20 Best Cheapest Fish Finder (2022 Updated)

After using this on ice this past winter, I cant figure out how vexilar can still sell their very limited performance product at their exorbitant prices. I’ll chalk it up to redneck herd mentality. Until purchasing this I have never used or borrowed sonar, so it took some time to learn to read.

I used it through ice, in 6 to 40 feet of water. I got the most accurate results running dual frequency and a-scope. The low freq cone is very wide, allows you to see fish come into your area, while the high freq shows fish at your lure.

While stationary on ice, fish appear as red blobs of various length, instead of “arcs”, because you’re not moving in a boat. I was easily able to distinguish my hook, air bubbles, individual minnows, minnow schools, mud / weed layers, and any fish not laying on the lakebed.

In my experience, the auto gain would run high making thicker bars. I became accustomed to adjusting the gains any time I changed depth, or weed density. I mounted the supplied transducer to the end of 3/4 plastic pipe drilled with holes at intervals for an adjustable cross bar.

I would get fuzzier readings if the transducer was not 3 inches below ice. My teenage son and I greatly enjoy the mapping capability. The deeper the water the wider the reading. In 20 feet of water I could drill holes 60 feet apart and not suffer map gaps.

This would obviously be easier in a boat, and im looking forward to experiencing it this summer. I ran this with a voltage transformer on my Milwaukee tool batteries for amazing portability. 7 hours continuous in 10 degrees F would tick 1 dot off my 5ah battery.

While drilling holes or wrestling fish I often flung water onto the face of the machine with no damage. If there is a downside to this unit. It would be the few button and menu interface. Learning the ridiculous amount of features and getting setup to your liking takes alot of button chasing back and forth, which is greatly reduced once you get it setup to your style of use.

It would also be great if the buttons had some light, but for $160, the capability is still staggering.

First, installation was a bit of a pain but it ended up great. I power it with a 20V 2ah DeWalt battery and it works just fine even if they do not recommand it. Lasts about 8 hours. I was not gonna carry a super heavy lead-acid battery in a kayak that is already loaded with camping gear.

Being that I do a lot of kayak camping-fishing trips on large water bodies having a GPS/tracker was a must for me. Just got back from a trip and that feature has been great for not getting lost in difficult situations.

The user frendliness reminded me of an old Garmin GPS, not great. Far from Google map. Menus are a little difficult to get used to but. Contour mapping is nice. Sonar is great and powerfull. Could follow my jig all the way down 150′ of water easy.

So far Clearview has been useless. You can not see any fishes on that mode. Wich is the point of a ”fish finder”. Split screen is awesome. Another con is that when you need to bring it inside your house to add waypoints or else you will need an extra power cord at $50, Ouch! So all in all it is very good but I could have done without the extra cost of CV.

Happy fishing.

I installed this on my 13 foot boat for Gulf coast creeks and shallow water fishing. The chart for this device is like a blank sheet of paper, it does not have land, water or navigation markers. The only information the chart will display is where you have been, the depth contours that your device recorded or from the Garmin Active Captain application which shares depth contours from other users.

I use my cellphone apps such as Google Maps and Navionics for the big picture if I am in unfamiliar areas. Depth and voltage alarms are very handy. The fish-finder display options are as detailed as most inshore fishing could require.

The screen size is the smallest I would use on any boat, easy to see and interpret at a glance while moving. Very satisfied.

I was looking for a small, portable fish finder that I could use for both ice fishing in the winter and in my kayak in the summer. I was also looking for a reasonable price. I don’t fish enough to justify a top-of-the-line unit.

The Striker 4 portable fit the bill perfectly. It comes complete with everything you need. I am impressed with the build quality and engineering. My vision is poor, so I was a little worried about a 4” screen.

No problem, I can see it fine. I love the feature set- everything I need and more. Some reviewers didn’t like the fact that you can’t upload lake maps and there is no memory card slot. I fish on small local lakes and don’t need that.

The CHIRP sonar is definitely worth getting. It gives you a good picture in all depths. Pros: • Great product for the price, full featured comes with everything you need to start fishing. • Quality build and design • Since Garmin’s core product is GPS units, they include it on everything.

Unusual at this price point. Cons: A couple of little nits to pick, hence the 4 stars instead of 5. • The documentation is very poor. I am a total newbie to fish finders and really needed a more thorough manual.

I suspect they assume a certain amount of background knowledge which I do not possess. I ended up watching a few Youtube videos made by other Striker 4 owners. • The float that holds the transducer for ice fishing could use some kind of adjuster.

They tell you to tie the cable around it, but I would like something more precise, so I rigged up a stop made out of wood. • The battery and charger use blade connectors, which are not very robust. They are likely to break over time.

I adapted a pair of alligator clips so I can easily connect the charger without disconnecting the battery. Overall I love the Striker 4 and would definitely recommend buying one.

I bought the Garmin Striker 4 for a few reasons. 1. Needed a portable Ice Fishing sonar to update an older unit. 2. I wanted a Flasher unit but cost was an issue. 3. Affordable on a very limited budget.

4. A unit I could use on different platforms. I came across this unit by a simple video search of what others were using. It didn’t take long to decide to look into the Garmin. I know they have a good brand, the cost was very reasonable (and on sale at the time of my purchase), and it had awesome features.

Dual Channel sonar of 77 & 200 Mhz and the Flasher Sonar so popular with advanced units I looked at but really out of my price range. I watched a few videos that demonstrated the features and the ease of use, they really showed me I couldn’t beat this unit for the price.

I know there are lots of options but for me I needed some I could set up easily and just fish! I purchased it and took it on a Ice Fishing trip in Feb 2021 and quickly set it up to find marks and within an hour of use I had my first catch! The sonar is easy to switch from, the controls and menus are straight forward, if you use other electronics is rather easy to navigate the menus.

The Flasher feature worked best when I fished alone. When I had a person fishing with me or close by, it was best to use the traditional sonar settings and easier to see which line in the water was mine verses the other.

Response is better than I expected, seeing my jig, seeing fish moving in and out of range, and seeing the movement of fish on the attack was so cool and exciting. I have fished without sonar and the day can drag out especially when they aren’t biting! But I guess when you are engaged with the screen and actively jigging the time doesn’t matter and you enjoy the hunt! LOL.

Just bought this for Ice Fishing. I’m not totally Techi on these things so it will take a bit of time to completely understand all the features and how to use them. I have used this 3 times now for Ice Fishing and no question you can see the Fish swimming to your Bait.

Kind of neat as you are prepared for the Bite. I must say the Clarity is fantastic for such a small screen. Price wise, great buy. my old Hummingbird uses the 6 volt batteries and that is a heavy cost for those batteries, I certainly prefer the chargeable battery with this unit.

Just a word of advise, after each use—recharge the battery—-and they even tell you to do that each time your use it.

I have a small 12’ rowboat and this is my first ever fish finder. Mounted this unit on an ammo can and the transponder on the trolling motor. Would be nice if it had the option to add a battery to make this a package.

I’ve had the unit on the water for a total of about five hours. Improved instructions and the ability to have a tutorial mode to learn the unit before I hit the water would be helpful. The unit is pretty user intuitive once you spend the time to get familiar with where things are located.

It took me about 20 minutes to get the QuickDraw contours feature to work. Deepest water I was in was about 20feet. I could easily follow my jig, as I raised and lowered it, on the screen. The one thing I did notice is that the lake I was on has two small islands, larger of the two would be approximately 20’ x 40’, while using the quick draw feature it did not show a land mass or show a blank area on the map.

The islands are nonexistent and on the display are really under two feet of water even though I could beach my boat and have a picnic without getting soggy sandwiches. The screen was easily viewed with a straight on look giving it the best brightest clear view.

From the side the screen seemed dull. The cord on the transducer is about 20’ long while the power cord is only 3’. This isn’t a big deal for me since I’ve got the battery in and unit mounted on an ammo box.

Just thought it was worth mentioning. Mounting the transponder on the back of my little rowboat would not work due to the riveted seam sticking out. If it were shimmed out with treated plywood I could have probably made it work but then the transponder would be permanently mounted on the boat with the wire exposed to all Mother Nature fury.

My boat is parked outside. Overall this unit is exactly what I expected to get. I still need to play around with it and continue to understand all the features and options it can do to improve my fishing trips but I’m pretty satisfied and would definitely buy it again.

What would make this a five star review would be: the addition of a small tube of marine chalk for transom mounting of the transponder. Longer power cord Battery option package Case option like the striker cv4 package Better instructions Tutorial mode.

The ActiveTarget is a game changer–offering the ability to see the fish instantly and with impressive clarity. Because it’s truly live, it is easy to tell what you’re looking at and which direction the fish are going in real time.

You can even see your lure falling or your crank bait coming back to you. You know how the fish are reacting to your bait! You can see what they do with a fast retrieve vs. a slow retrieve, etc. You can tell the size of the fish! At times you can even see fins.

I have seen an alligator suspended mid-range, and it looked like an alligator–tail, feet, and all. You can watch bait balls change shape as they are attacked by bass, crappie, etc. The kit comes with everything you need including all 3 trolling motor mounts, and you can order an optional transom mount if you don’t want to mount it to a trolling motor.

The shaft mount allows you to use all 3 views, and it’s quick and easy to change views on the fly. I have found this mount to be the best for my style of fishing; in under 30 seconds I can swap it to a different position.

There are marks on the mount to ensure you’re lining it up correctly. A couple of clicks, and you’re on down view. A couple clicks, you’re on forward, and a couple more clicks to get to scout mode. Scout mode is great for browsing–trying to find fish or structure.

It gives you a 135 degree width, with 18 degrees top to bottom. Forward and down mode allow you to pinpoint what you’re fishing with a 135 degree view down and an 18 degree width. I use the ActiveTarget with the HDS Live, and it also works with the Carbon and the new Elite FS.

So depending on your budget, you’ve got 3 levels to choose from. And you know with Lowrance, you’re going to get the best imaging on the market. I love its simplicity; it’s simple to install, simple to set up, and simple to use.

This is a must-have piece of equipment for tournament anglers and charter captains for whom efficiency is key and for those that simply want the most out of a fun day on the water.

Bought my active target in May/June of 2021 when I was able to catch it back in stock. Setup was pretty easy once I watched the video; longest part was routing the cable thru the factory tubing. I initially had doubts about the unit stability and intuition won this fight.

I have my unit mounted with the shift mount and feel like if the current is strong enough the unit will move. I like the fact that there are setting groves makes it a little more stable but the actual “bokts” are worthless.

The unit does not lock down tight enough that it can move by hand without loosening the screw; or if you pull your trolling motor out to go to next spot if you set it down to hard it has a tendency to shift out of place and if not paying attention your unit will show the wrong area because your sonar has shifted.

I will try some different bolts or screws and see if the problem goes away. Other than thatit is a pretty solid unit. Takes a little getting used to especially in forward mount.

I got my Active Target transducer last Wednesday and got out on the water the next day. I was very eager to see how it looked “in person”. I value other peoples views but I wanted to see it first hand.

The installation went fairly smooth and we were out the next day. I mainly used the forward view mode. I used it around brush piles I could see in shallow water first. I was able to see underwater limbs of the brush piles and was able to see fish swimming amongst the limbs.

AWESOME!! This was the kind of performance I was hoping for. There will be a slight learning curve for using the forward view since the angle of the Sonar beam is so narrow and focused. I was able to aim the transducer at the brush piles and the fish around it and also show the small swimbait I was using.

We moved on to find some brush in deeper water. We found some brush stacked up near a bridge piling in about 25 Ft. of water. This brush was covered up with fish when we arrived. You could see fish swimming through the sonar beam, their fins and tails clearly visible.

This transducer exceeded my hopes for a live sonar transducer. I am going down to Lake Texoma early next week and will report back on how it works in open water. We will be able to more readily use the down view on that trip.

Loving it so far.

Had been (blindly) Ice fishing for over 20 years. Finally broke down and bought the Flasher 7 years ago. Several buddies had recommended it’s durability and performance. It changed everything! Learned so much more about fish behaviour when jigging: When to pull/when not to pull, Fast jig or slow jig, How high to jig and with how much velocity.

The Flasher doesn’t lie: If you see a growing yellow/red light coming towards your green light–Get Ready!!! Your heart will start beating faster for sure lol. More fish caught time and time again. Bonus–Keeps the kids busy thinking they are playing a video game while catching fish.

Since I’ve owned the unit, I’ve replaced nothing but the battery. Bought the Ice 35 because its simple to use, you can carry/protect it in a 5 gallon bucket, and you can’t beat the price compared to most other units on the market.

7 years later–now looking to get a second one for the girlfriend–but might pay a little bit more for the Ice 55 for the Digital Screen. You won’t be disappointed!.

I have owned and used this flasher for about 5 years and I love it. It is big and bright and has never failed me. Others have told me that it is bigger and brighter than the other flashers out there.

I have not changed the battery in it yet and it charges up fine after every use. I don’t think you can go wrong with this basic easy to use flasher. I would not ice fish without it. This is the best year for ice in mid Michigan and I use it several times a week with no problems.

Be sure to get the case as it gets rough out on the ice. I love it.

I have owned the humminbird ice 55 for 3 years now but my wife always wants it when she is fishing with me. This year I decided she needed her own so I bought the ice 35. This is almost as good but I don’t want her out fishing me so I got her this model.

We ice fish 3-4 times a week here in Northern Ontario for lakers specs and splake and this unit makes it so easy to get our daily limit. Best flasher on the market for sure.

I just got this hooked up on my boat, not been on the water with it yet, but I do have a Helix 5 DI on the bow with a trolling motor mounted transducer that I ran last year. They are awesome graphs for the weekend fisherman.

They both have GPS and lake maps of the places I fish already loaded. The menu is simple enough and the graphics are CHIRP which provides a little more detail in the 2D sonar mode. Very nice graph for the money that would have cost a lot more when CHIRP first came out.

The down imaging (DI) is a plus to consider that would add another $50 – $75 to this model and Side Imaging (SI) on the Helix 5 would also be nice but those are a little more expensive as well. This unit as purchased provides a good GPS feature that you can upgrade with other mapping software, a very good 2D sonar image with CHIRP, at a price that very affordable.

Warning, the kit does not contain any screws, nuts, or bolts. I would recommend stainless steel fasteners. It does have the nimble mount but I also recommend a Ram mount on 1. 5 balls. Ram makes two mounts specifically for this graph, the 1.

5 inch is a sturdier mount. The transducer that comes with the kit is a transom mounted unit but if you want to mount to a trolling motor Humminbird will trade you transducers if you don’t open the sealed bag.

I purchased this unit for my pontoon boat. I wired it in myself, as I did for all of my instrumentation. Very easy only an idiot would have issues wiring it in properly. There were no problems with the unit when removed from the packaging.

I would suspect any issues like that could be easily exchanged had I encountered an issue. I would give this 5-Stars if there was a dash mount option as I had space for it in my dash. I fabricated brackets myself and it looks and works great.

What I found appealing about this feature is the SD card I can purchase with all the lakes I use this boat in. The color screen is bright and easy to read in bright sunlight, as you would expect. My goal for the unit is to understand bottom contours and shallow depths and an insurance to preventing lower unit or prop damage.

I have set up my gauges to include Depth, Speed, Time, Sunrise/Sunset & Water Temperature. The main screen has my make plotter displayed. It has provided my with accurate and fast data while underway.

I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a great entry level unit that has many features of much more expensive units.

This product works as advertised but the challenge is the screen size. It’s extremely difficult to see bass using side imaging or down imaging on such a small screen. Everything is compressed so it’s the difference between looking trying to find Waldo in a “Where’s Waldo” book in a large 13×11 book size picture like a 12” screen in book versus a large index card with the same image.

I’ve played with the side imaging rage to reduce it to around 15’ on each side for better results, but it’s still a challenge seeing bass and now with a reduced capability. I should have purchased a larger unit because this is virtually unusable for me in a canoe even with it only 2-3 feet in front of me.

I have a trolling motor propelling forward so it’s not that I’m stationary trying to use side imaging. I have to get extremely close to try and make out the image. Again, the product does what it says but you just can see well.

Forget standing trying to view it. I wish there was a way to connect a larger monitor that merely duplicates what’s on the head unit.

Expected very good quality for the price and features of this unit, but the quality of the mounting hardware and the quality control during manufacturing of this one was a bit of a letdown. First I had some mounting issues where two of the screw heads broke off while trying to install the transducer and I was only using manual hand tools to install it.

I purchased my own stainless screws to complete the installation of the transducer. After installation was complete I noticed a spot on the screen the first time I botted the unit up. The spot moved around the screen like it had static electricity and it appears that there is a small piece of loose foreign matter between the screen covering and actual screen itself.

Sometimes it’s visible and sometimes it’s not and can be an annoyance at times when you see it because of the price you pay. Overall for the price paid everything should have been made better ! I am not sure I would recommend this unit to others because of my experience.

Purchased this unit to replace my 80’s fish finder with expectations that it would out perform the fish finding capabilities of my old unit. This is great for navigation and observing bottom structure but it fails greatly as a fish finder.

With fish ID and fish alarm turned on, fish can swim directly under the transducer and NO alarm or image observed. I reinstalled my old unit and with the use of a floating transducer setup I could clearly and accurately compare bottom structure and depth between the two units.

When fish would swim under my boat my old (Not hummingbird) fish finder would immediately identify the fish and I did clearly see the image of the fish but Nothing of the fish observed on my new hummingbird unit.

Do not get rid of your old unit too fast!.

Works well, love that it’s so easy to use and gives me all the information I need. Instructions are clear and detailed which made set up and learning very easy. Never used a fish finder before, no interest in a pricey electronic gadget that was a challenge to install and complicated to use.

I saw the Fishtrax 1, looked up more information and compared it to other brands of handheld fish finders. This one seemed like it was exactly what I wanted for fishing off my recreational kayak that I rigged for fishing and occasionally from shore/piers.

It gives me basic, easy to read and understand information that will help me pick out fishing spots. Used it from shore and off a pier, it works great. I’m excited about using it from my kayak when the weather warms up.

Bought this as a gift, however, was kind of selfish as it’s for my significant other:) We rented a boat this year and wanted to find a fish finder that we wouldn’t have to mount. One that would be useful offshore if we hit a bank here or there.

We have yet to fish with it off bank but due to the design don’t believe that will be an issue. It is extremely accurate as I also use it to dive into water, so I’m dependent upon it’s accuracy. That’s huge trust! Easy to throw into the boat bag with the case (bought separately).

Also bought separately the suction cup holder which is extremely useful and also fits in the box purchased. Have not had a problem reading or seeing the screen. The transponder is easy to just throw over and does as described by giving the full view.

This product rivals extremely expensive mounted fish finders I’ve used in the past. Would absolutely recommend.

The fish finder is great for my applications since it is lightweight and runs on AAA batteries, yet it has nice sonar features like color display. The screen is hard to read with polarized sun glasses – but all of them are.

The float tube attachment is a great idea but the strap attachment to the transducer is a bit problematic and not easy. I have gone back and forth with customer service about it. I can always just use the float for the transducer.

I plan to take it ice fishing next winter as well.

Product was exactly as described. New and unopened. Product came in a plastic packaging and plastic was slightly damaged, but absolutely nothing that would cause any damage to the product or raise any concerns.

Easy to install on my Kayak, and has worked flawlessly for multiple fishing trips. Product comes with screws to mount on a metal boat, so I had to change those out for bolts and nuts to mount on Kayak.

For the transducer mount, it came with a bolt and lock nut to hold the transducer to the mounting bracket. I changed that out for a 2. 5″ stud with locking washers and wing nuts so I can raise and lower the transducer during transportation.

Highly recommend doing this, especially if mounting on a Kayak. Also, if you do change them out, make sure you use Stainless so they do not rust. This fish finder does not have GPS or dual screen, but if you are like me and all you need is to know where the fish are, this is worth every penny.

Great quality, great imaging. Will give you a sonar image as well as down imaging, but not both at the same time. If you are installing on a Kayak, the only other recommendation I have is to get a Nocqua Pro Power Kit 10Ah battery to power the fish finder.

I got this unit as a gift for an annual canoe trip. It worked for 4 days of a 7 day trip before the control unit failed. To their credit they replaced it even though I was past the warranty period, unfortunately the second unit failed in the same manner on the first trip I went on.

When it worked I found it to be a great unit, and their customer service was excellent. Unfortunately I did not have any luck with this product.

This was my first fish finder so I don’t know much about them at all. I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on something that didn’t work or I didn’t like. I picked this up on sale so I was pleased with what seemed to be a great deal.

I wanted a portable small fish finder that could mount on my kayak as it already had a yak attach track. This does not come with compatible mounts. This just screws into some place directly. I bought a Scotty universal mount and arm for the transducer ($60) since I wanted to use it on a kayak.

The next thing is power. The wires have no connectors to a battery ($40-80) not included. You have to figure our how to get the wires to hook on to a battery. I got some small alligator clips and used heat shrink wire connectors.

More than two weeks after the purchase I was ready to finally use it. It does everything as it says. I have yet to discharge the battery comely from use; the power demand is very low. It’s very easy to see fish and their size.

Minus a star because I spent hours and more than the price of the thing in extras just so I could make it work.

I’ve owned the striker 5 ice fishing bundle for one year now and use it year round (using a separate transducer during the summer). I’m thankful that I did my research and compared all the different units before buying this.

It saved me a lot of money for a boatload of features that cost way more money with other brands. -quickdraw mapping with something like 2M hectars of storage space (this is only in the summer) -a basic GPS for saving tracks and waypoints -you can run the flasher and split the screen with another feature (for that matter you can separate the screen with up to 3 different settings) I often use the flasher and tradition sonar together while icefishing -the battery lasts me multiple trips onto the water, I’m never worried about it losing power and if I do stretch its life a little far I just turn down the brightness and that adds another hour or more.

-the case is rugged -it has CV so thats an added bonus if you use this unit during the summer DOWNSIDES -you cant upgrade the GPS to have maps -you cant download any software so it could support SV This is the unit to buy if you’re on a budget.

Summer and winter, this thing goes with me on every outing.

UPDATE: I tried to update my previous 5 star review but it wouldn’t let me. I’m updating to 3 stars because following installation I discovered that GPS feature does not come with any maps/charts nor can any be uploaded.

Very disappointing. 7SV will generate its own maps and waypoints can be set but there is no land reference on the screen. Why it is designed this way I do not know. I would return it for a different model but by the time I installed it, it was too late to return.

Other than no maps, the 7SV works fine. IE: The GPS pic (lower left on screen) is what it actually looks like in real life. Make sure you read all the details and know what you are getting prior to ordering any of the SV models.

Didn’t even use it yet and hate it already! The directions are clearly out of order and images shown are not for this product. The large easy access opening for the battery does not exist. Instead there is a small opening, smaller than the battery making connecting it very difficult.

This is very frustrating already with the horrible design and instructions, I’m sure it’ll work equally as horribly. I’ll be returning this immediately.

As i said, you can check the bottom and the depths but for marking fish it is inadequate, you can compare the demo with both the fish icon on and with it off and you wouldn’t be able distinguish why it is marking the fish (with the fish icon on).

The icon’s great for beginners but as someone with a bit of experience you want see the arcs, not an icon and the resolution is just not good enough to do that. Not sure why this unit has so many good reviews.

It’s just okay in my book. Barely has any features, it could least include the battery voltage. I bought it based on reviews and it looking similar to the lowrance elite 4 that I once had. Maybe it’s good for the money but I would recommend saving up a bit more to get something more useful.

The case is difficult to get the unit into. The base is to tight. A bit more room or slight stretch to the fabric would help. It is very difficult to attach the tiny battery charger clips to the battery when in the case correctly.

The protective covers on the clips slide off easily. I plan to hard wire extra wires to the battery to allow easier access to charge rather than disconnect the unit every time which will eventually cause the battery connections to break rendering the battery useless.

The case needs attention. the humminnitd works well, good screen view as expected.

Love the size. Attached easily with float tube strapping included. Worked out of the box on my first lake trip. Best use of transducer was using the float and hanging over side of tube. Initially could not figure out how to attach transducer to the mount on the strap as it had no instructions/pictures etc.

even on the web site. Suggest adding a video online showing how to do this. All in all very pleased with the Fishtrax. Depth accuracy was really good.

I was initially skeptical since i have had back luck with a fish finder years ago in the similar price range which was a total fail. Got a new kayak, so i figured give this a shot and if it doesn’t work, given this price point, wouldn’t hurt too too much.

I’ve been using the kayak in the same bay for a couple of months – fishing was hit or miss, mostly miss. I took this finder out without much expectation. At first i was in the shallows, about 3-4 feet of water, was reading depth but not much else.

Went over a drop-off and all of a sudden this thing list up like a Christmas tree. Dropped a line and boom – fish on. I kept at at for a couple more hours drifting back and forth over the drop. Every time it beeped, i dropped and hooked almost immediately.

When it didn’t beep, no hits. I couldn’t believe it. I was very happily shocked. Will never go out again without this. Totally recommend.

it’s ok but cheap made. sealed just with second glue. enters water. then stops working for a while. report will show , disconnected or to shallow. that will mean water inside. but water inside will damage the battery.

anyway its weak. you can not disassemble it. so better would be that the unit would be sealed at least with some kind of silicon glue. and wrapped around with clear silicon tape for extra seal or bumper hit protective features.

now I did it better.

This is an excellent little unit for the money. I previously had the striker 4CV + on my boat & switched to the striker 9 SV & it’s not even a comparison as to how much better this one is. The transducer shows everything so much clearly & with more detail.

I was very disappointed with the CV on the striker 4, but the CV option on the 9SV is so much better. You can easily make out rock piles & logs & brush using the SV option & the traditional view is way better to it shows so much more details than the gt20 on the striker4.

It was a lot of money for me to spend on a fish finder but I’m delighted I got it in the end my day’s out are more enjoyable now I can see exactly what the bottom of my local lough looks. I can highly recommend this unit to anyone looking to upgrade their striker series of fish finders as it’s the only kind I’ve used.

A good unit – easy to use. Like other reviewers, I found the lack of any user documentation frustrating. I had to go online to find a manual for the Hook2 series. However, most of the manual dealt with navigation, down scanning and other features that the 4X doesn’t have.

Even the diagrams were for higher end models and took a little working out which buttons related to which features. Only about six pages were relevant. Common Lowrance! – it can’t be that hard to provide half a dozen pages with 4X specific diagrams in the box.

Especially given that many customers will be buying this outfit as their first sounder. I purchased this unit to provide a second screen down at the transom (I also bought a second battery [deep cycle, 7Ahr] for around $45.

This saved wiring in to my existing electrics and also a drain on my main battery). My main unit, with navigation, down and side scan and other bells & whistles is up the front and difficult to see when fishing down the back.

I use it off shore and offer these couple of tips for others thinking of doing the same: 1) switch off the 200kh frequency of your main unit as the signals will confuse the transducer of the 4X; and 2) if there is any current and you are using burley in anything over about 15 meters, you probably won’t see the fish as they will be down current and out of the cone range.

I can’t say yet. I have not gotten a chance to take it out on the water. I purchased it on sale on New Years day. Great price from Academy. It was the top of the line in 9 inch display a few years back.

(Mid price range) The reviews were mostly good for the Hook 2 line. They run the gamut from “Dead on Arrival” to “This thing is Great! “. I have a friend who said the best thing to do is get a good one as you’ll have it for a number of years so get what you want otherwise you will regret it later and be stuck with a unit you don’t like or doesn’t have the features you want.

So. I looked at everything from Garmin to Humminbird and Lowrance. I originally wanted the Hook 7x but the price on the Hook 9 triple shot was just way too good to pass up. It has all of the features and functions an amatuer fisherman like me could ever need.

Sure it’s an older model but that to me says they have all the bugs worked out by now. I have spent a good deal of time playing with it in demo mode learning how to navigate around the features and learn the button layout and what they do.

I have also spent a good deal of time watching the how to videos that are all over YouTube. It’s installed on my old Pontoon boat and I will edit this review if there are any problems with the operation.

Stay tuned gang.

I bought this fish finder on a budget because the salesman talk me into it. Worst mistake I’ve made dealing with my boat. Since day one it’s been issue after issue! Would not work properly for day one.

First hour or two seemed fine, then bam! Issue after issue. The screen keeps glitching, will not read depth accurately or at all, the unit keeps black screening on and off; now the unit will not turn off at all.

It I’ll power down and instantly turn itself on! Did a hard reset. Still having issues. I’m a Lowrance guy, but this is purely a waste of money and time!! Highly disappointed! Only been out on the water twice.

I’m down with it!!!.

I should have listened the the bad reviews posted. however I took a chance and bought one. I wanted something simple to mount on my trolling motor on the bow. All I really wanted it for was contour and depth, I have a nice fish finder on the console.

The initial startup was fine. I turned fish ID on and was good to go, then I had to turn the ID off. It littered the screen with fish, false fish. I figured I could turn it off and not use that feature.

Then about 10 minutes into use it started glitching all over. The graph started registering the wrong depth, by hundreds of feet. Then it would level off and be fine. Then it was doing it all the time.

I would shut it off and turn it back on and it would be fine for a couple of minutes and then go crazy again. registering the wrong depth back and forth between 200 and 30 feet. It was enough that I finally shut it off completely.

Long and the short of it. I have an older Lowrance that does not have a lot of features that this one is suppose to have, however I wanted to get something newer than my 20+ year old fish finder for the bow.

I should have just used my trusty old one or got another older model on ebay that was proven. I have a hook reveal on the console and it is amazing. Just wanted a simple fish finder up front on the bow, and this is not it.

Save time and money and get something else from Lowrance.

Great little unit for my tinny I have bought to be a topper. Display unit bracket is easy to remove, attach and adjust. Basic sounder functions seem good for price and my purpose. Gps Speed function works.

I have not used way points yet. I downloaded Lowrance app, but my opinion not worth downloading for this as no mapping functions with this unit which fine for my purpose of Creek use. I have an Lowrance Elite ti in my bigger boat which is a better unit for mapping and fish finding inshore and offshore/Reef/shoals.

I alsways run a vertical slide mount for the transducer mount on my boats that will be beached, Suggest buy one if you need as stops damage to transducer and mount. Overall good little unit for $150 on sale.

Walmart is a great store and ships fast. That said, This Lowrance Hook2 4x (Bullet) very hard to figure out. Read that again. despite instructions. Although mounted easy enough. YouTube has a ton of videos about the dreaded live mode weird screen I failed to see before buying.

Jumbled numbers and white screen with intermittent colors has something to do with actual depth. Well this is all I get from the beginning. BTW This has no GPS but upon inspection it has no slot to get it or the maps if you wanted it later.

So what you see is what you get. So far for me it’s been a nightmare of self contained grimness. Its very hard to figure out. Maybe it’s the auto depth. I suppose I need a months worth of YouTube set up and trouble shooting.

I have zero tech savvy so it could just be me. Yes I’m aware of water depth placement of the transducer. It’s fine on the Yakattack adjustable arm I pre-purchased before it arrived. And it mounted up perfectly.

Note : it never just worked and suddenly didn’t. It has always had this weird screen from the beginning. Except for running in the factory programmed simulation mode. That’s completely fine? I give this a 2 for being tech unfriendly to us novices and sub Einstein’s.