Updated July 10, 2023
Kayaking is a great way to work out the muscles and a means of transport to out-of-the-way fishing spots. When you go fishing it is great to know where to cast your line and have the best chance of bringing home some dinner or better yet stocking your freezer.
Today there are numerous fishfinders that work well on kayaks showing where the fish are and a variety of other useful data. The pricing is quite reasonable but finding the right model for your needs can be time-consuming and confusing.
Below is a variety of the best, at different price points and capabilities. Each has a list of the key features, a photo, and a video to elucidate. Afterward is a comparison table and a basic buying guide.
If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know in the comments section at the bottom. I’d love to know your thoughts.
For some other reviews of kayaks, boats, and boating gear, please check out these posts:
Marine VHF Radios / Small Outboard Motors / Kayak Trolling Motors / Marine GPS / Marine Binoculars / Touring Kayaks / Tandem Kayaks / Whitewater Kayaks for Beginners / Lake Kayaks / Ocean Kayaks / Fishing Kayaks / Beginner Kayaks / Recreational Kayaks / Inflatable Kayaks / Inflatable Boats / Canoes
Kayak Fish Finder Review
- Deeper Pro+ Smart Sonar GPS Fish Finder
- Hawkeye Fishtrax 1C Finder
- iBobber Smart Fish Finder
- Garmin Striker 4 Marine GPS Fish Finder
- Humminbird PiranhaMax 4PT
- Venterior Portable Fish Finder
- Lowrance FishHunter Pro
- Lowrance Hook2-4X
Deeper Pro+ Smart Sonar GPS Fish Finder
This high-spec sonar orb can be cast to distances of 330 feet and operated to depths of 260 feet.
With dual beams of 15 and 55 degrees, you’ll see the fish’s location, size, and suspended depth, as well as water temperature, bottom depth, vegetation, bottom contour, and hardness.
Only 3.5 ounces and smaller than a baseball, it syncs with your smartphone, and with built-in GPS it is able to create and display bathymetric maps that you can save and share for later analysis.
- Suitable for kayak, boat, and ice fishing
- Dual-beam scanning
- Basic and detailed display modes
- Mapping functions
- Connects to phone or tablet with WiFi
- Rechargeable battery
- Casting range: 330 feet
- Weight: 3.5 ounces
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 260 feet
- Display Size: phone screen
- Price: $$$
This exceptionally small fish finder is full-featured with a bright HD color display, and an easy interface, and is suitable for shore, boat, kayak, and ice fishing.
Capable of displaying fish, their depth, and bottom contours, it also has an ice mode digital flasher great for targeting suspended fish when ice fishing.
It is waterproof, effective to 240 feet in depth, and runs on 4 long-lasting and easily replaceable AAA batteries.
- Suitable for kayak, boat, ice, and shore fishing
- HD color display with LED backlight
- Easy touch interface
- Sonar sensor is mountable, trollable, and floatable
- Fish indicators, fish depth, bottom contour painting
- 3 functional modules: fish finder, data, and flasher
- User-selectable dual-beam scanning (14/26° beam angle)
- Uses 4 AAA batteries
- Audible fish and depth alarms
- Ice mode digital flasher
- Waterproof (IPX7 – 1 meter for 30 minutes)
- Many additional accessories are available
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 240 feet
- Display Size: 2 x 1.6 inches
- Price: $$
Suitable for all types of fishing, the iBobber pairs with your smartphone through a free app and Bluetooth.
It allows fish marking, mapping, and saving data like water temperature, conditions, location, species, photos, and hot spots.
The rechargeable battery has 10 hours of life on this device you can hold it in the palm of your hand
- Suitable for kayak, boat, ice, and shore fishing
- LED beacon
- Connects to and displays on a smartphone through a free Bluetooth app up to 100 feet away
- Also compatible with Google Watch and iWatch
- Can be used as a bobber or remote fish finder
- Raw sonar and fish tagging views
- Contour and structure mapping
- Fish and strike alarms
- Trip and data logging through apps
- Optional social media share features
- Rechargeable battery with 10 hours of use before recharging
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 135 feet
- Display Size: phone screen
- Price: $
Garmin Striker 4 Marine GPS Fish Finder
The Garmin Striker 4 fishfinder works great for use on a kayak with its CHIRP (Condensed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) transducer that provides a clear 3.5-inch color display of underwater structures and schools of fish of various sizes to depths of 1,600 feet in freshwater.
It has an easy-to-navigate keypad system, a durable reinforced shell, and is waterproof against splashes, weather, and waves. In addition, it can keep a record of the fish found and mark it for later use.
- Suitable for kayak and boat fishing
- Bright, detailed color display with 420 x 380-pixel resolution
- CHIRP sonar technology with a 50/77/200 kHz transducer
- Easy-to-use keypad navigation using a waypoint map
- Audible alarms
- Capability to find fish and mark them for later reference
- IPX7 waterproof rating (to 1 meter for 30 minutes)
- Lithium-ion battery powered
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 1,600 feet in freshwater and 750 feet in saltwater
- Display Size: 3.5 inches
- Price: $$
The PiranhaMax 4PT has a high-resolution screen with dual-beam sonar for great details to 320 feet or a larger coverage area to 600 feet.
It has an easy-to-use interface and a tilt-and-swivel mount along with a suction cup for mounting the transducer.
Fish and depth alarms will alert you when you are needed to act.
The package includes a 7Ah battery and charger and a carrying case for this waterproof model that can handle the weather and waves and mounts easily on your kayak or boat.
- Suitable for kayak or boat fishing
- 256-color display LCD
- Dual-beam sonar (200/455 kHz)
- Fish and depth alarms and zoom
- Waterproof (IPX7 – 1 meter for 30 minutes)
- Temperature gauge
- 7Ah battery and charger
- Tilt and swivel mount
- Suction cup for transducer mounting
- Portable carrying case
- GPS: no
- Maximum Depth: 600 feet
- Display Size: 4.3 inches
- Price: $$$
Venterior Portable Fish Finder
Don’t be fooled by the low price, the Venterior VT-FF001 is loaded with features.
It has 5 sensitivity settings to choose from and an easy-to-use interface. Displaying fish location, depth, and even the weeds, sand, and rocks on the bottom to depths of 328 feet, it also has a fish alarm for when they appear below.
The manufacturer has such faith in the quality and materials that a 2-year warranty is provided.
- Suitable for kayak, boat, and ice fishing
- LCD display with LED backlighting
- Transducer (sonar sensor) with 25-foot cable and float
- Side-scan adapter
- Neck strap
- Sensor beam angle of 45°
- Displays fish location, water depth, bottom materials
- Temperature
- Audible fish alert alarm (with on and off)
- Uses 4 AAA batteries (not included)
- 2-year warranty
- Very low-priced
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 328 feet
- Display Size: 3.2 inches
- Price: $
The FishHunter Pro has 3-beam sonar scanning that allows you to find fish in depths to 150 feet.
The floating sonar can be cast or towed, displays fish and bottom structures, and tracks positioning with its built-in GPS to create and save maps.
It connects to your smartphone or tablet with built-in WiFi and a downloadable free app for distances of 150 feet.
This lightweight and compact model comes with a rechargeable battery and has a logical and easy-to-use interface.
- Suitable for kayak, boat, shore, and ice fishing
- 3 beam scanning
- Can be trolled at 2 mph
- Displays fish, bottom structure, depth, and temperature
- Mapping functions
- Connects to your phone or tablet with WiFi
- WiFi range of 150 feet
- Rechargeable battery
- Casting range: 160 feet
- Weight: .34 pounds
- GPS: yes
- Maximum Depth: 150 feet
- Display Size: phone screen
- Price: $$
The Lowrance Hook-4X has a bright high-resolution display, CHIRP downscan sonar imaging, and DownScan overlay technology for a complete, clear view of the environment underwater.
Lowrance’s Advanced Signal Processing requires fewer manual settings adjustments to view fish, bottom structures, and cover more clearly.
There is also a trackback recording system where you can review your sonar history.
The easy-to-use intuitive menu system lets you easily select from pre-set page layouts.
Other features include shallow alarm, waterproofing, temperature readings, and 31 languages on this model that will serve you well on kayaks, boats, and ice fishing.
- Suitable for kayak, boat, or ice fishing
- Backlit 256-color TFT display
- Dual-beam CHIRP (Condensed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) sonar (455/800 kHz)
- DownScan Overlay
- Advanced signal processing
- Shallow alarm
- Multi-window display
- Waterproof (IPX7 – 1 meter for 30 minutes)
- Variable layouts
- Recorded sonar history
- Temperature readings
- Uses a 12V DV battery
- 31 languages
- GPS: no
- Maximum Depth: 300 feet for DownScan, 1,000 feet for CHIRP
- Display Size: 4 inches
- Price: $$
Kayak Fish Finder Comparison Table
| Picture | Fish Finder | GPS | Display Size | Maximum Depth | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Deeper Pro+ Smart Sonar GPS Fish Finder | Yes | Phone Screen | 260 feet | $$$ |
  | Hawkeye Fishtrax 1C Finder | Yes | 2 x 1.6 inches | 240 feet | $$ |
  | iBobber Smart Fish Finder | Yes | Phone Screen | 135 feet | $ |
  | Garmin Striker 4 Marine GPS with Transducer | Yes | 3.5 inches | 1,600 feet | $$ |
  | Humminbird PiranhaMax 4PT | No | 4.3 inches | 600 feet | $$$ |
  | Venterior Portable Fish Finder | No | 3.2 inches | 328 feet | $ |
  | Lowrance FishHunter Pro | Yes | Phone Screen | 150 feet | $$ |
  | Lowrance Hook2-4X | No | 4.3 inches | 1,000 feet | $$ |
| Picture | Fish Finder | GPS | Display Size | Maximum Depth | Price |
Kayak Fish Finder Buying Guide
Display Size
Kayaks are relatively smaller than most fishing boats with limited space to mount or store a fish finder. Fortunately, high-resolution screens are available in the 3-inch to 6-inch range which is manageable. Many models are linked to smartphones which can provide the images you need.
Transducers
Transducers convert electrical energy into sound waves that are sent to detect fish and underwater contours and features. When they bounce back the data is transformed into the images projected on the display. CHIRP (Condensed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) dual beam sonar is an example of transducer technology
There are different methods of mounting the transducer depending on the specific model but generally, they are attached to the hull, sometimes with a suction cup, or in a scupper hole. There are kayaks specifically designed for fishing that have fish finder mounting locations for the transducer and display.
Check out this article for some useful installation advice: Tips for Installing a Fish Finder on a Kayak
For information about fishing kayaks, please check out my review: Best Fishing Kayaks
GPS
GPS can be useful when going to a new area or you would like to map the best fishing spots. If you tend to fish in the same familiar locations, it may not be so important to you to spend the extra bit of money for that feature.
3D Sonar
3D sonar provides a clearer more detailed view with images of fish and bottom structure than traditional sonar which can be grainy. The drawback to 3D sonar is that the range can be less and the beam doesn’t go as deep. For shallow fishing, it is a definite plus.
Power Source
Space is at a premium on a kayak, so a built-in battery source is the most convenient. The highest-resolution displays require more power. If the model you choose takes a 12-volt battery, you need to make sure you have the place to put it.
Ease of Use
Fish finders today are increasingly user-friendly. Make sure you are quite familiar with the interface before heading out on the water where the activity involved in fishing and paddling, as well as the weather, water conditions, and glare, can hinder your concentration and ability to see the screen display. Make sure the font size and display features suit your eyesight abilities.
This article has some useful advice: How to Read Your Fish Finder
For some other reviews of kayaks, boats, and boating gear, please check out these popular articles:
Marine VHF Radios / Small Outboard Motors / Kayak Trolling Motors / Marine GPS / Marine Binoculars / Touring Kayaks / Tandem Kayaks / Whitewater Kayaks for Beginners / Lake Kayaks / Ocean Kayaks / Fishing Kayaks / Beginner Kayaks / Recreational Kayaks / Inflatable Kayaks / Inflatable Boats / Canoes
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