Fish finder for a pontoon.....

[parr]

I am looking for a fish finder for my pontoon. The only one that I can find that is made for a float tube or pontoon is the fishin buddy series. They look pretty good, but I was wondering if any of you use anything else or have any suggestions.

[Dennis]

The Fishing Buddy's have been a great seller and are about the best to get for float tubes. They carry their own batteries in the handle, are very light weight, and really let you know what is happening below you and to the side of you. The best place to get them is at SW. They have the best prices around. Do not get the expensive model, you don't need the extra "bells and whistles" that come with it. The expensive model eats up batteries too fast. I've run the 1200 model for three days on a set of batteeries. (8-10 hrs/day)

[parr]

I figured as much.....thanks for the input. It looks like the fishin buddy 1200 is the one

[carpman]

I use the 1200 all the time. It works great. My advice is to turn the fish alarm off and learn to read the screen the way the finder "echo's" back. The fish alarm sounds anytime the finder "thinks" it see's a fish. Lets face it, it has a fard time telling the difference between a long stringy weed and a fish. However with the fish alarm off, you can easily tell the difference. The 1200 also works great for ice fishing..........

[jlsutah]

You will want a couple of additional items for the Fishing Buddy. You'll need a device to attach to your boat for the Fishing Buddy to reside in. There are a couple of different types. I got one at SW a couple of years ago called a "Fish Finder Minder." It works fine with a couple of straps that go around the pontoon and a rotating base that the finder resides in. The nice thing about it is that you can rotate the finder to a position out of the vertical when launching and recovering, avoiding running your finder into the bottom. If you can't find it email me at jlsutah@aol.com and I can give you the address in Sandy where they are made.

The other device is a carrying bag. Again, SW had a fairly inexpensive one that has a rigid PVC insert to protect the shaft, and a pocket to hold the handle and batteries when you take the handle off the finder for storage.

Just like any other toy, once you buy it you have to get the accessories.