So you fancy yourself an ice fisherman, eh? Good on ya! Ice fishing is for some of the truest of the true outdoorsman that we have had the pleasure of knowing. It truly is a labor of love, they say. Heading out to the shanty. Drilling to get down to the water beneath. Freezing your tail off while you wait for a bite. And what exhilarating fun it is! Well, we thought we would do our part in finding you the best fishfinder for ice fishing that you would need. Because after all, the wife isn’t going to let you keep disappearing out to your shanty unless you come back with something to show for it every now and then!
Our Top Picks |
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The Overall WinnerGarmin Striker 4 with Portable Kit
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The Economy WinnerVenterior Portable Fish Finder
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Honorable MentionSailfar Portable Wireless Fish Finder
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When it comes to finding the best fishfinder for ice fishing that you could need, there are several characteristics that you are going to want to look for. Luckily, they aren’t too difficult to find because many major manufacturers make ice fishing packages especially for the sport. While packages like these will take a lot of the worry out of the equation for you straightaway, it’s still a good idea for us to make clear what you need out of your fishfinder.
First, you need something highly portable. Many fishfinders out there are big and heavy to meet the demands of being on a boat. Well, we’re ice fishing. We don’t need a boat. What we need is a handheld, portable device that isn’t too weighty so we can keep it with us while we trek out to our fishing hole and to use while we are there. So, we’ve got to find a fishfinder that is light enough to be convenient.
Second, we need a nice battery to accompany our main unit. Even if you did take the time to make sure you go the right fishfinder, you still need to get a battery that is small and easy to carry. A powerful battery can still be small so you can keep your fish finder operational for an extended period of time while you are taking your fishing vacation from it all.
With these two characteristics in mind, we’ve managed to find the three best fishfinder for ice fishing options that we could. And, when we did this, we took special care to find choices that are on a wide price range so you can figure out what your wallet thinks, too.
Best Fishfinder for Ice Fishing
Garmin Striker 4 with Portable Kit
For a pretty fancy set of machinery, look no further than the Garmin Striker 4. It comes with a portable kit that makes it especially convenient for ice fishing and walking around with it in your hand or pack. This finder is $175 but, wow, does it have some capabilities that are everything you could dream of out of a fish finder. It does everything that the other two fish finders on this list do and, oh, so much more. It has a keyed interface with simple to use buttons that make it easy to use on all three different display sizes.
Find more about this fishfinder on Amazon
The waypoint map makes it easy to return to your favorite drilling spot by saving locations with a few simple pushes of the buttons. And it’s got a built-in flasher for those of you who know how ideal those are for ice fishing. But what we love is the CHIRP sonar that sends a continuous sweep of frequencies out to give the unit more precision. It practically paints a picture on your unit’s screen of the water below with crisper fish arches and better target separation. All in all, this fish finder is so packed full of features that make it such a useful piece of equipment to make it the best fishfinder for ice fishing available that you couldn’t go home without any fish, even if you wanted to.
Venterior Portable Fish Finder
To start things off, we’re serving up a Venterior finder for a low budget option. However, just because this sonar equipment is $40 doesn’t mean that it doesn’t provide big time value. The LCD display on the front of this gadget will show you water depth, short and tell weeds, sand, and rocks on the lake or seabed. The depth range is from 3 feet to 328 feet, meaning you can reach just about as shallow or deep as you would need to for your fishing. Additionally (and most importantly), it will show you the approximate locations of all the fish in the area.
Get more details on Amazon
The round transducer has a 25 foot cable and removable float for if you ever want to use your finder for fishing off a dock or boat, too. To finish off what makes this Venterior product so valuable, it has 5 selectable sensitivity ratings, a battery saving mode, a backlight, fish alarm, and adjustable units of measure. And, since Venterior knows you are going to love their unit, they’ve put a one year warranty on it, just to make sure you keep catching fish for at least a year. Altogether, the package that you get out of just a $40 purchase provides so much value that it is impossible to not to justify not getting the best fishfinder for ice fishing.
Sailfar Portable Wireless Fish Finder
Next on our list is our middle priced option coming from Sailfar. Their fish finder is $90 and will get more use than just $90. As you would expect, it will show you water depth, approximate fish locations, and the contour of the bottom of your chosen body of water. But an added bonus is that it will show you the size of the fish you are looking at. Whopper alert! The wireless operating range is 260 feet so you can really get your sonar a ways away from you if you needed to and still be able to find some fish. And the depth range operates anywhere between 2 and 120 feet. So, clearly, you’re going to see the fish that you need to see.
Find out more and try it out
The 50 by 45 dot matrix LCD screen is perfectly readable in direct sunlight and at night (because of its backlight) and you’ll love seeing fish pop up on this screen out on the ice. Not that Sailfar thinks you have any reason to worry but they have placed a one year warranty on their fish finder so that you can sleep (and fish) easy with their finder on you. This fishfinder deserves a spot on any best fishfinder for ice fishing list and it is no small wonder that you are seeing it on ours.
Wrap Up
So what’s it going to be, fisherfriend? Stay in the dark about what the fish look like (or don’t like look) beneath you or have a good idea of who is swimming around in your area? The best fishfinder for ice fishing for you is right here on this page, especially considering we have such a wide range of dollar amounts and features. All that’s left to do is make an order and get out to where the water has frozen over with the rest of your gear for an unforgettable time.