Hi guys. I've been looking at fishfinders for a while and can't seem to find many reviews on them. Specifically I am looking at the Humminbird Pirranha 10PT and the Eagle Cuda 128 Portable. I would like to have a portable unit for a couple of reasons.
1) My 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke is not electric start, so I do not have a 12V battery in my boat, nor do I want to lug one around (take it out, charge it, put it back) everytime I run it down with my fishfinder. I thought about a solar panel charger, but I don't think that it would be able to keep up since when I fish I do it for days on end. I want to be able to use my fishfinder for that whole time.
2) I go ice fishing too, and I would like to be able to use the fishfinder. The portable ones just seem easier.
My questions are:
Which one of the fishfinders listed above is better and why? Also, how long can I expect the batteries on these units to last (continous use...)? Should I just buy a regular unit and get a 12V battery for it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> Thanks guys.
SS - a few years ago I decided to upgrade from my old yellow-box Humminbird flasher. I got an Eagle FishEasy portable. I have not really kept up since then, but things being what they are, I am sure that it is no longer made in that guise or under that name. I have been thoroughly pleased with it. I have a rechargable battery that I have taken along when I have had electricity available to recharge at night. I am not sure how long that the battery would go on one charge, but last year I used the option that allows for 8 D-cells to be used and we ran it all week (Opassquiah Park - sp?) on one set, so I would imagine that the rechargable would last as long. I have never wished for anything with more bells and whistles. Catch a northern for me. John
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
5sdad, I ended up getting a Eagle FishEasy 2T. It's not portable, but I am in the middle of rigging up a plastic toolbox with a car battery in it that I can mount the fishfinder in. I know that it is heavier than the usual portables, but this way I can run off of the battery for longer and if I get a outboard that has a charging system I can use it on that. Thanks for the advice...
SS - think that you'll be happy with it. Sounds like you have a good plan for power supply. Picked up a reconditioned ABU 6600 MAGTRAX at the Berkely (Pure) outlet store in Spirit Lake for $47. Seemed like a good deal. Am anxious to see how it deals with Esox.
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
The portables are great and I prefer Lawrence (Eagle) LCD graphs over Humminbirds but Humminbird flashers (older ones) over Lawrence.
The battery supply, if they are two 6 volt batteries will last almost the whole season during the summer but you will be lucky to get 2 hours while ice fishing. For ice fishing I use a motorcycle battery. I can't give you a recommendation on the two units you list because I am not familiar with either. But two things you want to look at on LCD graphs. One- how many watts of power they put out and Two- how many pixels, exspecially vertical do they have. Alot of the bells and whiteles are just that and you will never use them.
CaptBob, the one that I ended up getting has 1500 watts (peak to peak) and 240 x 160 resolution. I haven't had a chance to use it yet as the ice is just coming off of the lakes around here. I got it on sale, so it was hard to pass up. Hopefully it does what I want it too...
Sounds like you got enough power and pixels to the job.
Don't fall into just looking for fish on the screen like so many nimrods. Use the depth finder to find structure and BOTTOM CONTENT that will hold fish at that time of year. Since I don't know what your going to use it for or how deep, the best advice is read the owners manual many times and know your unit and use it in manual mode. Auto modes are for nimrods to lazy to read up on how to get the best out of their units. Sometimes just finding the transition area where hard bottom goes to soft mud makes all the differnce in finding bottom hugging species that no unit can detect well.
I'll be using the unit on freshwater lakes (so 100' or less typically. Most likely 40' or less...) to look for pike and walleye. Maybe lake trout too. I've always thought that "fishfinders" should be named "bottomfinders" since that is the more important factor most of the time. That narrow band that the sonar measures right below the boat is like looking into a room through a keyhole. You can't see the whole picture. I tend to fish a lot of new lakes in the Canadian Shield area, so the bottom can come up quick, and drop just as quick. If I can tell when it is coming up, I can hopefully save some props and shear pins! I've been to lakes where the bottom comes up to within a couple of inches of the surface in the middle of the lake. That's hard on the bottom of the boat. It's good to fish around when you know it's there though! I'm hoping that this unit will help me find those areas.
SS
"To be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. To be satisfied with your possessions but not content with yourself until you have made the best of them." -Henry Van Dyke
You fish basically the same type of lakes and species I fish. I make MANY trips north to Canadian Shield lakes living just 12 miles from the border plus Lake Erie and Ontario.
Is this unit a portable because you intend to use it on rented boats. If so just remember to aim the transducer slightly forward (so the beam is actually shooting towards the bow of the boat). That way the water will pass over the face of the transducer with NO air bubbles and you will get a VERY good signal at high speeds. I for the life of me don't know why this is not mentioned in the installing instructions of each owners manual.
And boy did you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned narrow band of the transducer. A rule of thumb is about 1/3 of the depth for how many feet the cone angle is covering on the BOTTOM. So anglers looking for fish in 30 feet of water on their depth finder are only covering about 10 feet near the bottom and much less further up the water column. Not to mention you are more likely spooking most fish at this depth if your using your outboard.
We fish for perch in the spring and fall on Erie and they hold so tight at times to the bottom that my X50 with 3000 watts of power has a tough time detecting them.
The one I got isn't portable, but it will be. I plan on mounting it inside a plastic toolbox with a car battery so that I can take it in and out of my boat. The reason being my outboard does not have anywhere to connect the power too (that I know of anyway). It's not electric start, so I am assuming that the outboard doesn't have any connections I guess. Anyone know for sure? It's a '02 Yamaha 25hp four stroke...
SS
"To be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. To be satisfied with your possessions but not content with yourself until you have made the best of them." -Henry Van Dyke
I am pretty sure a non-electric start outboard would not be able to power up your depth finder. But as I have said before, two 6 volt batteries will give you plenty of power for all or most of the summer season. Or just a motorcycle battery or even a lawn & tractor battery will do the job which will be MUCH lighter than a car battery and cheaper.
Now if only we could get some decent weather so I can fish !!!
SS - fly-in lake (naturally somebody else's boat and motor, but I try to treat the equipment like it's my own) driving rain, sleet, hail, wind and waves that make your destroyer escort drop back, and all of a sudden the depth-finder shoots from 50' to absolutely nothing - shift to neutral and hope you drift clear without a big crunch. Lots of adrenaline, shaky bowels, and you can't know how great it is if you haven't been there, right? (Only gets better when you get back to the cabin and get a fire going.) Northerns forever! John
Not a real member - just an ordinary guy who appreciates being able to hang around and say something once in awhile.
Happily Trapped In the Past (Thanks, Joe)
Not only a less than minimally educated person, but stupid and out of touch as well.
"To be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. To be satisfied with your possessions but not content with yourself until you have made the best of them." -Henry Van Dyke
"To be glad of life because it gives you a chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars. To be satisfied with your possessions but not content with yourself until you have made the best of them." -Henry Van Dyke
