Ice Transducer for Garmin Striker 4, Is it worth getting?

I see another recent post circulating for the Garmin Striker 4, so I appologize for a somewhat similiar thread. My question is only for those who may have used BOTH the transducer that came with the original unit (the one that typically goes on the boat) and also the ice transducer that you can buy with seperately (appears they have now come out with a less expensive one for around $100). My question is, does the ice tranducer make a noticeable difference, and if so, what does it help with specifically? I've been using the transducer that originally came with it for a few years now, and I haven't had any real problems with it, but I also don't know if I might be missing something because its a pretty basic transducer and not specifically designed for ice fishing . Any feedback from anyone who may have used both as to if its worth the additional investment would be greatly appreciated. Thx

For many years I used the summer version attached to a "T" bar to keep it level in the hole, then the last 4-5 years I got the ice transducer for my X67. One thing for sure, less hassle, it simply goes down the hole and hangs there straight down. The one you're looking at is dual beam, possibly better coverage the deeper you fish.

if you are interested, i made a PVC T-Handle for the Striker 4 soft water transducer and used it for ice fishing and it worked very well. It breaks down into pieces and fits in the Striker 4 case for transport. It holds your transducer level in the hole perfectly.

I have purchased the Ice-ducer and no longer need it. I would be wiling to gift to anybody that can use it. I live in Grimsby.

I an send photos to anybody that may be interested. First come first served.

Cheers

CRaig

I just purchased the Striker 4 w/ Portable pack.

I recall using a buddies unit with the soft water ducer last year and wasn’t super happy with the clarity and target separation out of the box. The T bar would have definitely helped with the hassle of getting it level/aligned in the hole, but from what I’ve read about the GT8 transducer, it makes a fairly significant difference in quality with the added chirp signal production and the target separation is supposedly much improved. I have one on order and when I get a chance to test it out I will write back to offer my comparison in overall experience and value of the upgrade.

Check out 1Cast 1Fish on YT for very insightful content

When I first started fishing with a fish finder many years I used what I had,which was the basic boat transom transducer which did work,did it work well?not really,I could mark depth and could see fish in the beam obviously,but more than half the time I couldn't either mark my bait or see a fish at my bait.
The iceducers (for Garmin imo)are great.the only downside is drifting lures(usually spoons)in deeper water.
I have only lost the mark like A jig like meegs when another sonar is close
I would very much recommend a cone transducer

Pretty sure the ice kit (bag, shuttle, battery and transducer) are on sale at BPS/Cabelas for 169 which is $100 off the regular price of 269 right now.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/118793/garmi...ice-fishing-kit

I haven’t used the transducer that comes with the Garmin striker 4, but I did use the gt8 on the weekend and I was able to let 2 other people also fish with the transducer, target separation was good, the zoom works well and was able to take home some Walters, good luck fishing!

Of coarse it is....mine was delivered last week for 269...lol....my fault for having no patience, and wanting to fish over the holidays.

I bought my Strikemaster 24V auger and the next week it came on sale. They refunded me the difference. Contact them and they will fix you up.

I've used the regular transducer for a few years, but I just ordered the GT8 this year and will keep the regular one attached to my boat.

One thing you can only do with the ice transducer is fine tune the beam angle using the Striker menu. So it gives you that ability.

It also has a more powerful chirp range, so you should get more clarity.

I didn't have too many complaints with the regular transducer, but i found when I was fishing in a hut with 3 other guys, I'd sometimes only pick up their lures for some reason. I'm hoping I can narrow the sonar cone and get better clarity to improve that.

There seem to be 3 options:

- Dual beam transducer (cheapest, around $120)
- GT8 - more CHIRP power, wider cone width, best for under 100 feet (around $160)
- GT10 - more CHIRP power, narrow cone width, best for over 100 feet.

I found the GT8 cheapest at GPS city for $139 + $10 shipping.

This post has been edited by donair416 on Jan 05, 2022 - 07:56 am

i bought the ice transducer. Save your money! Just make sure your original transducer hangs flat when in the water.

Just wanted to share my Striker 4 transducer setup…using what I already had.

Scotty transducer mount (taken straight off the kayak).
1 new unused paint stir stick

Fishing out of the same hole as I was runnin’ and gunnin’ all day.

I have a super simple no-added materials fix that works great for me. If you have the suction cup mount, which is a slightly arched plastic piece with a cut-out for part of the cable, you can use that to straighten the wire so that it hangs perfectly straight. All i did was ziptie the cable so that there is a slight bow where it connects to the puck and the weight of the puck is borne by the cable where it meets the tip of the plastic bit. Some guy sells essentially the same thing on Ebay for like $10 https://www.ebay.ca/itm/363236661131 .

Hope this helps someone.

Just wanted to bump this post now that I’ve had the chance to use the GT8 ice transducer with my Striker 4.

Totally worth it IMO. Was fishing near a guy with stock transducer that he built a T bar for. The clarity improvements, cone angle/chirp frequency adjustments that the GT8 gave me at 30 fow was awesome. I imagine it will only get better in deeper water. I was able to narrow in on just my jig and did not pick up interference from other lures/sonars in the bungalow, when I was fishing near a buddy that didn’t have any electronics, I would widen my cone coverage to include him. Slick upgrade.

Would recommend if someone is willing to spare the expense.

I have changed to a ice transducer for my stricker 4 , a lot easier to use great signal well Werth the cost