The 7 Best Portable Fishfinder 2018

If fishing is your passion and you always want to go fishing. But it becomes a headache when you think of a fish finder. The first thing that might come to your mind that a fish finder is a large and bulky device come with a hasty price tag and occupy most of your storage space. Sometime to get better performance you need to drill through boat hull to attach a fish finder. Those who are looking for an easy solution for them a portable fish finder is a perfect answer. A portable fishfinder can be used in places where a regular finder can’t, especially if you are on a kayak or shore / offshore. In order to select the best portable fishfinder, you will have to know which portable model is the best for you.

Whether you like fishing with a jig from a boat or below the ice a portable fish finder can be a superb solution.  You can carry this device all most everywhere just throw it in your pocket or in a tackle box and cast off from dock boat or a kayak. There are too many devices out there, it can be difficult to find your best. We make you the list short our honest review on 7 Best Portable Fishfinder help you. Let’s dive right into it!

7 Best Portable Fishfinder We Reviewed Today

Here’s a quick list of the best portable fishfinder according to our team. In case if you don’t have time to get into the details, simply click on any of these names and you will be taken to Amazon to check price and customer reviews there.

Garmin Striker 4 with Portable Kit

Key Specifications: Easy-to-use 3.5-inch color display | | Portable carrying case is perfect for kayak, canoe or ice fishing | | Mark and Return to hot spots, docks and ramps | | Includes CHIRP (77/200 kHz) sonar transducer

This first in our list of the best portable fish finder would be Garmin Striker 4.  Discover the excellence of using the Garmin portable fish finder that is perfect for your needs. Garmin striker is a popular fish finder among recreational anglers because of its delivering good quality products at a very affordable range. Big power comes within a small package, 3.5-inch user-friendly color display with convenient keypad operation.

This unit is the portable version of Garmin Striker 4. This fishfinder comes with GPS device great for kayaking. The battery is watertight but for added protection, you can put them in a waterproof box. This is a compact unit can be easily fit into the provided carrying bag. The back opens up to provide access to the battery. The terminals attach directly to the battery.  It even shows the time of day! And the transducer comes with a large suction cup. Here we have detail review on Garmin striker 4 reviews if you want to check that out.

You can share favorite routes and waypoints with this unit.  You can mark your hot fishing or docks spot. Its sonar history rewind option allows you to scroll back through sonar images to mark your missed waypoints. The GPS of this unit is working pretty accurate and very sensitive to depth reading with tenths of a foot accuracy. It also has a built-in flasher and displays speed data on its screen so you can use it ice fishing.

Pros

• High-sensitivity GPS
• CHIRP sonar transducer
• Adjustable depth line measures the depth
• A-scope real-time display
• Convenient keypad operation
• Built-in flasher
• Get true speed, water temperature, depth, and wind.

Cons

• The brightness has a tendency to lower itself
• No map 

Deeper Smart Sonar PRO Plus – The Highest Spec Castable Sonar Ever

Key Specifications: Scanning depth | | GPS-powered mapping | | 0.5” target separation | | Fully adjustable sensitivity | | Narrow beam (15° cone) | |Wide beam (55° cone) scanning | | Rechargeable Battery with 5.5-hours continuous use on a single charge.

The first thing every shore fisherman wished for since he was a little kid trying to imagine what the bottom looked like. The Deeper pro plus is simply the most powerful and one of the best castable fish finder ever.

This unit has one of the best casting ranges and uses a Wi-Fi connection, not Bluetooth, for rock-solid connectivity. So, you can cast a long distance without hesitation.  The deeper app can send huge amounts of detailed data direct to your smartphone or tablet which is into easy-to-analyses information for anglers of all levels.

It beats any castable sonar for scanning depth, and it’s also the only one with inbuilt GPS. This means you can create maps while you make casts, so you won’t miss any structure or targets. And of course, you can use it for trolling and ice fishing. Powerful and versatile, the Deeper Pro plus will help you make every cast count.

This unit will help you to see in real time how your targets react to different presentations. The powerful narrow beam frequency to pinpoint your targets. Pro+ is ideal for shore anglers. It attaches to the flexible arm mount for a light, versatile and hassle-free kayak sonar set up. You can use this unit for ice fishing. Its light, portable and cable free ice flasher allow you to carry any sport you like to go fishing.

Pros

• Long distance casting
• Highly portable
• Troll from any kayak or boat
• Ice flasher mode.
• Uses Wi-Fi
• Fresh and Salt Water Operation.

Cons

• Sonar ball does disconnect from the phone occasionally

Also read our The Best Fishfinder Under $500 | Unbiased Review

Humminbird PIRANHAMAX 4.3 PT – Dual Frequency Portable Sonar

Key Specifications: 256-color 4.3″ 480 x 272 screen | | Down Imaging explores down to 320 ft. | | DualBeam reaches down to 600 ft. | | Dual Beam Standard Sonar Coverage: 28° & 16 | | 2,400-watt peak-to-peak power output | | Sonar Frequency: 200/455 kHz | |7 Amp Hour battery

Well, a best portable fish finder list never complete without a Humminbird in it. Today we will discuss Humminbird Piranhamax portable version fish finder Piranhamax 4.3 PT.  This unit packs in some useful features for a great angler. And it comes with a portable case, dual frequency portable transducer. You can read other Humminbird from here.

You should remember a major is a key factor before buying any fish finder is color and resolution of a display. Piranhamax display comes with 256-color 4.3″ 480 x 272 screen such an affordable price, which is great. This unit is well reputed for its simple operating system, so you need not worry about using this device.

You will get down imaging pinpoints the structure and can show fish very clearly. Small screen but very sharp. Piranhamax says the max depth capability of this unit is 600 ft., but it sometimes hard to date from that level.

Since this is a portable model you can carry anywhere to use it. You can use it in any water salt or fresh. You can use it on a boat or kayak if you have a battery source on it. Moreover, it comes with a built-in flasher so you can go fishing in ice with is unit.

Pros

• Dual Frequency Portable Sonar
• 256 color 480V X 272H, 4.3″ display
• Portable case included
• Portable transducer
• wall charger
• Target Separation:2.5″

Cons

• Speed is not supported on this model. 

Lucky FFW-718 Wireless Fish Finder – Dot Matrix 40m Range

Key Specifications: Display Size 40W X 39H | | Sensor Coverage 90 degrees beam angle | | Depth Range Max 140Feet

The next fish finder on our list is rather unusual. That is because it is not from some high profile manufacturer, as a matter of fact, it is from a Chinese company called Lucky Manufacturer Co., Ltd. We found lucky FFW-718 after intensive research on fish finders and it attracted us so much so much that we have decided to examine very closely.

We make sure there is no expectation whenever we are reviewing a product. We were surprised when we realized that this fish finder is a lot of good features than we thought it would be on our list. After all research, we can say lucky FFW-718 is one of the best fish finer that you can buy within your budget.

It is the best portable fishfinder for both amateurs & professionals. You will like its simplicity because it uses 4 AAA batteries for a display and 1 CR2032 battery for the transducer. Fantastic for detecting schools of fish in any particular area. This unit can scan a large area in just a few minutes. You will get true depth readings in graphical format in units of depth.

We have found an antenna perfectly attached with a dry bag stores of the lucky fish finder and very convenient to prop the display in its dry bag against the front deck bag. This wireless fish finder unit is very much user-friendly to set up and program. The screen is bright and clear in sunny or cloudy weather and is easy to read at night with the backlight. For the great portability, you can use it any water. It is very much suitable for kayak, offshore, river, Lake, Sea and ice fishing.

Pros

• Waterproof design
• Sun visible High-contrast LCD Monitor with Backlight
• Multi-Language
• Use with rod & line / roach pole / bait boats
• Fresh and salt water
• Suitable for offshore, river, lake, sea, turbid & ice fishing. 

Cons

• The documentation is a bit sparse

HawkEye Fishtrax 1C – HD Color VirtuView Display

Key Specifications: VirtuView HD Color Display | | Dual-Frequency FishTrax Intelligent Sonar | | User Selectable Dual-Frequency 200/83 kHz | | FishTrax Intelligent Sonar (14/26° Beam Angle) | | FishArc and FishID Fish Indicators | | Ice-Mode Digital Flasher Portrayal | | Fish Depth Identifier | | Portable or Boat Mountable

Now, we are going to look at something that might be surprising you. To this very day, HawkEye Fishtrax 1C remains among the list of our favorite fish finder. You will be impressed by its construction, display, and settings options. You don’t have to worry about losing battery while changing them out of the water because this handheld unit use screws to hold the battery compartment.

The Fishtrax 1c is for experienced anglers who demand a high-definition fishing experience. This unit comes with a VirtuView full-color high-definition display which allows you a clear view under water.

Three operating modes allow you to use this unit efficiently. i. Fish Finder, ii. Data, & iii. Ice-Mode. The Fish Finder mode identifies the presence of fish, bottom, and composition. Using the mode you can get the overall depth of the water on the HD color display. Data mode provides you temperature and battery voltage reading. And the ice-mode, digital flasher gives you real-time sonar echoes like a traditional flasher, which is perfect for targeting suspended fish while ice fishing.

You can use this unit anywhere like offshore, kayak and ice fishing it will work just fine. The battery life seems pretty good. You can use all day long for fishing just using only less than ½ battery life.

Pros

• HD Color Display.
• Auto and Manual Depth Range and Sensitivity Settings.
• HD Bottom Landscape Painting.
• Split Frequency & Bottom Zoom Mode.
• Ice-Mode Digital Flasher.
• Audible Fish &Depth Alarms.
• It works on AAA Batteries

Cons

• Does not pick up your jig. 

Venterior VT-FF001 Portable Fish Finder

Key Specifications: TN/Anti-UV LCD display | | LED Backlighting || 4.6cm diameter Round transducer sensor || Depth Range : Max: 100m (328ft) || Sensor Beam Angle: 45 degrees || Operating Temperature is from -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F) || Uses 4 x AAA batteries

We are almost done with the list, with only one more product after the VT-FF001. If you are looking for a great fish finder that does not cost a lot of money, the VT-FF001 fish finder might be a great option.

If you fishing from a small boat or kayak around pilings, bridges or just have favorite spots you try this little finder you will save you a lot of time. You can use it on your kayak to check pretty accurate depths.

You can use this fish finder over the different area and get surprised by its accurate data.  This unit is the best suit for beginner anglers because setting sensitivity at low level you would get only show the larger fish on your screen.

The depth finder reads out in meters and the screen is divided into ten sections. So if you are in five meters of water. The fish are showing at the fifth section you just divide five meters by ten which is half a meter per box and you know the fish are located 2 1/2 meters down.

You can use this unit for ice fishing. Before using for ice fishing our suggestion to drill the bigger hole on the ice and put the sensor into the water. The bigger distance between float and sonar to be lengthened, to reduce the influence of ice.

Pros

• It can remember setting. Do not need to reset it every time.
• Pretty accurate depths reading
• Apply to lake, river, sea and other fishing environment.
• Depth range from 3ft to 328ft.
• Can be used for fishing off the dock, on a boat, and ice fishing.
• Various features settings

Cons

• Extremely cold weather will impact the performance
• It cannot show you how big the fish are
• Strong waves, suspended matter and muddy water will affect the performance

Are you recreation angler then this article might help you Garmin Striker 7SV Review | Angling Striker

ReelSonar iBobber Wireless Bluetooth Smart Fish Finder

Key Specifications: Patented sonar fish identifier technology | | Rechargeable battery with 10+ hrs battery life | | Built-in LED beacon | | Compatible with Google Watch and iWatch | | Free app on iOS and Android | | Bluetooth Smart sync up to a distance of 100′

The last fish finder on the list is ibobber. This is a small pocket-sized fish finder as like your mobile phone. This is one of the best portable fishfinders on the market is ideal for kayak, raft fishing and for bottom sounding areas not accessible by boat. It works in saltwater and freshwater and is very effective at locating fish and structures on ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. It even works for ice fishing.

This is castable wireless fish finder that syncs with the free app on your smartphone or tablet. This wireless Bluetooth unit is an ultimate in portable fishing tools. And it is perfect for your fishing trips, in your RV, on your boat or your tackle box along with your other fishing gear.

You can map waterbeds, mark spots, log water temps and depth, add lures, species, and photos in the trip log with app syncs via Bluetooth smartphone.

This unit is one of the lightest portable fish finders in our list that can be cast long distances to map the bottom and locate structure, schools of fish and holes. You can mark your favorite spots with its GPS marking for future trips.

Furthermore, this unit can be an ideal tool for ice fishing due to the lightweight, portability, and fish alarms, that let you know when fish are present and when they bite.

Pros

• GPS spot tagging with interactive map
• Rechargeable battery and charge status indicator light
• Waterbed and structure contour mapping
• Lunar calendar and weather (temp, rain, wind, barometer)
• Fish and strike alarms

Cons

• Bluetooth range isn’t nearly what it claims to be.

The Durability

Your portable fish finder must last a long period of time and survive the water and cold weather for ice fishing.  It is subjected to be durable and strong. And it must be tough.

The Weight

You don’t want your portable fish finder to be heavy; you don’t want to carry extra weight while angling. An important point here would be to check how much the finder weight before you finalize the product.

So there you go! How was The 7 Best Portable Fishfinder article? If you enjoyed our writing – please let me know in the comments section below. Thanks and have fun!