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I love to test new fishing gadgets and share my opinion.
Garmin Striker 4 is a 3.5-inch color fish finder, with implemented high-sensitive GPS that allows you to freely navigate around the lake and customize your own fishing map. It is also user-friendly which makes it the best fish finder for both beginner and advanced anglers.
The Garmin Striker offers many perks for the most eager anglers, including CHIRP sonar technology for the clearest underwater structure image and a built-in flasher suitable for vertical jigging or ice fishing, among others. Most of all, unlike other fish finders on the market, this device only costs $100.
these features are only the tip of the iceberg – read our Garmin Striker 4 review to learn the ins and outs of this device, including the pros and cons, and why it might work for you.
Table of Contents
Garmin Striker 4 Review: 30-second Summary
| ⭐ Rating: | 3.8 ★★★★ |
| 💵 Pricing: | Budget |
| 🖥️ Screen size: | 4 Inches |
Before we delve into this review, let’s take a glance at its overall performance.
The Garmin Striker 4 is a 3.5-inch fish finder with a color display that allows you to have a clear overlook of the lake. The built-in GPS and advanced sonar technology make this entry level fish finder worth every penny.
Although Striker 4 lacks contour maps, it offers GPS technology so you can mark drop-offs, underwater structure details, rockpiles, waypoints, and more. As for the sonar, Garmin uses the CHIRP sonar technology of 200 kHz and 77 kHz that picks up lake information fast and in clear imaging. Compared to other fish finders of, say, 1000 kHz, the Garmin Striker has dull image quality and for a clearer picture, you will have to scan a smaller area. The built-in flasher is a key feature and makes for free navigation during the winter.
To top it all off, the Garmin striker 4 comes with a portable kit, extra battery, and long waterproof power cable you can stretch on your boat or canoe which makes it a decent portable fish finder.
Garmin Striker 4: Technical Specifications
- Screen Size: 3.5 inches
- Display Type: HVGA color display
- Imaging: side imaging, down imaging
- Transducer type: (77/200 kHz) transducer
- Transmit Power: 200 W (RMS)
- Sonar Frequency: Traditional: 50/77/200 kHz CHIRP (mid and high)
- Maximum Depth: 750 ft
- GPS Type: Internal
Reasons to Buy
- User-friendly interface. The device is superbly functional and simple to understand for all-level fishermen.
- CHIRP sonar. This allows excellent vertical jigging or ice fishing.
- Built-in flasher, perfect for obtaining clearer images.
- Super-affordable, with an entire unit price of $100.
- Great battery life of up to 3 days.
Reasons to Avoid
- Small screen. 3,5 inches of screen area may be disappointing for some anglers.
- No latitude or longitude. Sadly, the Garmin striker doesn't measure latitude or longitude.
- No NMEA connection.
How does the Garmin Striker 4 Perform When Used in Practice?
To deliver a trustworthy review to our readers, we compared real experiences in using this fish finder.
As per our findings and user testimonials, the Striker 4 is one of the best fish finders on the market for recreational anglers and among the most budget-friendly ones. At the same time, experienced anglers can also use this fish finder to their benefit.
Its CHIRP technology is the most praised by users since it offers important features anglers could use – lake views, maximum water depth, etc. Still, this fish finder comes with no preloaded map option, nor the option to add more maps to the device. At the same time, its users loved that it comes with a GPS system ideal for saving the best fishing hotspots, creating waypoints, and customizing routes.
Many users found that water temperature and direct sunlight are no longer issues with the Striker 4’s built-in flasher mode with 41.7 depth. And last, the majority of users – ourselves included – praised the Garmin Striker for its reasonable price given its numerous features.
And here is how some of its other features work in practice.
Display
Garmin Striker 4 is super practical and comes with a 3.5-inch color display, ideal for fishermen who prefer to fish alone. Compared to other fish finders, this one has a smaller screen, whereas its navigation buttons and settings are easy to navigate through and master.
The image on the screen is clear and detailed as you can expect from a 200kHz scan. To broaden your horizons, you can use the 77 kHz, but expect the image to come out dull in this mode. Nevertheless, the Garmin striker 4 has a dual-screen view option, where you can see both the entire underwater structure and your routes.
Ultimately, even with a smaller screen, this device still serves multiple features that target and find fish efficiently.
Interface
The Garmin striker 4 has an intuitive user interface. When you first power the device, you’ll see the traditional sonar units, flasher, split frequency, waypoint map, waypoint map, as well as user data and other settings. To adjust the device or turn on the simulator, you need to go to Settings>System>Simulator and return to the traditional mode to start picking up data.
Mapping
One of the downsides we have to note is that the fish finder doesn’t come with preloaded maps. But, the Striker 4 doesn’t leave out maps altogether and offers alternatives in the shape of GPS and Navigation features. With the waypoint map, you can mark the best fish hot spots, fish arcs, or barren spots. You can also save maps of any lake or water area you fished at, for future use. According to real user testimonials, the GPS technology in Garmin Striker 4 is one of the best alternatives to pre-saved maps.
Sonar
The Sonar technology of 200 kHz and 77 kHz is what makes Garmin Striker 4 features of premium quality. The main difference that separates this fish finder from others is the Sonar waves. This technology secures excellent fishing with greater target separation. Other models have sonar that emits a single frequency, but Garmin striker 4 offers premium and per-pulse traditional CHIRP sonar waves. Thanks to this technology, Garmin prides itself on its high-quality images of entire underwater structures.
You may use the 200 Khz for clearer image quality, but if you want to stretch the scanning range, use the 77 kHz for guidance. Yes, the image quality will be dull, but you’ll have a better perspective.
Networking
Another drawback we need to mention is that the device doesn’t offer WiFi connectivity, which might be a problem for some anglers who fish at more remote locations.
Be that as it may, with the Striker 4, you can still share maps or other user data to other Garmin devices – by connecting the blue and brown wires.
Who is This Fish Finder for?
Very few fish finders will offer the features of the Garmin Striker 4 – at such an affordable cost. And although the budget-friendly cost also means facing a few mishaps when using the device, its different modes, GPS powers, and especially its CHIRP transducer makes it among the best entry level fish finders out there.
However, newbies as well as experienced and occasional anglers will make great use of the device’s features, too. Since the price range is budget-friendly then this fish finder is a great option for both recreational and advanced anglers. We hope this Garmin Striker 4 review helped you form a real opinion about this Garmin fish finder.