Fish Finder recommendations - Stryker 4 Vivid vs PiranhaMax 4 DI

[Bantou]

Which one would you recommend? The Stryker has GPS and the Piranha doesn't but I've heard that humminbird typically has better resolution than Garmin. Price points are nearly the same for both models. Going to a bigger unit isn't in the budget right now.

 

[LDUBS]

The only fish finders I've had are Hummingbird. I graduated from the PiranhaMax to a Helix 7. I thought the PiranhaMax was pretty neat but of course it is a small screen and limited to sonar. It looks like the Garmin Stryker will do a split screen. That is kind of cool, IMO.

With my current Helix 7, in actual use I pay as much attention to the lake contour lines as I do to the sonar. So for me GPS is a big deal.

 

[Bantou]

The Stryker doesn't accept conventional maps unfortunately, it does tracking and that's about it. The vivid and plus have "active mapping" but I've read mixed reviews about it. I have navionics for my phone, but the phone goes to sleep unless you are messing with it. makes it kind of a pain when you are running across the lake and watching for sand bars/shallow islands.

 

[LDUBS]

The Stryker doesn't accept conventional maps unfortunately, it does tracking and that's about it. The vivid and plus have "active mapping" but I've read mixed reviews about it. I have navionics for my phone, but the phone goes to sleep unless you are messing with it. makes it kind of a pain when you are running across the lake and watching for sand bars/shallow islands.

If no base map that would defeat the purpose for me.

 

[InSaneFisherMan]

I have had a Striker 4 for some time, it's now on my bow trolling motor. Use traditional downlooking sonar only.

The GPS is really nice, mark boat launches, save routes, mark hot fishing spots, and find fish habitats. When I fished some unfamiliar bayou's, it was nice to be able to backtrack my way out.

But you can do all the GPS and a lot of mapping from a smart phone.

Sonar and Display is very good, but my advice is go to a store and look at them in demo mode to get an idea of how they look.

 

[Bantou]

I have had a Striker 4 for some time, it's now on my bow trolling motor. Use traditional downlooking sonar only.

The GPS is really nice, mark boat launches, save routes, mark hot fishing spots, and find fish habitats. When I fished some unfamiliar bayou's, it was nice to be able to backtrack my way out.

But you can do all the GPS and a lot of mapping from a smart phone.

Sonar and Display is very good, but my advice is go to a store and look at them in demo mode to get an idea of how they look.

I’ve used a stryker and lowrance hook on different boats. The Stryker picked up a lot more than the lowrance. I’m curious how the HB compares.

 

[InSaneFisherMan]

A picture of my striker 4 in work.

 

[MrGiggles]

Out of those two I would take the Garmin all day.

I will agree that Humminbird may have better imaging, but on that size unit you will never notice.

If you can swing it, even grabbing a used Helix or Striker 5 is worth every penny. Big difference between a 4" and 5" unit. I had a Striker 5 for a long time, used the crap out of that thing.

 

[Bantou]

I’ve been trying to keep an eye out for a used unit. The problem I’m running into is that people in my area seem to think that 10% less than new is a reasonable price for a used unit. At the price points I’m looking at, I’d rather spend the extra $20-30 and have a warranty.

 

[airshot]

As the season winds down prices will drop. Watch for used that have been for sale for a while, make offers, worst case is they say no.

 

[Stand Up]

Look for "refurbished" Garmin products. I purchased a Garmin Stryker 3 years ago that was refurbished. It came in a sealed box and looked like it was brand new. Plus it came with the regular warranty.
If you're not in a hurry, Black Friday will arrive and save you lots.

 

[Bantou]

Look for "refurbished" Garmin products. I purchased a Garmin Stryker 3 years ago that was refurbished. It came in a sealed box and looked like it was brand new. Plus it came with the regular warranty.
If you're not in a hurry, Black Friday will arrive and save you lots.

Definitely not in a hurry at this point. The original plan was to have the boat ready for a trip to Possum Kingdom this weekend. That wound up not being possible thanks to a crack in the transom and issues finding motor parts. At this point, I’m shooting to have it ready for February for the crappie and white bass runs.

I’ll have her on the water hopefully in the next month or so. But, I can get by just using Navionics on my phone until I find the right unit at the right price.