Lowrance Hook2 4x GPS Fishfinder

A good unit - easy to use. Like other reviewers, I found the lack of any user documentation frustrating. I had to go online to find a manual for the Hook2 series. However, most of the manual dealt with navigation, down scanning and other features that the 4X doesn't have. Even the diagrams were for higher end models and took a little working out which buttons related to which features. Only about six pages were relevant. Common Lowrance! - it can't be that hard to provide half a dozen pages with 4X specific diagrams in the box. Especially given that many customers will be buying this outfit as their first sounder. I purchased this unit to provide a second screen down at the transom (I also bought a second battery [deep cycle, 7Ahr] for around $45. This saved wiring ... MoreA good unit - easy to use. Like other reviewers, I found the lack of any user documentation frustrating. I had to go online to find a manual for the Hook2 series. However, most of the manual dealt with navigation, down scanning and other features that the 4X doesn't have. Even the diagrams were for higher end models and took a little working out which buttons related to which features. Only about six pages were relevant. Common Lowrance! - it can't be that hard to provide half a dozen pages with 4X specific diagrams in the box. Especially given that many customers will be buying this outfit as their first sounder. I purchased this unit to provide a second screen down at the transom (I also bought a second battery [deep cycle, 7Ahr] for around $45. This saved wiring in to my existing electrics and also a drain on my main battery). My main unit, with navigation, down and side scan and other bells & whistles is up the front and difficult to see when fishing down the back. I use it off shore and offer these couple of tips for others thinking of doing the same: 1) switch off the 200kh frequency of your main unit as the signals will confuse the transducer of the 4X; and 2) if there is any current and you are using burley in anything over about 15 meters, you probably won't see the fish as they will be down current and out of the cone range.

I’ve had mine for 3 years. This unit doesn’t show the bottom after 50’. The auto depth adjustment just doesn’t work and is constantly switching scales so what you end up with is 10’,15’,20’,30’ all the way to 120’ switching ever .5 seconds with a line on the screen making it unreadable. I have to manually set the depth range and then at least I can see structure but the depth display only shows up about 1/4 of the time so I’m guessing all the time. Lowrance tried to help and even sent me a new unit but the exact same problem with the new unit (I have no complaints with the customer service I received). Save yourself some time and trouble and spend a little more and get a better unit. Look up problems with this unit and you’ll see in not the only one.

I think this is the best bang for your buck without jumping to 2 or 3 times the price, and even most of those don't have the coastal charts/maps I'd be looking for. I don't do much inland fishing, so most the extra maps available don't help me. I wish they'd sell a charting feature that would let us map the bottom in areas we fish and have plan/topo view with changing contours. We could even upload our information online or to a server somewhere to create an overall view for others to use. (I've seen lake options for this, but for some reason I couldn't find a coastal version)