Portable fish finders?

I'm looking for another portable fish finder to take up to the Boundary Waters with me this year, anybody use one they would recommend?

For the past 2 years I've used the little wrist watch deal, in a word, they ****. They might work for pond fishing but in lakes the size and depth of Herrington, they have little application other than a depth finder. Plus they crap out after a few days because of the iron in the water up there.

The one I am looking at is the Eagle Cuda 168 Portable Fish Finder. Anybody else use this one? I've got a Cuda on my boat and it works OK for the money. I also looked at the Fishing Buddy, anybody use that one? I like the portablility of the Cuda over the Buddy plus the less obtrusive mounting bracket which will be helpful for 2 guys in a canoe with multiple rods, paddles, ect.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Ted

[QUOTE=nonamesleft47;335758]I'm looking for another portable fish finder to take up to the Boundary Waters with me this year, anybody use one they would recommend?

[/QUOTE]

Hey, I use a PiranahMAX 10 in the boundary waters.......it works FANTASTIC, and runs off of 8 aaa batteries.

I can generally get by with 1 set of batteries, but ALWAYS take an additional pair.

ALSO, if I know the weather will be cool, I take the fish finder inside the tent to keep the batteries warm.

BTW......I'm headed up to the Boundary Waters in 3 weeks......headed to Kawnipi in Quetico for 10 days of smallie, walleye, laker, and northern fishing........MAN, I cannot WAIT.

Later,

Geo

Awesome, I was hoping you'd chime in Geo, we need to get together and go sometime. I'd like to get a June trip put together for next year, I've never been in the spring. My son is 10 so he's about ready.

I head out 9/11 for 8 days. That's a week later than we usually go so hopefully we'll have the place to ourselves although the weather will be a bit touchier. We are heading out of Saganaga on the Gunflint like we always do. I'm hoping we get the 3rd bay campsite again this year. We had some regulars drop out so we will be taking at least 2 new guys, should be fun.

I was wondering about the batteries, I usually take plenty since we do some night walleye fishing and I don't want to be without a light if something should happen.
Does the piranah transducer work well on the canoe? I was thinking about taking supplies to mount it if I had trouble getting it to stick, I'll try it out here before we leave though.

If you are lookind for one cheap might want to try this out. Used on Craigslist sounds like a good deal.

[url]http://louisville.craigslist.org/spo/787683616.html[/url]

[QUOTE=nonamesleft47;335771]Awesome, I was hoping you'd chime in Geo, we need to get together and go sometime. I'd like to get a June trip put together for next year, I've never been in the spring. My son is 10 so he's about ready.

I head out 9/11 for 8 days. That's a week later than we usually go so hopefully we'll have the place to ourselves although the weather will be a bit touchier. We are heading out of Saganaga on the Gunflint like we always do. I'm hoping we get the 3rd bay campsite again this year. We had some regulars drop out so we will be taking at least 2 new guys, should be fun.

I was wondering about the batteries, I usually take plenty since we do some night walleye fishing and I don't want to be without a light if something should happen.
Does the piranah transducer work well on the canoe? I was thinking about taking supplies to mount it if I had trouble getting it to stick, I'll try it out here before we leave though.[/QUOTE]

DUDE............We REALLY do need to hookup..........THAT is my stomping ground, and have done MANY trips to SAG and 3rd bay area. I tell you though, the Zephyr Campsite, is just a little further, and MUCH better.

We're coming out the 6th of Sept this year.......shoot me a private message here, and I will give you my phone number, so you can call and get a fishing report.

With regards to the transducer.........the portable has a transducer that uses a suction cup to hook to the canoe...........that works GREAT.

with regards to walleye fishing up there......I'm going to give you a couple of my all time FAVORITE spots:

1). All the way back on Zephyr, there is a weedbed. Troll worm rigs there with lindy rig type bouncers, and floating spinner rigs........KILLER.....simply KILLER.

2). If you're staying on the 3rd bay campsite, you SURELY know about the ridge that runs from the Swamp Lake portage to the front of the campsite. AGAIN troll worm rigs, or shad raps........MONEY.

3). THE ole MOTZI Bowl........this is a place named for my friend MOTTS......he found it, and it is FANTASTIC. There is a "bowl" on the Zephyr side of the bank, before the Zephyr portage. This bowl, look closely, has a boulder the size of a VW Bus, submerged, about 5-10 ft under water, about 5 ft off the shoreline.....you have to look CLOSELY, or use the finder. THIS spot is DOUBLE MONEY for walleye..........I caught 11 there in 40 minutes a couple years ago.

4). George Straits.......This place is between second and third bay. US Side. Where it narrows down, and water rushes into 3rd bay. THIS is a FANTASTIC deep water spot. use 3/8 oz jigheads, with smoke jigs, and fish DEEP......I've caught LOTS of big walleye here.


Later,

Geo

Man - I really need to get back up there. Hopefully next year. Probably in the fall.

Thanks guys, I think I'm gonna go with the cuda since it's like the one on my boat and I already know the functions.

Geo-I knew about a couple of those spots, the others are now marked on my map. I'd love to camp at Zephyr but the guys that I go with are 55+ and like their comfort. I don't mind it either really... I can't imagine lugging all that junk over Zephyr portage, even though it's short. We base camp and then fish from there, make Monument 3-4 times, fish Zephyr a day, Swamp, head out into big Sag for the lakers, ect. I'd like to try a big route trip one of these days but there's something to be said about a nice relaxing base camp with nothing to do but fish. Man I've caught many, many big smallies from George Straits but we call it Gary's hole. Last year I took one pack of Gulp black 3" curly tails. After 2 hours there I had 1 of them left. It was catch 4-5 smallies, cut off by a pike, catch 6 smallies, cut off by a pike. Then I got smart, burn a spinner through there, catch all the pike and scare them off, then catch the smallies.

The biggest pike I've caught was from that weed bed on the opposite side of Zephyr, 39 inches. Hopefully I'll be able to find some new reefs and holes with better electronics.

I still haven't nailed down the whole walleye fishing thing, I didn't catch any the first trip, did better the last trip. They were piled up in the weed beds, big fish eating pike swim baits and spinner baits, had one jump over the canoe to get the lure.
It's kind of hard to concentrate on walleyes when you know there's a pile of 3 pound smallies just down the lake.

I'd like to try to plan a June trip next year and take my son, just got to get enough guys to go. Ted

Man.......I just LOVE going up there.....................

The June trips are FANTASTIC........but you need to worry about weather and BUGS. This time of year, and later, the bugs are GONE, and the fishing is still pretty good.

I'd like to hookup with you sometime, and maybe try to get a trip going.

Later,

Geo

We go the last week in May to take advantage of the Memorial Day and thus take only 4 days off work. Oh...and we avoid the flying vermon.