Anyone use these? Looking for something I can use through the ice, on the floatube, and out of our john boat and these look like they would work pretty well. If you ve got one post up your thoughts on them.
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Yup, I got one, use it on my pontoon and for ice fishing. Like it for the most part but there are a couple of dislikes too. One is the side finder does seem to indicate fish and a lot of times I know darn well there aren't any cause it will say there is a fish at say 80 ft out when I am only about 30 ft from the bank. Second is when ice fishing my batteries must get too cold cause it will just shutdown so I pull the battery pack out and stick it in my pocket for a while and then it's ok again for a while but all in all I mainly use it for depth when fly fishing and it works great for that.
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[size 3][/size]I use the Humminbird Smartcast RF15. In my float tube, pontoon, canoe, hole in the ice and even from the shore. I’ll tether the receiver to whatever I’m in on the water or cast it out if I’m fishing from the shore.
[size 3][/size]I keep a second receiver with me on a stiff old ice fishing rod when on the water and can check things out in any direction for as far as I can cast. [size 3][/size]It’s great for following ledges in open water and staying out of the high weed beds you can’t see when your sitting that low on the water. For an extra $20-$30 you add a whole lot of versatility. The main unit has fit in every float tube or pontoon pocket I have used or is easily strapped to a U-boat or pontoon.
[size 3][/size]Mainly I’m such a klutz a 3’pole sticking down in the water that close to me when I’m in a U-boat or float tube (for whatever reason) tends to be problematic.
I have both of the Humminbird fish finders. The bubble of the RF15 cracked and I bought the buddy. I use it on my boat and ice fishing. It works ok but there are a coupple of di
vantages. When the buddy started shutting off I just replace the batteries. That gets expensive. I have had it give me the wrong reading when it was too cold out side stuck around 200ft. When using on the boat you cant' troll with it you have to be sitting still or the buddy will come loose in the bracket and bounce around.
It works ok for the money but i am going to buy the marcum showdown troller model and give it a try. It is not much more than the buddy and i think it will work on my john boat and ice fishing.
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I've had a Humminbird buddy 110 for 5 years now and have had great luck with it. I use it ice fishing, and trolling. I've been amazed by how long the batteries last in my unit. I usually only replace them a couple times a year. Maybe the side finder drains the juice a lot more than mine does. Its not quite sensitive enough to pick up the smaller jigs but it will find the fish for ya.
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I got the smart cast 25 myself. It is a great little finder that you can carry in your pocket. Wireless between the transducer and reciever. It's pretty close with my piranhamax I have as have had them both out at the same time. It will work when moving but have had it lock up a time or two. No big deal. I also have a portable called a hawkeye. It isn't too bad either. Regular size transducer and 50' of cord with it. It doesn't seem to work when moving.
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I used to have the older buddy and it was ok. Now I use a Humminbird 565 for both float tubing and ice fishing. I like its wider dual cone ability better as it gives me a better picture of what is right under me. I have the transducer threaded on a 1 inch web belt that I loop around my tube. It is easy to adjust and can be loosened and pulled to the side if I am beaching.
For on the ice I cut a piece of "pool noodle" about 6 inches long. Then I cut a slit up the side of it. I slid my wires and the web belt in it and then taped it shut. I can just drop the foam noodle in the ice hole and the transducer hangs down underneath it. It is easy to pull up when you catch a fish.
Look on the float tubing forum to get ideas on mounting a tranducer on to a pvc pipe and use it like a fishin buddy.
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I tried that model about two years ago (buddy with side viewer)....
the battery setup is a very weak design in my opinion. I would also get random shut-offs that required I unscrew the whole top off....remove and replace the batteries to get it to turn back on. I took mine back just on this issue alone....might be that it was a deffective one...
If you could adapt it to a small portable 12v recharchable battery it would be nice but then the portablility is not the same....
Match
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I use a Humminbird LCR 400 ID Portable for the canoe and ice fishing. It works great but I don't think they make them anymore. There is one on ebay for $50. I think I payed a little over $100 for mine back in 1988 and it's still working great.
[url "http://www.ebay.com/itm/Humminbird-LCR-400-Portable-Fishfinder-LCR400-w-Transducer-WORKS-GREAT-/140693267766?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c1f8e536"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/Humminbird-LCR-400-Portable-Fishfinder-LCR400-w-Transducer-WORKS-GREAT-/140693267766?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c1f8e536[/url]
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