Review on Garmin Striker Plus 4: 4-inch Screen with Dual-Beam Transducer & Protective Cover (010-01870-00) by Tyler Munajj

After being used on the ice last winter I cannot understand how Vexilar can sell their product with very limited features at exorbitant prices. I blame it on the redneck's herd mentality. I had never used or handled a fish finder before purchasing it, so it took me a while to learn how to read. I've used it through ice at depths of 6 to 40 feet. I have gotten the most accurate results by working with two frequencies and in a telescope. The low frequency cone is very wide so you can see fish approaching you while the high frequency cone shows fish close to your lure. On the ice, the fish appear as red dots of varying lengths rather than "arches" because they are not moving in the boat. I could easily see my hook, air bubbles, lone minnows, schools of minnows, layers of mud/algae and any fish that weren't at the bottom of the lake. In my experience, the auto gain is high, making the stripes thicker. I'm used to adjusting the gain every time I change the depth or density of the weed. I installed the included converter to the end of the 3/4 plastic tube and periodically drilled holes for an adjustable crossbar. I would get fuzzier readings if the sensor wasn't 3 inches under the ice. My teenage son and I enjoy the opportunity to make cards. The deeper the water, the wider the reading. At a depth of 20 feet, I could drill wells 60 feet apart without suffering from gaps in the map. Of course it would be easier on a boat and I'm looking forward to trying it this summer. 7 hours of continuous use at 10 degrees Fahrenheit would put 1 point on my 5Ah battery. When drilling holes or fighting fish, I've often splashed water on the surface of the machine with no damage. If this device has a fault. It will be an interface with multiple buttons and menus. Exploring the incredible amount of features and customizing them to your liking requires a lot of buttons, which are greatly reduced as you adapt them to your usage style. It would also be great if the keys were backlit, but at $160 the features are still overwhelming.