5 Best Fish Finders For Jet Skis (Salt and Fresh Waterways)

So you’re looking to get a fish finder for your jet ski after choosing the right fishing jet ski for your weekend adventures. Luckily, you’re in the right place, my friend!

It’s taken me 25 hours of research through personal trial and error, as well as asking for recommendations in some local Facebook groups for PWC riders. From this, I’ve created this list of the best fish finders that you can use on your jet ski that won’t cost a fortune. For those short on time, my #1 recommendation is the Garmin Striker 4.

For those that need a full round-up review, here are the best fish finders for jet ski fishing:

1. Garmin Striker 4

The Garmin Striker 4 is my #1 go-to fish finder for both salt and freshwater environments. It has an easy to use interface and its small design means you can store it easily in the front storage compartment of your PWC. The 4-inch version was enough for me personally, but you can get it in 4, 5, 7 and 9-inch versions for those who want more screen space.

2. Lowrance Hook Reveal 5

The runner-up in this list is the Lowrance Hook Reveal 5. Unlike the Garmin, it’s better for those who want to mount a fish-finder permanently on the dash of their jet ski. There are numerous options you can get with pre-packed maps and even one which has a Chartplotter for avoiding shallow reef sections.

3. ReelSonar Bluetooth Fish Finder For Smart Phones

The cheapest fish finder you can get for your personal watercraft is the iBobber. This is a floating sonar system designed to sync up with your smartphone using Bluetooth. Given that you’re going to already take your phone out there on the water, this option makes the most amount of sense. There is a free app you can download for both Android and iOS and the battery will last for up to 10 hours. Just pack a battery pack for your iPhone as running the Bluetooth system tends to run that flat much faster.

4. Humminbird 410150-1 PIRANHAMAX 4

Imagine a marriage between the Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 and the Garmin Striker 4, and you’ve got yourself the Humminbird 410150-1 PIRANHAMAX 4. This monster has a pretty strong sonar designed to pick up fish from more than 100 metres away! You can buy multiple clamps so you can remove this and use it on your boat, canoe or simply jetty fishing too!

5. Venterior Portable Rechargeable Fish Finder

There is a rise of cheap options with no-name brands coming out of China recently. Now, there is a reason why this is last on this list…and not because I’ve saved the best until last. It’s cheap, it does the job but misses out on the strength and dependability of other well-known brands in the market. Fortunately, there is a 2-year warranty on this in case anything goes wrong.

Buying Guide

Now that you’ve seen my handpicked best options for keen fishermen, it’s time to quickly go through some things you should look for before making that purchase.

Portability

You’ll notice that I’ve only included 1 full-size boat-style fish finder on this list. That’s because a jet ski obviously has much less room to cater for on the dash and most riders aren’t keen to drill holes all over the place. For that reason, portability is my #1 factor as I want something that is handheld where I could even just strap it to my wrist.

Cost

Most big boat fish finders are around the $300 to $500 mark but if you go for portability in mind, then you can get one for much less. Also, consider that you’ll find these for sale 2nd hand on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace too, often for less than half the price of a new one.

Battery Life

All of the fish finders listed here have at least 6 hours of battery life which is good for most guys and gals on the waterways. Should you need more life, consider taking a charger with you if your jet ski has a charging point on board. Likewise, you can simply take a 12v battery pack just in case.

Waterproofness

It goes without saying that waterproofness is very important. IPV6 is highly recommended at a minimum and I’d even go a step further to fit it inside a waterproof plastic cover. Once saltwater finds its way inside, it’s pretty hard for the electronics to really recover.