Garmin strikes a chord with new fishfinder range
Garmin’s new Striker range of fishfinders offers anglers high-end technology at an entry-level price.
Combining CHIRP traditional sonar, CHIRP DownVü and SideVü technology, along with a built-in high-sensitivity GPS receiver, these units are powerful tools for freshwater, estuary and inshore anglers fishing from kayaks and smaller boats up to around 5m in length.
The Striker fishfinder series is available in bright, sunlight-readable 3.5” (Striker 4 / 4dv), 5” (Striker 5dv) and 7” (Striker 7dv / 7sv) colour displays that feature a new rugged design and keyed interface that’s built to withstand the harsh marine environment.
Bringing Garmin’s true CHIRP sonar to the entry-level market, this technology creates crisper fish arches with better target separation than traditional sonar by sending a continuous sweep of frequencies that are interpreted individually on their return. Even when fish are stacked up, CHIRP sonar helps anglers better determine how many fish there are and which are the largest.
For anglers who want to see greater detail below the boat, the Striker dv units feature built-in CHIRP DownVü scanning sonar, which provides a nearly photographic image with detailed representation of objects, structure and fish in both freshwater and saltwater. The larger Striker 7sv also adds SideVü scanning sonar for those who want to see fish and structure up to 200m each side of the boat.
As well as the built-in GPS antenna, all models incorporate a waypoint map, so marking fish or bait and navigating to favourite fishing spots and other areas of interest is quick and easy. When trolling, the GPS provides an update once per second, giving anglers the precision needed to dial in the exact trolling speed and optimise lure presentation. Users can also share waypoint data across multiple Striker units, as well as Garmin echoMAP series units.
All Striker fishfinders come with everything you need – including transducer, and transom-mount and trolling motor mounting brackets – to make getting on the water fast and easy. The five new Striker models offer flexible mounting options, so the units can tilt and swivel for an optimum-viewing angle. An optional flush-mount kit is also available for in-dash installation, as is an in-hull transducer mount for kayaks.
The Striker series is also compatible with a wide-range of optional Garmin scanning transducers to customise sonar performance and installation options.
