Garmin Striker Cast Review: Highlighting the Good and the Bad

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Written by
Ernest Grey, Product Reviews Managing Editor

I love to test new fishing gadgets and share my opinion.

The Striker Cast is a fish finder and makes one of the best fish finder devices we have reviewed.

To be at the forefront of technological advancement, Garmin replaced their traditional touchpad screen and introduced the Striker Cast’s lowly transducer/GPS plotter, with the user’s phone serving as the fish finder.

The Striker Cast may be just what you need if you’re on a tight budget and need a compact product to fit in your fishing vest.

In this Garmin Striker Cast review, we will highlight both the good and bad of this device and explain why this fish finder might be your ultimate pick.

Garmin Striker Cast Review: A 30-second Summary

⭐ Rating:	3.9 ★★★★
🔋 Battery life:	10 hr.
🖥️ Screen size:	4 Inches

The Garmin Striker Cast is a powerful and versatile castable fish finder, and it’s reasonably priced and highly portable. Although out of all castable fish finders, this is not the most known among fishermen, those who use it ensure it is a functional and beneficial device to have on hand.

This handy gadget is best used for shore fishing, although you could also utilize it for boat or kayak fishing. You can even use it for ice fishing, and can catch fish in the coldest waters.

Technical Specifications

Power source: Rechargeable, built-in lithium-ion battery
Battery capacity: 10 hr. typical use
Charge cycles for batteries: Approximately 1.5 hr.
Plug-in adapter (not included in the box): 5.5 V, 1.0 A. Standard USB cable, computer port, or vehicle charger.
Integrated length of tether: 5 m (16 ft.)
Water rating: Floatable, IEC 60529 IPX7
Weight: 75 g (2.64 oz.)
Temperature range of operation: From -20° to 60°C (from -4° to 140°F)
Temperature range for charging: From 5° to 40°C (from 41° to 104°F)
Compass-safe distance: 2.54 cm (1 in.)
Electrical power transmission and wireless frequency: 2.4 GHz @ 7.78 dBm maximum
Wireless range: 60 m (200 ft.)
Sonar frequency: 260/455 kHz
Sonar depth range: From less than 0.6 m to 45 m (less than 2 ft. to 150 ft.)

Reasons to Buy

Besides the most obvious of the reasons – its price – there are a few reasons we think you should consider when buying.

Reasons to Avoid

Missing quality features. The Striker Cast doesn't have key settings like the Deeper Plus or the Deeper Plus Chirp.
No precise location. This device doesn't do a perfect job when it comes to locating the actual fish.
Not suitable for beginners. Beginners and novice fishermen will have difficulty locating the fish by looking at the underwater structure.
Smart device + Bluetooth required. This fish finder requires a smartphone or tablet with Bluetooth connectivity and has a limited range and frequencies available.

How Does the Garmin Striker Cast Perform When Used in Practice? (Test Experiences)

We examined the GPS variety in-depth, and our fishfinder review aims to tell you whether or not you should buy a Garmin Striker Cast and if it will work for your needs.

The Garmin Striker Cast GPS comes in two different colors, and with or without GPS.
We conducted practical experiments to determine how the Garmin Striker Cast works, what special features it offers, and where it fails to deliver.

Here is what else we examined as part of our Garmin Striker Cast review.

Display

This gadget utilizes Bluetooth to connect with your mobile device, implying the screen quality is comparable to that of your mobile device. Therefore, the quality of the review is reflected in the screen’s performance.

Interface

The design is built on the simple phone app interface of smartphones. The user interface of the Striker Cast app is straightforward, and there aren’t too many screens to go through.

The program provides many display customization choices. You may change the arches into fish icons. For traditional fishermen or those more used to ice fish finders, you may choose between a chart view and a flasher view.

Mapping

The Garmin Striker Cast’s strength is in the mapping. This unit has a superior mapping to units that cost twice as much. The only significant downside is that you can’t build routes and tracks.

You can still make, save, and share detailed 1-foot contour maps with Quickdraw. To its heart, the Striker Cast is a transducer/GPS combo with very few extras, and this feature makes the gadget an unrivaled champ in the field of contour analysis.

Sonar

The 260 kHz frequency has a 22° x 63° cone, whereas the 455 kHz frequency has a 9° x 14° cone. Pictures at lower frequencies are more widespread yet less detailed. The sonar is underpowered in comparison to other recent transducers. However, whereas current transducers may reach depths of over 300 feet, you only see down to a maximum of 150 feet.

Networking

Bluetooth allows the device to communicate with your mobile device; however, your phone must have Bluetooth to use the Striker Cast. Once the app is on your phone, you won’t need an Internet connection to utilize it. Also, when you’re connected to the internet, you can upload and download all the contour maps you need.

Who is Garmin Striker Cast For?

The Striker Cast is lightweight, compact, and, most importantly, cheap. Given the limited features and options, newbie fishermen might find it tricky to recognize what the device does or how to read it.

Based on our overall Garmin Striker Cast review, if you are ambitious or experienced with Garmin products, you’ll find the Striker to be an excellent asset for fish-finding without breaking the bank. It is also well-designed and has mapping features that are more advanced than expected for its cost.

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