Since I first began utilizing the Garmin Striker 4 in 2020, it has remained certainly one of my favourite fish finders for its unimaginable worth, dependable efficiency, and options. Despite the fact that I’ve upgraded to a different Garmin gadget on my match kayak, I nonetheless have the Striker 4 rigged up on a spare yak for family and friends to make use of. Right here’s a have a look at the Striker 4 and why it stays an excellent funds fish finder.
Picture by Daren Wendell
- Coloration Show Measurement: 3.5-inch diagonal
- Show Decision: 480 x 320 pixels
- Keyed Inputs
- GPS Enabled
- Present Draw: .28AH
- CHIRP Sonar
- Garmin Fish Image ID
- A-scope (real-time show of fish passing by way of transducer beam)
- Autogain expertise (minimizes muddle; maximizes targets)
- Waypoints: As much as 5,000
- Weight: 0.5 pound
- Pace Monitoring
- Constructed-in Flasher
- IPX7 water resistance score
- Value: $130 (On Sale for $110 at Bass Professional Retailers)
CHIRP Sonar
CHIRP (Compressed Excessive-Depth Radiated Pulse) sonar makes use of a spread of frequencies slightly than a single one, delivering improved decision and clearer photographs of what’s beneath the floor.
GPS Enabled
A GPS-enabled fish finder provides navigation options, permitting you to save lots of spots and monitor your actions with a devoted waypoint button for fast entry.
Low Present Draw
With its low present draw, this fish finder supplies prolonged battery life, permitting you to remain out on the water longer.
Garmin Fish Image ID
Garmin’s Fish Image ID is a characteristic that helps anglers simply determine fish on the sonar show. It makes use of fish-shaped icons to characterize fish targets detected by the sonar.
A-Scope
The A-Scope characteristic on the Garmin Striker 4 supplies a real-time, vertical sonar show that exhibits fish and underwater buildings as they go beneath your boat.
Constructed-in Flasher
The Garmin Striker 4’s built-in flasher is good for ice fishing, offering a real-time vertical sonar show to trace fish and bait beneath the ice.
IPX7 Water Resistance
I actually appreciated the IPX7 water resistance score of the Garmin Striker 4 since the very last thing you need is a fried fish finder. The IPX7 score means the gadget is protected towards immersion in water as much as 1 meter (about 3.3 toes) for as much as half-hour. This ensures it will possibly deal with rain, splashes, and even temporary submersion, making it dependable in a wide range of circumstances.
Testing the Garmin Striker 4 on the Water
After utilizing the striker for 4 years, I can confidently say it’s nonetheless my high suggestion for an entry-level fish finder, particularly for small watercraft.
Setting it up on a kayak is a breeze. All you want is a 4-inch YakAttack GT90 GearTrac and a YakAttack Spherical Base Fish Finder Mount. Should you’re utilizing a canoe or Jon boat, you may simply connect the gear monitor to a chunk of plywood and mount it. The Striker 4 can be moveable, and with the Garmin STRIKER 4 Moveable Bundle, you may set it in your seat with none everlasting set up.
In the case of powering the unit, it runs on 12 volts. My favourite energy answer is the Nocqua Professional Battery Package at 4.4Ah, which has been dependable ever since. Whereas cheaper lead acid batteries work, they’re heavier and don’t final so long as lithium-ion choices. My Garmin Striker 4 runs about 19 hours on the 4.4Ah battery. It simply will get by way of a full day of fishing, with the potential for a part of a second day with no recharge.
As soon as put in, the Striker 4 is extremely user-friendly, due to its intuitive keyed enter interface. As somebody who typically hits the water at dawn, I notably admire the auto-adjust characteristic for day and night time modes. It ensures the display isn’t blindingly brilliant at daybreak or too dim because the solar rises.
I started utilizing this unit’s Fish Image ID to ease the educational curve. There are 4 choices out there to select from:
- Fish Image: Shows suspended targets as symbols.
- Fish Image + Quantity: Provides goal depth data to the symbols.
- Fish Image + Bubbles: Consists of background sonar knowledge together with the symbols.
- Fish Image + Bubbles + Goal Depth: Combines symbols, goal depth data, and background sonar knowledge.
I used these options briefly as “coaching wheels,” and so they had been nice for instructing me methods to interpret the sonar and determine what to search for. As soon as I felt assured studying the sonar, I turned off the settings and relied on the uncooked knowledge for extra detailed suggestions.
What stood out to me instantly was the power to observe my velocity. As somebody who enjoys trolling whereas pedaling my kayak between fishing spots, I might simply fine-tune my speeds to optimize success with my goal species. I discovered on the lakes that I fish that 1.75 to 2.2 miles per hour was the magic velocity for bass and crappie.
The water temperature show proves invaluable. Fishing a number of occasions per week, I used it to anticipate bass habits, particularly throughout spawning seasons.
Depth readings had been a complete game-changer for me. Earlier than utilizing the Striker 4, I used to be basically fishing blind and sometimes caught competing for area alongside the financial institution with most different anglers. Discovering underwater ledges and hidden topography utterly reworked my technique. Spots I had assumed had been shallow turned out to have important construction, opening up high-percentage alternatives away from the crowded areas on a busy Saturday morning.
The CHIRP sonar was one other revelation. It revealed underwater options like stump fields, logs, and humps in the midst of the lake, typically holding massive bass. After finding these spots, I’d circle again and solid an All Terrain swim jig paired with a Strike King Rage Swimmer (KVD Magic Coloration). Yo-yoing the lure again to my kayak persistently resulted in a few of my finest catches of the season, together with a number of within the 5- to 6-pound vary. Beginning with the achieve set to Auto-Medium supplied an ideal stability of readability with out pointless muddle.
I like the built-in GPS on the Garmin Striker 4. It’s greater than only a fish finder — it lets me save waypoints and monitor my paths, so getting again to these sizzling fishing spots is a breeze. Having each sonar and GPS in a single gadget has been a complete game-changer for me. I don’t must depend on reminiscence or landmarks anymore, and it’s made my time on the water a lot extra environment friendly.
The place the Garmin Striker 4 Can Enhance
Whereas the Garmin Striker 4 is among the finest kayak fish finders, a number of areas might be improved. The display dimension is on the smaller aspect, which might really feel limiting at occasions. One other draw back is the dearth of superior mapping options — whereas it consists of GPS for waypoint marking, it doesn’t supply detailed mapping, so that you’re marking waypoints with out a lot context. You’ll have to take a look at higher-end fashions when you want detailed maps. Moreover, the fundamental transducer, whereas efficient, could not supply the extent of element desired by extra critical anglers.
The excellent news is that there are a number of variations of the Garmin Striker 4 out there with upgrades. For instance, you may select a bigger display dimension, or go for the Garmin Quickdraw Contours mapping software program, which lets you create and retailer maps with 1-foot contours for as much as 2 million acres. There’s additionally the Striker 4 collection that features Garmin ClearVu, a downscan expertise that gives a near-picture-perfect view of what’s under your boat.
What the Garmin Striker 4 Does Finest
From my expertise, the Garmin Striker 4 stands out for its intuitive, user-friendly design. I used to be in a position to choose it up and begin utilizing it instantly with none confusion. The GPS and waypoint marking are simple, making it simple to trace my location and revisit key spots. The sonar imaging is evident, and the interface is clear and responsive, so I by no means really feel overwhelmed with pointless options. Plus, the low voltage draw means I didn’t must put money into a high-amp-hour battery.
Ultimate Ideas
General, the Garmin Striker 4 is a wonderful entry-level fish finder for these trying to discover fish discovering expertise with out breaking the financial institution. It’s particularly well-suited for kayak anglers or these with small watercraft. Nonetheless, when you’re in search of the newest and best in high-end options, this won’t be the best alternative. Whereas the Striker 4 has been available on the market for almost a decade, developments in fish finder expertise have come a good distance, and with that, costs have elevated. Nonetheless, for learners or informal anglers, it provides stable efficiency at an inexpensive value. Its simplicity, reliability, and affordability make it an excellent place to begin for anybody trying to dip their toes into fish discovering. For many who want extra superior options afterward, Garmin provides upgraded variations with enhanced performance, guaranteeing there’s room for progress as your fishing wants evolve.