Using Electronics in a Kayak

[sethmac]

I would love to know of any videos or blogposts about using electronics from a kayak. Might be a good series for KBF YouTube channel.

I myself bought a kayak to get on the water so I never had the benefit of owning a boat and learning to use electronics. I have a Color Lowrance M68c S/map but primarily only use it for depth and water temp. Any resources or pointers? I feel there many kayakers use a FF differently to find structure since it isn't quite as easy to idle around. Thoughts?

[carneasada]

hey sethmac the m68 is good little unit for the $$ i used one on the basstracker pt175 i used to have...as far as utililizing a ff from a kayak as opposed to a boat there's not much difference..you should be looking for the same things such as baitfish, structure, drop offs, etc...the main difference is going to be once you find the fish is how to stay on top of them and the easiest way imo would be to purchase some yellow or orange marker bouys...theyre cheap and work really well...say you find a big underwater island or a drop off and you see lots of baitfish or even better bass on that structure start grabbing for your bouys...ideally you want the bouy on the shallowest portion of the island or right on the edge of the drop off...once youve marked these with the bouys you dont have to worry about using your electronics to stay on top of the structure as much which is a huge benefeit in a yak....this is of course just my two cents i fish mailnly resovoirs with deeper water and not much grass or vegetation...and yeah you could just use the ff for water temp and depth but if you can dial it in and find the off shore structure that most guys are passing right over you can one heck of good time out there and catch alot of quality fish...anyhow hope this helps a little the next time you're out on the water

[lazarus_1_506]

I would love to know of any videos or blogposts about using electronics from a kayak. Might be a good series for KBF YouTube channel.

I myself bought a kayak to get on the water so I never had the benefit of owning a boat and learning to use electronics. I have a Color Lowrance M68c S/map but primarily only use it for depth and water temp. Any resources or pointers? I feel there many kayakers use a FF differently to find structure since it isn't quite as easy to idle around. Thoughts?

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[mnfisherman]

what kind of batterys do you guys use? my weight capacity is pretty low but i want to get a ff for my yak

[flyfisher]

what kind of batterys do you guys use? my weight capacity is pretty low but i want to get a ff for my yak

I have a humminbird pmax 170 (as do many people on this board) and i went to our local battery store and asked for a small 6V battery that was rechargeable.

I will check when i get home from work tonight exactly what type and size but i know it probably weighs a pound, is pretty small and compact and easily runs my Pmax 170 on an all day excursion. I have also used it for about 4 after work type trips too with no problems.

I think it cost around $20-$30 and came with a charger too.

[Xsquid]

a small 6V battery

More than likely you have a small 12V battery. Usually these sonar units need between 10-20 volts to operate.

I opted for capacity rather than a lighter weight, so I run a 12v 5aH powersonic SLA. I can get a couple trips out of one charge. You might want to go the rechargeable AA route if you want to keep the weight down.

[knobcreekman]

what kind of batterys do you guys use? my weight capacity is pretty low but i want to get a ff for my yak

I've used this one from Radio Shack for about 3 years. It is the lightest option I've seen and it easily lasts all day. I've never had it die on me because I recharge it, but I did go for a stretch of three consecutive trips without charging it. Bear in mind, on those trips I would turn it off when I was on flats and such... didn't really need it in < 2' of water

btw.. I used it with a PMax 170

[MidTNKayakAngler]

Sarah is running a 12V 7Ah SLA battery and weighs 4.5lbs for her Lowrance Elite 5. She has run it for 30-40hrs and no charge has been needed yet.

[n2bassfishing]

I'm using a rechargeable 12 volt dc battery 8,0 Ah

As far as looking for structure you have enough to get by. There is a ton of stuff online that you can learn to read what you have.

[mbart]

Humminbird P Max 170 in my Pescador, 8 AA battery holder and inline fuse from Radio Shack for 12v. power.