[odiaz08]

hey guys just lookin at a whole lot of fishfinders.. dont really know which one to choose.. sooo far ive looked at humingbird smartcast rf-35 and the lowrance Mark4
Any tips or advice??

[mikeh]

Are you looking for something to use on a boat / kayak or something to use when shore fishing?
The lowrance is way more advanced than the smartcast unit and designed to attach to a boat or kayak hull. The smartcast is basic (I have one, an RF20) and can be used cast and retrieve with a rod and line from shore. I dont really use it as a fishfinder, but it has been really useful for mapping out bottom structure and depth where I fish.

[Meanderer]

mikeh, on 17 December 2011 - 07:43 AM, said:

Are you looking for something to use on a boat / kayak or something to use when shore fishing?
The lowrance is way more advanced than the smartcast unit and designed to attach to a boat or kayak hull. The smartcast is basic (I have one, an RF20) and can be used cast and retrieve with a rod and line from shore. I dont really use it as a fishfinder, but it has been really useful for mapping out bottom structure and depth where I fish.

Does the hummingbird green thing sink or float?
I assume you use this before not during actual fishing?

[mikeh]

The green transponder floats.

I did a short write up on it here.....

http://fishontoronto...onar-fishfinder

You can fish bait off the bottom of it, but thats not for me....
I generally use it when I am scoping out new or existing spots for depth and structure. I mostly fish around downtown where the water is either deep or dark, or both. You have to be realistic as to what useful info you can get from using these low end units for less than 100 bucks.

[odiaz08]

i actually plan on using it more for when im on a boat.... but using it from shore would be nice!!ive been doin alot of reading on the Smartcast and there hasnt really been good reviews on it... does it even show you if theres fish on it???

mikeh, on 17 December 2011 - 09:06 AM, said:

The green transponder floats.

I did a short write up on it here.....

http://fishontoronto...onar-fishfinder

You can fish bait off the bottom of it, but thats not for me....
I generally use it when I am scoping out new or existing spots for depth and structure. I mostly fish around downtown where the water is either deep or dark, or both. You have to be realistic as to what useful info you can get from using these low end units for less than 100 bucks.

[mikeh]

You have to go into the settings and tweak it to get useful fish finding. I havent had any issues.(fingers crossed)
If you have a boat, I would definitely go for the lowrance mk4 instead of the Smartcast.