Fish Hawk or Other Unit?

[Second Nature]

i am a green horn when it comes to trolling for salmon and trout on the big water of lake ontario and would love to know what temp and speed gauge people think is best. I have been out on my new boat 4 times now trolling right with the pack of guys outside the front door of oswego harbor and have yet to hit a fish. i know there are a ton of variables that contribute to being successfull, but i found out how important speed and temp at the ball is. I went out with a guy on his boat early in the am thursday till noon. we pounded fish. he had all the tools of the trade. i went out in the evening that same day with my buddy on my boat and dropped the same tackle in the same spot and didnt touch a fish. i was markin fish but couldnt tell where temp was and had know idea how fast i was at the ball either. i know gps is close but not close enough. so lookin into buyin a unit just wondering which one people seem to like the most. sorry long winded but need some help. anybody please!

[Silver Fox]

Oooooohhhhhhh Nooooooooooo! Crank it up again boys!

Fish hawk x-4 is bad azzzz.

[GAMBLER]

Fish hawk x-4 is bad azzzz.

+1

[Tim Bromund]

Sigh.... here we go again

Depth Raider.

There have been LOTS of past threads on this very topic if you wanna look for em.

bad azzzzzz??? does that mean the X4 stinks like someone with a gastro intestinal problem

Tim

[rolmops]

I have a fish hawk X4 and I like it,but when I was on the Spoonfed rig I saw his setup,I think it is a Sub troll and I must admit that it is as good as the hawk with a higher adjustment rate.I asked Glen about the wire connection and he simply told me that like everything else it needs the proper maintenance.Seeing the competition results of the Spoonfed this year,I believe that Glen made the right choice with his Sub Troll.

Cornelis.

[Blue Heron]

I own both a fish hawk and a depth raider. They both do a good job of supplying the info you need so IMO the decission on which one to buy comes down to a personal assessment of the pros & cons of the units.

Based on my experiences here is my list of those

Fish Hawk

Pros

-Slightly easier install ( no work on downrigger needed)

-no coated cable to manage/protect

Cons

- Expense ( unit is about 20% more in cost)

- Requires install of a fairly large transducer - space on transom may be an issue

Depth Raider

Pros

- lower cost

Cons

- Requires antenna on Rigger boom

- requires coated cable

As I said above both of these units are solid performers and either is a pretty straight forward install. I dont think you can make a bad decission here

good luck

Ted

[makoshrk2]

I have never used a speed / temp probe. Do these need there own dedicated rigger

[rolmops]

I have never used a speed / temp probe. Do these need there own dedicated rigger

No, the probe is at the bottom of your rigger cable and it usually has a break away piece of wire underneath that the down rigger weight is connected to.

[GAMBLER]

The X4 can be used on any rigger in the boat. Depth Raider, and Moor need coated cable and a dedicated rigger.

[Mick]

I have the X-4 probe and the older 840 transducer, and display and Love it.

[bowbender]

Check the price on a Depthraider at Cableas. They sent out a special flyer with Depthraiders on sale for $389. I also had a $20 off from a promotion ad. Right now they have free shipping promotion which will be about the same as $20off.

[mbm147]

i have used both and the x4 is sooo sweet the surface speed is never right... its easy to install and does the job beautifull the display is really nice and it just works well.. im a newer fisherman and i like the simplicity of low maintence... i have enough new things to worry about like catching fish and presentation ..than having to worry about coated cables and dead batteries...good luck!!!