alright, so ... my setup is VERY simple - i have a 14' jon boat with a transom mounted MK trolling motor ... i'm 100% recreational bass fisherman - mostly fish smaller bodies of water ... i'd like to mount the transducer onto the trolling motor so i can remove everything off the boat easily ...

what's a basic, no frills, budget fish finder you'd recommend? i'd like to know water temp & depth, for sure; a graph would be a bonus

Probably a little overkill for what you're wanting, but I put a Helix 5 DI GPS on my CC for about $350. I think the non-gps version is a little cheaper. I absolutely love it. Very easy to use. I only catfish out of the boat, but being able to find and mark structure and return is a great feature.

This may be a good option. https://humminbird.johnsonoutdoors.com/fish-finders/piranhamax/piranhamax-4-di

I put that same helix 5 on my watershed boat, you will like it no doubt.

I was wrong, its the 7. It was around $500 for the gen3.

thx guys - ya, i guess i should've stated a budget - i'd like to stay around the $200 mark - that PiranhaMax looks around right

Don't let the reviews fool you. 90% of them are people who don't know how to work the unit, then complain because they don't know how to work it.

yup, i can see that - nobody RTFM anymore - furthermore, a lot of reviews are negative b/c USPS/UPS/FedEx didn't delivery the package on time *sigh* but ya, i always read the owner's manual, and take a little time to figure something out before being too critical ... pilot error is the source of a lot of unnecessary frustration for some folks

Only error I've had with mine was I couldn't get it to turn on one day. The screen stays in a case in my truck center console, so I remove it/replace it every time. I had plugged in the transducer, but not the power cable. I somehow stopped myself short from writing a negative review on their website.

What part of the state do you live in guitardude?

My boat had a Garmin Striker 4 on it when I bought it. I wouldn't have bought one with that small of a screen, but that is really my only complaint with it. It shows the depth and it's good enough to pick up bottom structure, bait, and fish too, though I couldn't tell you what kind they are. It's good enough that I was able to find a treetop 40' deep when fishing with CAL the other day. He knew about where it was, and we were able to find it and catch fish off it.

It shows me the water temp, boat speed, and time of day, and I can mark places and find them again with the GPS. And it's only $100 and I can tell you it is miles better than the ones I used in the 70s. I am wanting to upgrade it to a bigger screen, but a unit even this cheap is still very usable and would work well on your boat. I don't know near enough about the available brands to give advice, but I think you can get a very useful device for the price you mentioned.

Now I need someone to tell me what I need to buy next.

I just looked at the Helix 7 and it looked to be about what I was thinking of buying. They advertised maps of 10,000 lake were in it, but Lake Martin is not on the list. It looked like every other lake in the state is on it. You got any idea if it really isn't on there, or if that is some sort of error?

Also, would the transducer of the Hummingbird fit the same mounting holes in the transom as what the Garmin uses? They are 1.75" apart. I have no idea if that's an industry standard, or if each company is different. I might just get a bigger Garmin unit if they are different.

I don't wanna take over your thread, BGD, but I figured you'd want to know this stuff too.

I'm not sure about either Preacher, I work all weekend but I can check sometime next week.

thx PCP for the details on that Garmin - sounds right up my alley! & ya, no worries on posting more - i’m all ears, i know nothing about this stuff

PowPow65, I’m in Northport AL

The Garmin's are what a lot of people are putting on their kayaks and seem to like them.

PCP, the holes didn’t match up when I installed a new transducer on my boat so I just put some stainless screws in the old holes with a dab of silicone. Has held up fine so far.

Thanks, I just really hate drilling new holes below the waterline. Guess I need to get over it and buy what I need. That 3.5" screen is hard to read.

Pm sent

thx! PM’ed you back

Launch, hit the banks, if no luck move out and chunk some divers, find some trash on the bank and drop shot a few worms. Last resort, hang out at the boat ramp and gooble intelligence.

I'm kind of in the market for one too. I've had my eye on a Helix 7 si but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.

im a lowrance guy myself. They are so easy to use my d.a. can use them.lol