Ice Fishing with the Garmin Striker Cast Castable Sonar

[@wayneburks5872]

This is the best demonstration of this device. Thank you.

[@RyanBretzel]

Neat use....though how would it work if there is 12-20" of ice? Seems the signal gets blocked a lot with ice unless beginning of season. Not like a transducer that hangs below the ice layer

[@PhattyBarnett]

So glad that you found this lovely little device! I have had my unit for just under one year and have loved it for fishing out of a float tube and using the tether. I can’t wait to use it ice fishing as well! Thank you for the great video.

[@johnspecht7449]

That is a great new device. I see a bunch of applications for it.

[@nanto2159]

Would be interesting to see how it compares to a traditional Garmin striker or other sonars

[@SiegfriedWenus]

Really nice, well done and informative clip. Thanks!

[@davidbrazell3866]

That little unit is awesome.

[@nautidawg5203]

Great video! I just got one from Santa yesterday and look forward to ice fishing with it here in Vermont (if we ever get ice!)

[@robertholcomb6200]

I always wondered if that style of sonar worked well. Thank you for the answer. Maybe Santa will bring me one!

[@Handzee321]

I bought a Vexilar T/box it worked great with my I pad basic finder but then it died this looks like another solution to portable fishing with a larger screen. Cheers 🍺🍺🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@charliehine3072]

Thanks for the link I will be ordering one🤣

[@dalewilliams6440]

It's almost same as deeper. Awesome

[@joshkliniske6766]

Bought one after forgetting to bring my battery for my Garmin on my kayak the first time out for the season and then the second time forgot my bail mount. Figured I’d just leave it in my kayak crate full time and rod case for ice fishing for backup. Tried it out and was blown away how well it worked. While drifting in clear water I could see my bait was 7’ away from the pod but I was getting a nice clear reading like if It was directly under it. Noticed zero delay when jigging to my surprise. It ended up working better than I figured it would and that doesn’t happen often.

[@DJhunta]

That is a big Brooke wow.

[@reapergrim76]

Awesome stuff! 👌

[@clarkfelt4098]

I have used my gps version for almost two years now. The battery has traditionally lasted me between 4-5 hours over the ice and about 6-7 hours in the summertime. I also highly recommend getting one. I put it in my coat pocket and plop it in immediately after digging a hole or I’ll drag it behind my kayak in the summer. The only problem is that it will suck my phone battery faster than it will die unless I use my phone on airplane mode or keep my phone on a charger. Once you figure it out, it really is a game changer for light tackle fishing. I bring it with me on vacations with a little telescopic rod and immediately find success. The only downside is that I wish the charger input was not on the bottom. It would be better if it was wireless charging or something. I have to dry the thing out completely and destroyed my first one by plugging it in a little wet.

[@russellingaroundoutdoors]

Awesome video. I actually added an iPad/tablet mount to the hub in my Otter so I could run something like this.

[@TheRoss57]

I did the same with a tablet. Have you experienced time between when you jig and when it moves on screen mines sometimes a half second to a full three seconds behind.

[@russellingaroundoutdoors]

@TheRoss57 I ended up going a different route, so I have not run this type of finder. I have heard the lag time to be quite common

[@danm1319]

Awesome thanks

[@frederickjuneau7874]

I was thinking doing the same this winter 👍

[@frederickjuneau7874]

Would be good on thiner ice, but thicker ??? Not sure

[@practicedm]

That is freaking cool

[@spiltmilt]

I thought so too

[@KVL_laiskin_beta]

I have the same sonar but sometimes those pins freeze then it wont start.

[@Obi44440]

It looks like the returns are closer to real time on the phone, it seems snappier

[@spiltmilt]

Yes its essentially real time. Almost no lag

[@wubbalubbadubx2]

snappier than what?

[@vtsfishing1110]

Good video! I have a striker cast, but I have a problem with the phone breaking in freezing temperatures, so I bought a striker 4 plus. I have to test it when winter comes here in Finland, i.e. in a couple of months.

[@mittanau]

Moro, kuinka paksun jään kanssa tuo kelluva toimii,jossain sanottu 40cm, ettei pohjosen metrin jäissä pelitä 🤔

[@vtsfishing1110]

@@mittanau toimii hyvin 40cm paksuisella jäälläkin.

[@Dano896]

Curious how it compares to my deeper pro plus ?

[@JonathanDeBoo]

What are your thoughts on using trolling a 14ft alluminum with minn kota electric motor? Or what other inexpensive options would you recommend? Great video as always!!

[@chubbrock659]

Pretty cool, the only way to make it better would be to have it heated to keep the hole from freezing around it

[@spiltmilt]

Yeah that would take a lot more battery.

[@renotimberwolf2139]

Great video! Xmas present 👍By the way, what weight is the spud bar you use to test the ice?

[@spiltmilt]

17 lb spud bar

[@arlanjohnson8841]

Hey Tyler GREAT video, have you started your ice fishing map yet?

[@spiltmilt]

Up and running yes

[@mtcoiner7994]

This gave me some ideas. It would be cool to pair it with a large screened tablet. Is a cell signal required or does it pair via true Bluetooth? This unit + large cheap tablet + portable charge pack = cheap and awesome fish finder set up.

[@spiltmilt]

Bluetooth

[@donkramer3814]

Watching this on our smart tv, I had to find you on my phone cuz hubby declined to let me go back to beginning to find the name of the device. Your demo is awesome! Just fyi please next time say the brand name at least all through the video so if we want to start shopping for the thing, we know what we are looking for. Appreciate your detail except for that. You mention “sonar” over and over but “Garmin Striker” is what I needed to hear to look it up and order it. Now hubby is done watching your video, no secret Santa shopping today:(

[@spiltmilt]

I also link it in the description too!

[@patriceboivin8125]

does this thing work if there is 24 inches of ice???

[@MyExRebirth]

For the price it definitely gets the job done, but I eventually went for Deeper Chirp+ 2. It's more expensive but also more detailed features.

[@spiltmilt]

How long have you had it? I read some pretty disheartening reports on the longevity of those things.

[@MyExRebirth]

@@spiltmilt I bought it last year October I guess from the UK, because the version sold in the U.S is different and older in technology (due to competition restriction laws) and I like it a lot, although I haven't used it heavily, so no words on the longevity but I can't see a difference in rigidity from Garmin, both are plastic and prone to impact breakage. But picture quality and details are way better than Garmin. Multiple modes for bank/ice/trolling/casting. I definitely recommend it

[@spiltmilt]

Awesome thanks for sharing.

[@NorthwestOpenSeason]

I see some people asking about deeper holes. I noticed that even though there’s no wires, the fish hit it on the way out. Wouldn’t drilling a designated hole a couple inches off your fishing hole just for the unit resolve both issues? Also, a powerbank may be necessary for cold weather phone batteries. Really cool video and product though.

[@spiltmilt]

Its so light I don't really care about a fish hitting it so I don't really see a need for a second hole. The concern everyone else has about ice depth is the ice itself blocking the sonar signal since normal ice transducers are designed to be submerged. A second hole would not resolve this issue although it hasn't been a problem for me, yet.

[@jessetharp6319]

I had a Deeper when I was bound to the bank. Worked well but one factor I never hear anyone talk about is how it effects your phone battery. Mine would die extremely fast, even in warm conditions. I found myself carrying a backup battery to charge my phone.

[@spiltmilt]

I didn’t notice any significant drain but I have a newer phone

[@jessetharp6319]

@@spiltmilt that’s good to know. My phone was a couple years old at the time.

[@wstn7938]

How does it work in deeper hole thickness being that it doesn’t hang under the ice

[@spiltmilt]

This was 7" of ice. A 9 degree cone is really narrow so I don't expect any issues with the 7-10" of ice that is typical in Northwest ice fisheries. I will try it later in the season on thicker ice in the mountains.

[@2fastlm]

15 inches of ice it's a pain, I'm going to figure a way to submerge it so it doesn't struggle so much, I love it otherwise.

[@MichaelMyers1982]

Can u mark waypoints with the gps model?

[@jakewiebe8450]

Thanks for the video helped a lot for me, Do you know how it would work on 4 feet of ice i heard it just measured the depths of the hole then if the ice is so thick do you know if that's true?

[@spiltmilt]

I don't know how well it would work on that thick of ice. Its likely the signal cone might be blocked at those depths

[@jakewiebe8450]

@spiltmilt ok thank you!

[@lincolnpalmer7174]

I have a Deeper that I’ve used for a few seasons. Looks very similar to the way this operates. My only complaint about these is the battery life. I get about three hours before mine needs a recharge, and having the phone out in the cold seems to drain it much quicker too.

[@spiltmilt]

The battery life on this is in the 8-10 hour range but I can see the phone being a problem for some models with undersized batteries.

[@BlacksmithSportsman]

You should do a video comparing it to the Vexilar T-Pod. It is about half the price of the Garmin. I personally have the Deeper Pro+ and am quite happy with it.

[@lauriemcdougall8415]

I'm thinking about buying one of these units to use on lakes near where I live. I was wondering if it will connect to an old cell phone? It doesn't have a sim card, so no data use possible. Android S8 cell.

[@spiltmilt]

As long as the software can run and Bluetooth works you should be good

[@TheRoss57]

Based on your videos I just purchased one for ice fishing. I noticed sometimes there’s a significant lag time. Sometimes it’s perfect but most the time it’s a half second to a full 3 seconds behind. Bluetooth signal is strong and unit is close to phone. Any help would be appreciated!!

[@spiltmilt]

Did you change the scroll speed?

[@jasonmarlowe0]

How do you think it’ll do in a river? Thinking about getting one to throw in some of my rivers to look for coho or springers stacked.

[@spiltmilt]

Probably fine in slow deep moving pools but anything with lots of turbulence and bubbles is going to be hard to interpret.

[@jasonmarlowe0]

@@spiltmilt perfect. Those deep spots is what I’m targeting anyway. Could be a game changer if it’s accurate so I don’t waste a bunch of time at a hole with no fish.

[@UncannyCheeto]

Any reason for not just putting the transducer in a different hole? Any reason I shouldn't be doing it?

[@spiltmilt]

For transducers with wider cone angles using an adjacent hole is fine. For narrow cone angles like this unit uses I wouldn’t be able to see my target

[@Eisele07]

This is excellent information. I cannot justify a 1500 dollar fish finder in Idaho. More bang for your buck gear reviews would be appreciated.

[@northwestfishingadventures6004]

How high in elevation are you fishing?

[@jasonparke4720]

So kind of a similar question to one that's already been asked, how do you think it would do in thicker ice, say greater than 14"? Do you think there is a point where the ice would be too thick to use it?

[@spiltmilt]

It will depend on your hole diameter but I don’t think it’s going to be an issue for me. A 9 degree cone is about 1.5’ wide at 10’ of depth. Which means at 3’ in depth the cone is a little less than 6” in size. I almost never encounter more than 24” of ice anywhere in the Northwest

[@jasonparke4720]

@@spiltmilt Thanks for the reply and the review. Seems like a neat tool, I'm definitely interested. Most MT lakes don't get too thick but some western lakes get a lot of snow-ice-slush and late season can have over 30 inches. Some lakes will get >24" of clear ice. I'll just have to pick one up and try it out. I enjoy your content, I've definitely picked up some tips. My son loves smoked kokanee so we chase them plenty.

[@verdeanpetersen8350]

Can it be trolled be hind the boat, or caste and retrieved?

[@spiltmilt]

both

[@elkskiutah8204]

how will it work with 30" of ice a small 5" hole??

[@spiltmilt]

No idea. I don't own a 5" auger and I rarely encounter 30" of ice.

[@oledevo]

And what if the ice is 1m + thick? Will it even work?

[@spiltmilt]

I don't know. We rarely have ice greater than 60 cm. That being said a 9 degree cone at 1 m will be about 15 cm wide, so it may work depending on the diameter of your hole and the placement of your sonar transducer.

[@bobmackay9281]

How long did the battery end up lasting you each day?

[@spiltmilt]

ive yet to have it die on me up to 7 hrs

[@bobmackay9281]

@@spiltmilt awesome thanks for the info. Great video I'm looking forward to using mine.

[@jackofallfishing]

It's a cool unit. I agree with you on all the benefits of it. I did notice the water detecting sensor had a tendency to freeze over when moving from hole to hole so I had to melt it by hand or wait a bit for it to dethaw in the water. The range also can be an issue, I found that the signal can be great some days and work as far as advertised and other days just a few feet before it disconnects. I also wonder why Garmin hasn't enabled a speed readout for the GPS version so it could be used for slow trolling. The contour mapping is great, especially for lakes/ponds without charts and being shore bound, really helps you determine the structure.

[@verdeanpetersen8350]

Maybe it could be trolled behind a planner board

[@spiltmilt]

Maybe range is 60'

[@tazeat]

I'd be far more interested if it had it's own wireless display

[@spiltmilt]

Why? The majority of people already carry an expensive display unit in their pocket all day.

[@tazeat]

@@spiltmilt For a couple reasons, I don't particularly like having a small slippery barely water resistant very expensive display propped up to see around water either on a kayak or on the ice and then there's the fact I can't really do anything else on my phone while it's connected and still watch the water. I guess I'd feel better if I used a second old phone as a dedicated display device and grabbed a mount for it. But a small 5" water resistant display that floats with a built in stand that you could slip on your pocket would be slick.

[@spiltmilt]

Something like this then amzn.to/3GtQroR

[@practicedm]

Hope your wife is doing ok

[@spiltmilt]

On the road to recovery.