Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Both Tyler and I have the Eagle Cuda 350 S/map.  It is about $120 on sale I think.  B&W, has a map and tracking function with waypoints.  Also pretty small.  Of all the fishing kayaks we see with fishfinders, the Eagle Cuda 350 seems very popular.

Also, we mounted the transducer on the inside of the hull and it has worked out great.  I took a piece of foam and cut a hole the shape of the transducer (tight fit).  Sanded the spot on the hull, glued the foam using marine glue.  After that dried I filled the hole in the foam with about 1/2 inch of silicone and pushed the transducer in (push hard and get ALL the air bubbles out).  Gotta make sure the silicone fills under and all around the transducer.  I did this on both kayaks and it has worked great.  We travel a lot with the kayaks and it hasn't come loose yet or degraded in performance.

Good luck.

But I do want to find a smaller one which includes GPS

I've got two Cuda 350 S/maps for my kayaks.  There was not a less expensive model with GPS when I got mine.   I pretty sure they no longer make these and they're hard to find.   The Lowrance Mark 4 is comparable, but unlike the Cuda it can be loaded with a microSD card with maps.



Probably won't do any better than this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/EAGLE-CUDA-350- … 484710b700

Last edited by T. (Sep-28-12 3:47PM)

adding the chip adds $150 - 200. It also adds a lot of detail, but might not cover the waters BillyBigMouth wants to fish.

Navionics lists all the lakes covered by their chips. So, check out that list before you buy it, it probably isn't worth it if the waters you fish are not covered.  A big disappointment (for me) is that the Occoquan rez is not covered by Navionics (or anyone else).  I knew that before I bought the chip (it does cover almost everywhere else I fish regularly, the Potomac, Briery, Sandy river, Burke), but still.  That's a major fishery to ignore, particularly when they do have coverage for such small water lakes like Orange, Brittle, Barcroft, Burke, etc. That is a bit frustrating, as they are the only game in town until Lakemaster publishes a chip that covers VA.

I have an Eagle Cuda 300 (The current equivalent would be the Lowrance X-4 Pro), which doesn't have anything special beyond a sonar that gives depth, and a temperature read out.  It was my first fish finder that I got 2 years ago on sale for about 60 dollars and it is working great.  I've used it in freshwater lakes, tidal creeks, and the bay.  It's gotten wet numerous times, but still works today.

The Eagle line has been replaced by Lowrance units, and the Mark 4 is probably the cheapest you'll find for sonar + GPS or sonar + DSI (note that the Mark 4 comes with one or the other.  Some sites that sell these units won't distinguish between the two.  I think the Elite 4 will give you both.).  If I were to get a new unit today, I'd probably get a Mark 4 with GPS.

Also, don't forget that there are some other expenses that you have to factor into your purchase - a 12v battery (probably the most expensive in this list), something to charge your 12v battery with, possibly some duct seal (depends on how you will mount your transducer), a box of some sort to protect it from water, and some connectors.

Last edited by Sun (Sep-30-12 4:00PM)

Thanks a lot for the info!!!  That's a shame that Navionics does not have the Occoquan in their database because that is one of my favorite spots.  I am thinking about probably going with the Lowrance Mark 4

Same transducer that comes with the unit. It's small and compact, but is plenty large for the kayak! Let me know Ernie or anyone else for that matter, I'm always happy to help.

Does Navionics have it in the lakes/rivers chip? There are several different models. I use the base maps, they show contour lines and are pretty accurate.

GregF wrote:

Going to Miami this weekend (offshore fishing).

Need a translator?

GregF wrote:

Let me know when you are ready.

Will do!

Sorry, I am already going with an oil tycoon (Mobil exec) staying in a very nice condo at Trump Towers in Miami.  Hopefully will bring back pics of the trip AND of some good fish.  This is a trip with myself and 2 other coaches of my son's hockey team and our three 16 yr old kids.  How much trouble do you think we can get in!!!???