and stand. All of these have had the suction cup mount. They have all had a shoelace tied to the transducer bracket, which we then tie to the back handle or d-ring on the back of the boat. Lace the string around the transducer cable up as far as you tie it, so the string takes the shock, not the cable. If the suction cup comes loose, the transducer will not go into the prop. Most of the time they stay on quite well, but do not always work at higher speeds. It depends where you can stick the suction cup, if you can get away from a bottom rib, or somewhere where there is not much turbulance. The shoelace is the key. Two years ago I heard a boat stop, and he was busy looking for his transducer in the deep.

[SinOrSwim]

I saw in the electronics thread you want lake maps to load. You can indeed use Navionics Maps with the 595c but to be perfectly honest they don't have that many Canada lakes depending on how far North you go. You can e-mail Navionics and they will help you find out if the lake you want is on there. For instance, we go to Gull Lake. Well, there are more than one Gull Lake in Ontario and the one we go to is not on there.

Good luck.

Oh and it does NOT have an internal antenna.