My impressions of the unit were very good overall.

It is small, and easy to fit into your pack or even tacklebox. My buddy's FishEasy was large enough to be carried separately.

It ran all week on one set of 8 AA batteries. A spare set would be recommended, especially if you plan to run the light. One problem is that it is difficult in daylight to tell if the light is on, and that really eats up your batteries. The FishEasy also ran all week on a set of 8 D batteries. Bringing an extra set is a lot of weight.

The unit was very good for depth finding, and seemed to be sensitive enough to see fish, fishing line and portage anchor. But it did not see as many fish as the FishEasy. I'm not sure if the cone of the transducer is smaller, or if the FishEasy was identifying more artifact as fish. But my buddy was seeing fish everywhere, and I was not.

The unit was out in the rain during the day for 6 days without any problems. I was careful not to put it into a puddle of water in the bottom of the canoe, since the battery compartment is not waterproof. The FishEasy was left out the entire time. My partner had it on the canoe bottom in water without concern for getting it wet. Possibly a big consideration, especially if you're in a week long soaker like we were.

I bought the unit reconditioned through the factory website for $230. It looked and performed like new.

Now the answer to the big question....Did it help to catch fish? Yes, I think it did. Not because we saw where the fish were on the locator, but because we could better identify the appropriate structure and could troll or jig in a water depth we found had fish.
There were spots where the underwater structure was really quite different than what I would have expected.
Also I am sure it saved me several lures due to snags that would have been lost to unexpected shallow water. We were doing a lot of trolling with diving lures at 10-12 feet, and with the unit it was easier to stay in the deeper water.

Would I buy it again if I had to do it over? I think so. The size and weight advantages were pretty significant. Keeping the battery compartment dry wasn't a problem for me even in very wet conditions.

Posted by Dwight on May 31, 2001 at 17:02