Fishing Australia

With the popularity of Kayak fishing still growing at an exponential rate, I thought it would be timely to look at the depth sounder side of this sport.

The most basic, entry-level units can be brought for around $250; for example, the Lowrance X50ds.  This type of unit is the best place to start if you are new to fishing, kayaking or depth sounders.

Thankfully, to make things easier Hobie have made up readily available ‘Fish Finder Package’ that includes an installation kit with everything you need to fit the sounder including a small dry bag that holds 8 AA batteries.The whole shebang comes together to form an effective, waterproof and weather resistant unit. Kayakers would soon be disappointed with anything less.

Regular readers will know that I rolled my kayak in the surf a few years back and everything from this kit still works perfectly! In fact, I would go so far as to say this is the best DIY sounder kit that I have come across. Anyone can follow the instructions and be ready to go within an hour or two.  Very cool!

For its price, the X50ds unit itself is hard to beat, and most importantly comes with a transducer that has an extraordinarily wide 120 degree beam, which is as good as you will get in a standard sounder and is perfect for the shallower water that kayakers target.

For the record ,this unit will ‘hold’ bottom to over 150 meters, which is way beyond the deepth that most yakkers will fish.

Going the next step in sounders is in my opinion a big one if you are to receive better fish finding capabilities. If you are looking at a more expensive unit, I urge you to look very closely at the width of the transducer beam. The more expensive sounders in all brands often come with a much larger transducer that has a narrow beam designed for deeper water. Even in my trailer boats, I have made this costly and time consuming mistake and it has meant that I missed seeing structure, bait and fish out to the side. Most trailer boat anglers still haven’t realized they have a transducer with beam too narrow for the fishing they do.

From here I suggest you turn the fish symbol ID off, start with a sensitivity to 70% and then begin looking around. The beauty of kayak fishing is that you can drift over more fish without spooking them, which means you can compare what you see with your own eyes to what you see on the sounder. This is the most important step to getting a grip on what your screen is telling you.

The X50ds also comes with a built-in temperature sensor and a stack of other stuff; it is an unbeatable unit unless you want to spend a lot more money.

For me, the next step is really a structure scan style sounder unit with side scanning capabilities. Even with a small screen these units cost thousands of dollars, but plenty of kayakers are still fitting them!

I have been lucky enough to get a hold of one of Lowrance's latest Structure Scan Units.  Put simply it is like polarizing in any depth plus 100’s of meters out to the side of the yak. It really is the biggest step in fish finders in the last two decades.

Lowrance was slower to release this type of unit than some of their competitors, but as usual they have got it perfect. I have already found that, as has been the case with several other technological breakthroughs over the years, the Lowrance is reliable and does not break down when yak fishing where exposure to the harshest elements occurs far more often.

Fitting the transducer was easy thanks to a clever little invention by Kev Winchester from Hobie Sports in Gosford. The ‘Probe’ (as seen in the picture above) screws straight into the bung hole and allows the transducer to be fitted and adjusted perfectly via a ram mount.

A side scan transducer can’t shoot through the hull of a craft, so Kevs invention is ideal and also allows the transducer to be shifted to any boat easily. They cost around $55 and you can find Kev at info@nblhs.com.au

On the first test trip out with the Structure Scan on Lake Burley Griffin I was able to see rocky reefs in the mud; something I never picked up before. Then I purposely drove past a school of large carp and the sounder showed me the fish and how far to the side they were from the boat!

The best way to explain the unit is that the picture looks like a silhouette/shadow thrown by a torch; it really is remarkable.

I have also spent a few days using the unit on the Clyde River, it is very user friendly, easier to get a grip of than standard 2D sounders in fact.

I was able to kayak between the middle of the pylons of the Princess Highway Bridge and see the concrete columns perfectly on each side. I could also pin point bait schools and bream far away to the left or right, and also spotted what was either an XL tailor or small jewfish surfing the current in front of one pylon.

I understand the Lowrance Structure Scan units are on back order at the moment, but they are certainly worth waiting for if you are looking to upgrade to the ultimate in depth sounder technology. I'll have more on this unit in coming weeks.

See you on the water.

Rob Paxevanos