I bought one of these units a couple days ago, I took it ice fishing today and had some problems. Anyway I will try to explain this the best I can. So I dropped the transducer and float down hole, the ducer was just below the ice pointed straight down. I identified the red hard bottom, but then above that were 3 -4 yellow/orange lines suspended a few inches off bottom. So I thought "that's great looks like fish". So i started to drop my lure down, ( was using a fairly big sized jig) and I saw nothing on the screen, so I turned up the gain so that I could see my lure. All was good there, but then the marks near bottom got really big and took up a good 4 feet of water on the screen. Also the marks didn't move at all, they do change color quite often. I would have thought maybe the fish would have moved to check out the lure, I'm thinking maybe they were not fish?? Any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong??? P.S. I was fishing 10 ft of water Thanks.
@@justincammidge Were you fishing in weeds? My guess is there was some sort of cover (logs, sticks, weeds) on the bottom. Weeds will definitely make things look very cluttered and make it hard to use sonar. Especially if you're in 10 feet of water... that is the weed zone where they like to grow. It is also a good area for fish :) Fish marks do not sit completely still... they will move. I have fished in weeds with the sonar... to be successful get used to what is not moving and then look for anything that moves. That is likely the fish in the weeds. Play with the gain to minimize the return from the weeds but still be able to identify your moving jig (and therefore moving fish). Good luck!
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Thank you, now that you mention it, I did pull up a couple weeds, I didn't think that's what they would look like. Thanks again. Keep up the great work on the videos.
In general, the TI units are faster in response to inputs. This is seen when quickly switching between sonar, downscan, chart, and split screens ru-vid.comUgkxeAxH15LxhjGlg5-CRYqjTGTEH0tbY4vk recommend The Hook units will show some lag on button pushes and screen switching. The big ticket item though is maps. If you install a mapping card such as Navionics or the free C-Map Genesis which has a lot of map detail, then moving around the map with the cursor or when running down the lake can lag significantly on the Hook units, but is seamless with the TI units.
Great video, thank you! Got one of these from my son for Christmas and just now unpacking it because we are leaving in 6 days to head north to go fishing. We take our kids and grandkids every year. Being disabled and have younger grandchildren we always rent a pontoon to make it easier for all. They normally come with a depth finder but usually not the best but wouldn’t expect anything great on a rental. After watching your video I believe I can half assed figure it out. Thanks again great video!!
Thank you! A big reason I made it is that I didn't see a video that covered more than just a few things (including my old ones). It is such a popular device (rightfully so).
Great video. I've used the 4+ for three years. Two points I will make. The 4+ has a bigger screen than the 4 and includes quickdraw for mapping. The bigger screen is actually taller than many larger finders. The height with A-scope is more important than width of the screen. I prefer the 4+ screen to the Echomap 7cv I use with livescope. Second, fish appear to come up from the bottom may be coming in from the side. They are shown as depth, but in reality, it is the distance from the transducer. This fact was apparent using the livescope. Livescope always shows the depth of the target. Regular transducers show only the distance from the transducer. With the 4+ I use the quickdraw feature on my boat in the summer to map my favorite lakes that aren't included in lake chips. This allows me to image the bottom as I move across the ice.
Just assembled my 4, from basspro, and literally, you just walked me thru the ENTIRE setup,,,doing it this way, hands on, in real time,,in sync, with your vid, is way more comprehensive,, and is much more effective, than reading the manual, over and over,,,I totally recommend this, to anyone new to this unit,,,and you sir, COMPLETELY nailed the instructional aspect, in relating the many, many, subtle features of this unit, in such a comprehensive manner,,,, your communication, and teaching skills, breaking this stuff down, in layman's terms, are EXTRAORDINARY!!!!!,,,by far, MILES ahead, of any vid, on the 4, to date!!!,,,,REALLY A GREAT, GREAT VID!!!!,,,,explaining the potential, of this sonar,,,,,,THANKS SO MUCH!!!!TIGHT LINES!!!!😎
Let me start out by saying Garmin should hire you as a Garmin Striker 4 or Garmin fish finder instructor . This is by far the best Garmin Striker 4 video I have seen and believe me, I have watched dozens and I mean literally dozens of individuals trying to explain the setup and how to use the garmin Striker 4. You went through each setup step by step, and performed on the water live setup which was extremely useful. The simulator shows the fish in the shape of an arc, I rarely see arcs. You taught me through your video that the fish could be just a straight line coming off the bottom or straight line in the water column, and not necessarily have any color to it at all. It might be a white line. Before seeing that, I didn't know whether I was seeing fish or not, because there were no arcs too let me know as shown in the simulator. ill repeat that, there are not always arcs to show the fish unless it's a very large fish. Thank you so much for educating me on how to use the Garmin Striker 4 fishfinder. I will strongly recommend this video to anyone purchasing or who has purchased the Garmin Striker 4 fish finder.
Wow man. You single handedly made the other 50 hours of "fish finders for dummies" videos I've watched with your video. You explained it perfectly and showed live images which were so helpful. Thanks
Excellent video on this unit. I don’t use it for ice fishing but most of this information applies to jigging Kokanee and Trout from my kayak in the deep lakes near me in California. I appreciate the content.
Absolutely the best video I have seen on this unit so far! I have two of these because I love them so much, and after watching your video and learning things I had no clue it was capable of, I love it even more!
Good tutorial on the Striker 4. One useful thing I can ad: With your A scope on, at the bottom of the A scope graph is a number. This is the diameter of the cone at that depth...
Like others great video! I am using my application for crpapie and bass fishing in 5-15 ft of water. Any more tips on shallow water fishing? As far as reading goes the grapth goes. The live demos were super helpful
I wanted a fish finder for awhile now but they are all expensive and I thought the cheaper ones were no good. This video changed my mind. Awesome video thank you!
Thank you so much for this. Great Explanation! I just got a garmin striker plus with dual beam transducer...will this work for ice fishing or do I need a different transducer?
If you rig the transducer so it hangs perfectly straight down you do not need an ice transducer. I never bought the ice transducer for my Striker 4 and it works very well!
By far the best tutorial about this unit that I've been able to find. This is my first fish finder and I'm just starting to get into ice fishing. This answered all the questions I had.
I picked up the striker 4 plus ice unit a few years ago and I absolutely love it. I live up in Canada and it was a little more than 200 bucks. It's such a great unit for being cheaper than an ice-35 with way more features
Just got the striker ice bundle for Christmas, thanks for the in depth review! Couldn’t seem to find a good one. Now we just need Lake George to freeze haha.
Awesome! Good Christmas then :) The lack of ice is killing me right now. I had 2 weeks off and had no ice to fish... was really frustrating. Now I'm back to work and the cold is coming... bad timing. gonna have to be a weekend warrior.
Really looking forward to using mine! Got it originally for my kayak and came across this video right when my friends wanted to start getting into ice fishing this year.
Thank you for the info ! I was so confused on if I needed a ice transducer for this or not to ice fish and finally someone explained it all in English instead of mumble jumble
Amazing overview thanks so much! I actually encountered the exact 2 glitches you pointed out in your last section (braid and steep drop). Love your videos
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it! There are a lot of things that people can run into on the ice that can be confusing.. I know because they've confused me until I figured them out. Hopefully it helps people.
I tried to watch this but had to turn it off after flicking through the vid. So Much confusing and useless shit!. I bought one of these today, I hope to turn it on and use it, No BS! Fingers crossed! PS I feel you have to be a fkn Expert in Transducers to use the most basic Transducer! SMFH!
The features are useful if you're trying to do certain things with it. BUT... you can turn it on and start using it right away too. That's how I started wit it!
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this. Helped me decide to get this as my first sonar. I used it up in the BWCA this past summer and am using for ice fishing this season and don’t regret purchasing.
Excellent review! I've had mine for almost a year, and this was extremely helpful (This is literally my first fish finder for fly fishing for tiger muskies out here in Washington). I've played with some of the settings while on the water, but it's tough when all I want to do is keep my fly moving. I don't know that it's really helped with specific fish (I never jig for them), but for structure and baitfish schools, it's been great. Also, it should come in handy this Spring when I try to get after some lake trout in Oregon with flies. Cheers!
Thank you! I usually only use my sonar for depth and structure when I'm in a boat although it will certainly show you fish and bait. But when I'm on the ice and I'm jigging they are sooooo important!
Really excellent review-from the UK it's most appreciated. As I have a sail boat and a RIB- on the RIB I'd need a Li-ion battery; any idea if this will power the thing for-say-6-8 hours ?
Wow! I have fished with no fishfinder/sonar, but absolute novice at using such a device. This video was GOLD! Thank you and subscribed. Just bought inflatable 4 passenger boat with transom and 30 ft/lb motor. I also have a trip to a North Ontario lake this fall. My Garmin Striker 4 Plus is to be used both with my boat and their rental boat. Any suggestions about allowing Garmin to be used for both? It looks like you keep your garmin in a pack (maybe to shield sun light?) Is that what you recommend? Your video of fish chasing the lure was so helpful. One is to have the equipment, but more important is knowing how to use it. You have done me a great service; THANK YOU!
The pack I have is what I use for ice fishing. When I'm not on the ice I use it in a small solo canoe and I don't use the portable kit bag. I rig it with Ram Mounts and mount it to my canoe. I do have a video where I set it up a bit. Check it out here. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uzn2ASWRX5M.html
Best Vid on this Unit, HANDS DOWN ! The Concise Info of this Vid - is Exactly why I Purchased this unit for My Girlfriend ! Great Job & Keep them Vidz Coming. Fish On !....
Have you tried the striker 4 cv vivid for lake trout? Curious what the screen looks like when the trout is running after the bait (not ice fishing, using swim bait from a boat)?
I echo all the comments re: "Best video by far on this unit" - I have owned for 2 years. I do a lot of trolling, Lake Erie, etc - any comments more specific to trolling with line back say 80-100 feet. Obviously wonlt see chases back that far?
Thanks! Yeah... I never try to actually mark my bait with the sonar from a boat. I have a buddy who vertical jigs with his Garmin out of his kayak and does it successfully but even then he has to angle his transducer a bit to aim at his bait as he drifts.
Fantastic video, love it, I have just bought a viking fishing Kayak, and want to fit a fish finder, I think I have narrowed the choice to the Stricker plus4 or the Lowrance Hook 2+4 GPS. Wondering if you have done the same great insite into this one as well. Or the comparison to those two regards Steve
Thankyou ,thankyou ,thankyou . I have a Garmin Striker Plus 5cv, on my kayak that I have set up to do some kayak fishing .I have looked at a few Utube videos and while helpful they lacked in detail , I live in nth Queensland Australia and have just come across your videos and they have answered many questions that I had trouble with .thanks again I will be using some of your suggestions
Just bought the unit, and I love it. I am trying to figure out why my jig won't show up on the graph. I have tried every setting there is on the unit and nothing is working. Could be a problem with my transducer? Ice thickness? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks. Would I be able to just hang the transducer over the side of my inflatable kayak? I was looking at this and some “portable” bobber looking options but I’d really rather get this. I just don’t want to deal with attaching it to a kayak I fold up after use.
The kit comes with a suction cup to suction it to the side of a boat. It should work for that too. I would not recommend just dangling it from the side though or your readings will likely be all over the place.
Why can't my same model show the normal depth? The depth is 8 feet or 10 feet, but it shows 36 feet or 28 feet. Please tell me, this is the first time I use it. I don’t know the depth setting of this machine. Could it be that the sensor is put into the ice cave? Does it have the correct depth reading? Thanks!
Great video. I’m thinking of purchasing this portable unit for back lake fishing. How long does the battery last between charges. I do not have access to electricity where I fish but plan on bringing a solar charger or small power pack.
I think this is the perfect kit for what you want to do. The battery does tend to last a while but if you're carrying this device for back lake fishing then I would recommend using a Lithium-Iron-Phosphate battery. They're significantly lighter and they'll last way longer than the battery that comes with the kit. I rig this kit for some back country ponds in this video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uzn2ASWRX5M.html I did not do the wiring for the battery in this though so maybe just get a Lithium battery that will connect directly.
I bought the plus 4 last week. My first electronics I have gotten. Spent a long day drilling holes and moving. Got home tonight and the bag is soaking wet inside and out. Do I just open it up and let it air dry? Or do I need to take it all apart to dry?
My striker 5 with the ice transducer is having a hard time giving me readings all the way to the bottom. I think I’m on a steep slope and it’s setting up a false bottom. Is there a way to kill the dead zone? People I fish with that have the striker 4 with the boat transducer are having the same problem at our fast drop off locations we fish.
That will definitely happen on a drop. Sonar reads the shallowest part of the bottom and reads that as the bottom... the only think you can do is narrow the beam to lessen the effect. Or move to a flatter area. Or deal with the blind zone.
Thank you for a great tutorial video! What is your opinion if is it possible to use ice fishing transducer as a boat transducer? If you fix the transducer to boat level with the bottom of the water.
I've honestly never seen anyone do that before but I don't see any reason it wouldn't work. The ice transducer is just built so it hangs straight down... If you find a way to rig it so it works for a boat let me know how it goes.
I am a beginner in the use of garmin striker 4 and i am realy confused. The first time to use it ,yesterday,the indications made no sense since they fluctuated from 35-40 ft regardless of the real deph Sould i had made some adjustments before the first use?
It usually works right out of the box. I wonder if your transducer is aimed properly? Take some time to watch the video if you haven't already and see if you see anything that make sense. I go through the settings I use. Really hard to know what might be wrong without seeing it.
This was a really great video. I wish you would do a video on how you like it for chasing trout and bass in your hornbeck. How has it been for that purpose?
I did a video where I set it up in my hornbeck. I do like it for that a lot and it is very packable to be able to carry in to ponds if I want to. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uzn2ASWRX5M.html
I don't have any of the ice transducers for it but based on research and other people's experiences the GT8HW is the recommended ice transducer. I have links in the description of the video but here is the ducer... Recommended Ice Transducer (GT8HW-IF): amzn.to/3o6TR4N Also... I just googled the max depth and not sure it if is accurate but it says 1600 feet... Hope you're not using it that deep lol.
Hi! I am fishing with my buddy side by side, always seeing his lure in my screen it is annoying to my screen. Can you help me what adjustment I need to do not seeing his lure?
If you are fishing close to another angler you're going to see their lure as well. I don't like fishing close to anyone. I like having my own space. You see people fishing all in the same hut... that is never me. The only thing you can do is narrow your beam but if you're close by you'll see their lure.
I wish all people who upload videos on a product followed this platform. There are so many freakin people who have no idea how to construct a video that keeps you interested with facts and logical editing.
LOL.. I know! There are some really bad videos that get a ton of views out there... Sad but true. I spend a significant amount of time planning videos like this. I'm glad you liked this one :)
It is great for both! I use for both ice fishing and on my solo canoe. Check out my solo canoe set up with it if you're interested. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uzn2ASWRX5M.html
If you get the "Plus" version, you can map the lakes yourself and store it, so that's nice, especially for the small water guys who are fishing small lakes and ponds that are not mapped. It's something.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Oh, I imagine it isn't great at all, especially in deeper water, even with perfect transducer placement. I think that feature is aimed more at kayak guys fishing in smaller, generally un-mapped water bodies. That's why I got it, for ice fishing and to put on my canoe(that never happened). Now I just use the CMAP app to get me close to where I want to be for ice fishing.
@@nathaniellarson8 Yeah... I did set mine up on my canoe (Hornbeck). I do really like it for that. I also just got a Humminbird Helix 7 for ice fishing :) I need ice to try it out though! I do use an app on my phone for pointing me to general places on lakes. I don't know the CMAP app. I use the Boat USA app.
@@nathaniellarson8 I know... I have wanted it for a year. Another guide I know had it out on the ice last year with me. Loved it and wanted it ever since!
Just make sure it is a 12V battery. Lots of people buy the Lithium batteries with a higher Ah rating. The higher the Ah the longer the battery will last on the ice. I bought the Humminbird Helix 7 and the lead acid battery didn't last more than 4 hours! I am probably getting a 12V 18Ah battery for that guy. I actually link to a few recommended batteries in the description of the video. Dakota are good... the 10Ah will last longer than the 7Ah.
