I was trying to decide what new fish finder to put on my kick boat and to use for ice fishing. I have a Fishin Buddy 2200 and I haven't been real happy with it. Not really very accurate. As I was looking, I saw that they came out with the new big screen, higher power model 4200. Has anyone used this and is it better? I would love to hear some feedback on this before I decide on what to get. I want to hit the ice next week with something new and better!!
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See my post titled "Cabela's", Jan. 22. I had a Bottomline Fishing Buddy 4200 for about six months and the handle broke off when I just tried to pick it up by the handle. The batteries were a little loose and kept losing contact and would shut the finder down every few minutes or seconds. I found if I stuffed paper into the battery compartment it helped but was still a pain. I finaly took it back to Cabela's and got a refund instead of a new one. It has some nice features but I think it's not worth the trouble and not as well built as the 1200 I had for 5 years. I am going to try and rig a standard fish finder so I can use it on my float tube, pontoon or ice fishing.
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Thanks for the heads up. I do not want something that would have those kinds of problems. I guess I will bite the bullet and try to decide which fish finder would be good for my kick boat. I should email TubeDude and ask the pro.
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[cool][#0000ff]We have had lots of threads on sonars and flashers. Use your search button and see what you can find. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you wanna come over to the dark side (Float Tube Board) we have a lot of chatter on units suitable for tubing and tooning. Many of those, like the Eagles, work both for hard and soft water, and are reasonable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The standard advice always applies. Buy the best you can afford and learn to use it well. If budget is a consideration, shop carefully and buy the best that is affordable.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...Have not had many favorable reports on the Bottomline units for anything.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Whatever you get, let me know and I can provide some help in getting your toon set up. If you do it right, you can easily use the same setup both for toon and ice.[/#0000ff]
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You know, this is why I like this site so much. Everyone is so helpful and full of information. I would have bought the 4200 for ease of use and not been happy. I am going to buy a "real fish finder" and get it set up for my toon. San Tube Dude for the insight and I will look at the Float Tube page. I have checked it out before and I think I have seen the information on products. My only concern was that some of that information is a couple of years old now. I will have to research the new units on the market. What are you using now on your boat?
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[cool][#0000ff]I am using an Eagle Cuda 168EX. I also have a Fishmark 320, but like the simplicity of the 168EX for tubing. The 320 and bigger models of the Fishmark have higher wattage and split screen flasher capability, which is good for ice fishing. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With the changes in the manufacturers...and buyouts, etc...you need a scorecard to keep up with the players. Go in to the home pages of Lowrance and others and look for their new lineups. Most of them also have tutorials that explain the bells and whistles. You need to profile the options against what you need and then look at your budget.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Color is nice, and is available on many new models. Of course it adds to the price tag but if it helps you get more from your sonar then it is worth it to you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]High power (big bucks) is nice for sonar on a boat, but is often wasted on tubes and toons. Temperature readout is useful, but I sure don't need the speed guage on my tube.[/#0000ff]
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