Advise about Lowrance kayak transducer system

Hello All,
I have been fishing for two years now with my Pro angler & Outback and love virtually every moment in them. My next investment is going to be a fishfinder for my kayaks. This leads me to several questions as to what to get/rig-up for my style of fishing.
I am currently looking at both the Hummingbird Kayak installation kit and the new Lowrance Transducer Kayak Scupper Mount kit for my Pro angler. I like both of them; however, this is where I have questions. First, as I start looking at mounting the transducer the Hummingbird seems to be quite easy, but I am not sure of the quality of the data I will get compare to the Lowrance model, especially water temperature readings. On the other side as much as I like the new Lowrance system, I am not quite sold with how it is publicized in several You Tube videos that I have seen both at their web site and other sites. The issue that I have concerns the primary scupper mounting location they all use for their demo “shot”.
As I noted in the beginning I am buying this for my style of fishing, which is fishing in heavily stump/weed filled spots in Northern Virginia. I also tow my kayak in the back of my pickup truck and launch at concrete ramps to get to my honey holes. I am not sold that the new Lowrance mount will not be destroyed to easly then from how it lays under the kayak. The other big issue is probably the biggest issue, if I use the scupper hole with the best possible protection to the transducer, how can I carry this behemoth kayak w/o the wheel cart since it only fits it that hole too. I do want to get a fishfinder, but seek advice from other regarding this subject from others out there, thanks.

Mcveyr,

I purchased a Pro Angler at the end of the summer and have installed a Lowrance XD-4 fish finder with the transducer mounted inside the kayak. The transducer is mounted in electrician's putty. The transducer appears to give good readings on depth and shows fish in brackish water. (I typically fish the Potomac river about 12 miles from Chesapeake Bay.) Temperature readings seem to be accurate after being on the water for an hour or so, up until that time they are either high or low depending upon what time of day I launched, the air temp versus the water temp, and if the sun was beating on the hull while it was out of the water.

I must say having the transducer inside the hull is quite convenient. I do not worry about catching it on anything or have to worry about mounting it when I take the boat out.

I hope you enjoy your Pro Angler as much as I enjoy mine. Happy kayaking, good luck with the fish.

Rockman10

Thanks for your reply Rockman10,
I completely understand how set-ups for placing transducers inside the hulls of kayaks has been done in the past. What I was focusing on was possible problems with the new system that Lowrance is start to market for kayaks. http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine ... per-Mount/ . in their promotional video they are showing them setting up their system using the scupper hole that is also used for the Hobie live-well/ cart transportations point, hence I am not quite sure if they understand the implications. If you use any of the other scupper holes you cannot load your Pro angler in the back of a pickup truck bed due to the transducer will end up being broken on the bed of your truck. This is the point I am hoping someone can give me the technical answer too.
On a side note if your are ever interested in linking up to fish the river, please contact me at [email protected] I am looking for other kayak fishermen in the Northern Virginia area to get out on the water with around here. I am also looking for someone who might be interested in participating in next year’s RiverBassin Tournaments series with me.
Ross

I would skip their installation system and simply mount the transducer to the inside of the hull. I used Goop to fasten a piece of kayak foam to the inside of the hull, cut out to accept the transducer snugly. The transducer is simply stuck into the cut out, and pushed against the hull. You can pour in a little water to take up any air space (no bubbles) or do as I did and insert a rubber hose from topside down to and into the foam next to the transducer. A capful of water poured into the tube will keep the transducer reading perfectly for a full season. Nothing to break, nothing to bounce loose, nothing to snag on. It's simple, easy, and works perfectly.

Hey Guys ........ checkout Snaggedline.com ...... it's Md Kayak fishing website ......... 400 members and MANY of the most active are in Northern Va ........ meet and greet outings every month ...... someone's fishing almost everyday and looking for others to yak with ....... about 50% are Hobies

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