The 5 Best Kayak Fish Finders in 2022 (Buying Guide)
When you're out fishing from a kayak, you don't have to fish the more difficult old-fashioned way. Just because you're not fishing from an all-singing, all-dancing superyacht doesn't mean you can't enjoy the luxuries of modern marine technology!
You can enjoy all the small boat fishing benefits like exercise, affordability, accessibility and close fishing while outfitting your kayak into a convenient technological fishing machine in order to really enhance your fishing experience with the best kayak fish finder setup for your boat.
Once you start using a fish finder, you'll feel like you were fishing blind this whole time. So allow us to introduce you to the world of fish finders and fish with confidence.
In this buying guide, we have put together some of the best fish finders for kayaks available on the market today, and we are determined to find the best kayak fish finders for you!
First, let us delve into the world of kayak fish finders. Choosing the best fish finder can be confusing as there are different features and tech specs to sift through.
Quick Summary
Benefits of Using a Kayak Fish Finder and Why You Need One
So what is a kayak fish finder? A kayak fish finder, believe it or not, finds fish! Fishfinders are the technology used to seek and identify the wildlife below the surface of the water. In addition, they can give you the option of viewing the aqua structure, location, depth, and water temperature.
Some high-end fish finders can come with GPS, which is pretty helpful if you are going on a multi-day expedition. In addition, it can show the location of the kayak as you move on the water, which is very useful when it comes to trying to find the best fishing spot and saving your location should you come across a great spot you'd like to return to.
Some devices use a temperature gauge which is useful when you're trying to improve the results of your fishing excursion. Some fish are sensitive to temperature, especially during spawning time, and this extra knowledge can improve your fishing results.
A fish finder is also weatherproof and can be used on multiple types of water, including lakes, saltwater, and fast rivers.
The fish-finding device can also help you find the structure of what's under the water, like holes, wood, weed beds, or sand flats.
They tend to come user-friendly with accessible icons and are worth it for any angler ready to up their game!
Portable vs Fixed Kayak Fish Finders
Some people may be wondering which kind of finder is better, a portable or fixed finder. Luckily we are here for you! Read on to find out the difference between portable and fixed devices and find the best kind of finder for your kayak!
Portable Fish Finders
Portable fish finders are the most common type of kayak fish finder. They tend to be a bit bigger than your hand while still remaining lightweight for the angler's convenience. The transducer sends readings to a screen. Some fish finders have advanced color LED screens with multiple options and buttons, while other fish finders have more simple display screens with fewer buttons to toggle the settings.
A portable fish finder is difficult to beat because of their reliability and accuracy; they usually have a decent battery life and easy to use and read.
The only issue is that they don't tend to be that compact but aren't an issue if you have space in your fishing kit bag.
Castable Fish Finders
A castable fish finder is a fish finder that uses Bluetooth and WiFi to connect with your mobile device. The transducer looks like a little ball and is about the size of a golf ball. It will connect to your phone, making it easy to analyze the readings it collects. Most castable fish finders will work with both iOS and Android devices.
The most significant advantage of a castable device is its portability. They are so small that they will easily fit into your pocket or throw them into your tackle box or kit bag.
The downside to even the best castable device is these fish finders are very recent tech, which makes them sometimes a little clunky. By that, we mean they can sometimes lose connection with your mobile device, or if you have an older phone, it may not support the technology. In addition, some people have reported apps crashing when fishing, and lastly, their batteries only tend to last for 8 hours.
Mountable Fish Finders
Mountable fish finders are the least common of the fish finder family. They have a display screen very similar if not identical to other device types, the main difference being that they have the ability to be permanently mounted to your kayak. In addition, they usually come with a mounting device such as a c-clamp which you can easily adjust the grip.
The Screen Features
The screen of a fish finder is one of the most important things you have to consider when purchasing. It's always best to consider all the options when trying to find the best fish finder for kayaks.
Screen Size
Kayak fish finder screens come in sizes from 3 to 6 inches and sometimes even bigger if you are considering boat-based models. However, when you're kayaking, it's best to stick to a screen size that's as small as you can deal with as space is premium when you're out on the water.
It's best to make sure you are not taking up much space while still be able to see everything on the screen clearly!
Screen Resolution
The screen resolution is measured in the number of pixels on each side of the display screen. The large number depicts how clear the image is. This can be anything from 240x160 all the way up to 640x640.
You'll notice that the best kayak fish finder, or more likely the most expensive, will have a high resolution, while the cheaper models will have a small resolution display which may not be as clear.
Be aware of low price tags on low-resolution models. After all, you don't want to be using your brand new fish finder to find out you can make out any fish or structure underneath the water.
Colored Display vs Grayscale
The display is another essential feature to consider when trying to fish the best kayak fish finder for you.
Colored displays have surpassed the black and white displays in modern technology; however, when looking at fish, finding the grayscale displays works just as well. A black and white display is also usually cheaper than a full-color screen.
At the end of the day, the black and white, grayscale display screen provides the same functionality as an all-singing, all-dancing color display, so don't let grayscale put you off!
Transducer Compatibility
If you haven't figured it out already, the transducer is the device used to transmit sonar signals that find the fish.
It is the most crucial feature of your new kayak device. With upgraded fish finders, you can use lots of cone angles to send signals penetrating deeper and wider into the water.
It provides accurate information sent to your display.
To get the best out of your fish finder for kayak fishing, you must select the correct transducer for your water depth in order to encourage a high performance.
In the last few years, kayak brands have teamed up with fish finder manufacturers to create scupper holes to perfectly match the transducer to make installation ergonomic and seamless.
If you have an Old Town, Necky, or Ocean kayak, you might want to consider Hummingbird transducers as they are all owned by the same company, and the scupper holes are designed to coincide with the fish finder transducers.
Hobie and Wilderness Systems kayaks are Lowrance fish finders ready with the same kind of mounting features.
Mounting Space Requirements
When you are installing a fish finder, you need to consider the mounting space. It's best to think about how much space you have on your kayak for a fish finder. You will need space for a RAM or Scotty to mount for fish finders, cables, a small 12V battery, as well as all your tackle and fishing gear.
You want your fish finder screen to be big enough to see the detail clearly but compact enough that you aren't bumping it or hitting it while paddling or casting lines.
A fish finder with a 5" screen would be perfect, but smaller kayaks should look at 4" or 3.5" size displays.
How to Choose the Best Fish Finder for Kayaks
There are plenty of things we haven't covered yet that need to be considered before clicking the big buy button and whipping out the credit card. The following list should be significant considerations when researching and purchasing the best fish finder.
Glare
Having already discussed the screen size, display and resolution, we already know that it is vital to consider. However, the additional thing you need to bear in mind is the glare factor.
It's no use getting a fish finder that works perfectly fine, but you can't see anything in the sun. Instead, a suitable resolution coupled with a sharp contrast will enable you to see and read the detail in full daylight.
GPS
Ok, so having GPS as a fish finder feature (try saying that three times fast!) usually means the fish finder will be a little more on the expensive side. However, the good news is that some fish finder manufacturers have designed fish finders with GPS at a pretty reasonable price.
GPS is beneficial if you are going kayak fishing in the sea. Knowing your specific location and destination acts as both a safety feature and allows you to cast a line in fishing hot spots that are completely indistinguishable from the water's surface.
A GPS is also beneficial if you plan on long-distance or multiple-day journeys and need to find specific campsites.
Transducers
As we are already aware, the transducer is an essential part of the fish finder that uses sonar technology to scan the water for fish.
When you're purchasing a fish finder, you may want to consider how to transducer is installed.
In-hull transducers are installed by gluing them to a flat and clean surface on the hull, usually placed inside the bow hatch. To glue your transducer, you should use a marine-grade adhesive. The best way to make sure it is a strong fix is to build a small well using high-density foam and fill it with the adhesive until it covers the bottom half of the transducer.
Another way to install your transducer is using a through-scupper method. This is when the transducer is fixed underneath the boat and either inside a purpose-built transducer scupper hole or against a regular scupper hole.
Lastly, you can install the transducer with an arm-mounted method. This is when the transducer is fixed on the end of an arm that peers over the boat's side and into the water. The transducer, in this case, will be fully submerged in the water, which will guarantee clarity and maximum sonar signal sensitivity.
Power
If you have it in your budget, it's always a good idea to choose more power. A high wattage finder is the difference between cutting out half wat through your fishing trip and catching fish into the sunset. A high-watt fish finder will help give faster readings. Higher wattage is also recommended if you intend on fishing in deeper waters.
However, low wattage is more than suitable if you are kayak fishing in shallow water.
Water Resistance
Any fish finder you buy should be waterproof. If not, the water will inevitably splash on it and ruin it. So, always check the device has a good level of water resistance before purchase.
Frequencies
High-Frequency sonar technology is best suited to shallow waters as it gives detailed information for close distances.
Low frequencies are most suited to deeper waters because low frequencies can penetrate the water easier. However, they don't carry as much info, so the picture or image won't be as clear and crisp as the high-frequency images.
Dual Frequency fish finders have the ability to switch between high and low-frequency signals. This makes them useful if you tend to fish on deep waters one trip and then shallow waters the next.
Accuracy
CHIRP stands for Compressed High-Intensity Radar Pulse. This is the best fish finder technology available. It has the ability to change between frequencies providing the most accuracy and clarity regardless of the type of water you fish on.
However, it does come with a hefty price tag.
Portability
Some devices are easily portable, and others have to be fixed or mounted to your kayak.
Depth
The depth of the water changes the type of fish finder you need. If you fish in the ocean or deep fishing holes, then you need to look at down-imaging sonar.
If you are only fishing in shallow rivers or lakes, then perhaps you should look at a side-imaging fish finder as they are the better option.
Versatility
When you're looking to purchase a fish finder, you'll notice that they differ when aimed at different environments. Some are only to be used in freshwater, where others are only aimed at salt water fishing.
In order to use a fish finder in both salt and fresh water, you have to pick a versatile device that can cope with both environments.
Battery Type
Usually, a 12V power source is enough to power a fish finder. A 12V battery provides enough power for 1-2 fishing sessions.
Our 5 Top Picks
1. Striker 4 GPS Fish Finder by Garmin
With CHIRP sonar technology and easy to use interface, the Striker 4 GPS is one to watch out for!
The Garmin Striker 4 kayak fish finder uses their Clear Vu scanning sonar technology to scan the water below and show more of what's in the water. Due to the high frequency, it provides high-resolution photographic images which are detailed.
The interface is simple and offers an easy-to-use keyed interface with dedicated buttons. It is available in screen sizes 3.5,5, and 7 inches and has a water rating of IPX7.
This fish finder's maximum water scanning depth is 1600 feet in freshwater, and the maximum water scanning depth in saltwater is 750 feet.
This fish finder is versatile and enables you to go fishing anywhere!
The Humminbird Fishin Buddy is a reliable fish finder brand and the Humminbird Fishin buddy MAX fish finder is no exception. The Humminbird Fishin buddy provides all the quality to be expected from a Humminbird device.
This portable fish finder is equipped with a clamp holding both the transducer and the display unit at each end of a 24-40 inch telescopic pole. This ensures that mounting your fishing buddy is quick and easy.
The fishing buddy fish finder has a 3.5-inch full-color screen as well as dual-beam sonar technology and down imaging sonar technology. This provides a clear image down to 600 feet.
Hummingbird is a great reliable brand with advanced tech, which is easy to use!
Coming from the Humminbird collection again is the Humminbird Helix 5!
If you're after the biggest screen for your budget, then the Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP Sonar GPS G2 may be the best fish finder for you.
The Humminbird Helix 5 fish finder uses a landscape orientation which is helpful for seeing a wide, clear display while keeping low to the boat so that it isn't getting in the way of your paddling.
The Helix 5 has a 5-inch Color WVGA Display, CHIRP sonar, internal GPS chart plotting, built-in Anima cartography and a micro SD slot for saving waypoints.
What can't the Helix 5 fish finder do?!
If you're looking for the budget option, then perhaps the LUCKY fish finder is the fishing friend you've been looking for.
Even though it can be considered a budget kayak fish finder, it can surprisingly read up to 328 ft in depth. It has a 2.8 inch LCD display with three color tone.
This fish finder is a castable sonar that has a 25 ft cable and a floating design, which means it can troll from any kayak with a rechargeable battery with 10 hours of continuous use.
It can also be used in fresh or salt water, making it a versatile budget option.
The Hook Reveal gains its name from the fish reveal view that overlays the CHIRP sonar technology from the water column on top of the structure view that comes from DownScan. This means you can get the best of both worlds, detailed bottom images using DownScan and fish arches using the 2D sonar.
This model is an excellent price for the features it includes, such as the down and side scan, mapping including 4000 lakes, TripleShot Skimmer transducer and a 7-inch screen.
The 7-inch display is 800x480 pixels with a convenient small base that makes it easy to kayak with and maneuver around without getting in the way of your paddling.
Our Best Kayak Fish Finder!
After researching the best and the worst features and comparing screen sizes and features and our top pick from the best kayak fish finders on the market today is the Garmin Striker 4 GPS Fish Finder!
The Garmin Striker gives us CHIRP sonar, a simple keyed interface, versatility and an IPX7 water rating!
It's available in 3.5, 5 and 7-inch models allowing you to choose which size will suit you and your boat best.
The Garmin striker includes a waypoint map and has a maximum scanning depth of 1600 feet in freshwater and a maximum scanning depth of 750 feet in saltwater.
The Garmin striker 4 GPS Fish Finder is a great all-around device which is why we've put it at the top of our list!