NorCross HawkEye F33P Fish Finder

* Does what it says for a great price (bought here for $45) * Accurate depth finder * Doesn't show you a bottom "scan", it detects fish and indicates the relative depth. * Has an audible alarm for fish detection. * Detects the bottom type: structure and grass. * Super portable and works fine in my plastic (rotomold) kayaks * Can connect the detector to a broom handle, and point it in any direction underwater I use this for kayak fishing, and the fisherman's bottom line - I've been catching more fish since I started using it. Couldn't find it anywhere before it got re-stocked on Amazon. My biggest concern was installation in the kayak. I found I could simply set the detector inside the bottom of the kayak, and it worked fine. No need to glue it in. The manual has a note about not working through plastic, but it works great on my two kayaks (a Native Watercraft and a Wilderness systems, both sit-in). The key is that you usually have to place the detector on the bottom first, then turn it on. It will then properly calibrate to shoot through the hull. (Assuming you're not using a sit-on-top with a double hull) I would have paid $40 for a good portable depth finder alone. Kayak fishing on the Chesapeake, knowing your depth is key to finding fish. The other great feature is the bottom type detector. Oyster beds show up in the small "rock" icons on the display, which allows me to set up right over the bed. The fact that it also has a fish detector is a bonus. For those of you used to more expensive fish finders, the only downside to this device is that it does not have a scanning display. It uses algorithms to detect the bottom type (eg rocks, grass) and fish, and then indicates that on the LCD display.

This will be an ongoing review based on customer service. The device worked perfectly for the first day, the 2nd day the depth readout only worked for about 4-5 minutes, then it stopped working and only displayed "---". Did a lot of troubleshooting over the next three days trying to use it. It seemed to display depth for a few minutes, then just "---". I was not in deep water and as it was working the previous day, it was clearly an issue with the device. New batteries did not resolve the issue. Currently my review is only based on that one day and now a failed unit. I understand these things sometimes happen and although I was disappointed, it's just part of life. I've started the warranty replacement process, let's see how service recovery goes...

I bought this Hawkeye for a recent fly-in fishing trip to Canada, for it's light weight and size. For the money, I didn't expect much out of it, but I was pleasantly surprised by it's performance. I used the broom handle feature and a clamp to attach it to the rear of the boat. The 20 - 25 ft. cord is plenty long enough, and comes with a built-in velcro strap to secure the unused cord. This unit gave consistent readings of depth and detected fish better than I thought it would. It worked well at trolling speed, but went WACKO at higher speeds - Not a big deal........ The features all worked very well. The audio beep, the backlight, the bottom detection, Etc. The AAA batteries lasted for the entire week, two/three fishing sessions each day, each session lasting 3 - 4 hours. Doing the math, I had this unit turned on for a minimum of 35 hours, maybe as much as 45 hours, and the batteries are still working. Take an extra set, just in case, but don't over-do it. The ONLY problem that I had with it, was that it quit working for a short period of time. I had it laying on the boat seat in direct sunlight in the middle of a very hot day, and the display would not read any depth or mark fish. I listened to the transducer and heard the faint "clicking" sound, indicating that the unit was working. I picked it up and it was VERY HOT to the touch. I turned it off, covered it with a towel and let it cool down. I turned it on for the evening session, and it came on and worked fine for the rest of the trip, making a mental note to keep it out of the direct sunlight in the middle of the day. Kind of a pain, but for the money, what more can you expect. The case is made of black plastic which absorbs heat. If Norcross were to use a lighter color of plastic, this probably would not have been a problem. Because of this, I give it 4 stars instead of 5. Very happy with this unit otherh wise.

I use this product in my canoe and to ice fish. I think it works great for both activities. I have tried to use it from shore, but it is not as easy to use that way. While the cord is 35 feet long, it is difficult to throw it out that far. In the canoe, it works great. I have put it directly in the water and also had success setting the sensor in the bottom of the canoe in a puddle of water. It shows the depth of the water, the bottom and whether there are fish around. It does not guarentee that you will catch the fish, but like another reviewer stated, I have never caught fish when the finder indicated that there were not fish around. My best day was when I situated myself in an area where the finder showed fish and I luckily had what the fish wanted. It was great! Ultimately, it is just a toy or a tool to use. Fun to have and fairly inexpensive. I would recommend to anyone to try. I have been pleased. You have to make sure the cord is connected tightly. Batteries seem to last a long time. I hang the cord out of the canoe and then just keep 25-30 feet of it bundled together so it doesn't get tangled. That seems to work well. For the canoe and for ice fishing, 10 feet of cord would seem to be sufficient.

I live in the NE part of SD and bought this in late Nov/12 primarily for ice fishing. I put in new lithium batteries and went out for the first time with it yesterday (January/13). I first used it in 11 feet of water, and it did not work at all, I only got for depth was "--". I spent almost 15 minutes trying to get it to work, messing with the plug making sure it was securely snapped in as suggested by hint 5 of the directions, tried adjusting the output strength, adjusting the float away from the sensor, tried a variety of depths, but it still would not work. I then moved to deeper water and thought I would give it another try but this time when I went to use it again in 16 feet of water, it would not turn on at all, it was a nice day out too, it was in the upper 20's but remembering some of the reviews stating that it wont work in the cold I thought I would give it a chance to warm up by putting under my jacket but after an hour, it still would not power on. I then took one of the batteries out and put it back in, it finally did turn on. I was certain it would work now but I still got the dreaded "--" for depth. By this time I was convinced I had a defective product and I was beyond my 30 day return with Amazon, I was upset with myself for not trying it out sooner. I was ready to put this thing away when I pulled the sensor back up onto the ice and to my amazement, I saw a reading of 1.5 on it. I then realized it was finally working, was it actually reading the depth of the ice? I'm not sure but it was reading something so I started messing with it again. I put it back into the water, past the ice and again "--" nothing. I now started to concentrate on getting this to work and was no longer fishing. I put the sonar back into the water (about 3ft) and slowly raised it out of the water and when it reached the top of the hole, it quickly flashed 16 feet and then back to "--". When I placed it back on top of the ice, it would read 1.5 feet again but nothing past the ice (it was not black ice). I realized then, it may not be working because the lake has a muddy/silt bottom. Unfortunately most of the lakes I fish have this type of bottom and I usually fish between 10 to 20 ft of water so in the end, this will not work in the lakes I fish, very disappointed. I did not buy this to measure the ice thickness and while that might come in handy for some, it was not what I was looking for in this fish finder. I plan on updating this when I try another lake that is deeper and has more structure with a rocky bottom. I also noticed the bad reviews have been recent so I'm wondering if they have changed or redesigned something for the worse because most of the good reviews are two years old. If you plan on purchasing this, be sure to try it during your 30 day return policy. Disclaimer: I DID NOT receive this item at a discounted rate, I paid the full going price at the time of purchase and my review was NOT influenced in anyway (feel I should make this disclaimer these days).

This fish finder may be the cheapest brand name model out there,but it sure works as advertised.I used it on my 14' fishing boat on a local lake and it reads depth/bottom structure properly.I've fished this lake for many years,and am very familiar with its depth and bottom structure.Weeds,rocks,clear sandy bottoms and drop offs all read correct.It shows fish at defined depth properly.Although it doesn't define fish size,we caught some nice bluegill and a few crappie at depth it showed,fishing right off the side of the boat with redworms.Depth read 30',fish were showing at the 4th block on right side of screen,so we fished at 12' deep.I really liked the alarm also.Sometimes it would go off continually and showed fish at different depths,so we assumed this was a school of fish.Probably the crappie because that's when we would catch them easily.We should've had minnows to catch more though.This unit was easy to use right out of the box,(nicely packaged too) only needed the owners manual a couple times,since I read up on this unit and watched the NorCross video before purchase.I never tried it fishing off the bank,will do that in the Spring,when fish are closer to shore.Battery life seemed good,stayed on 6 hrs. with no problem.Screen was easy to read,even in direct sunlight.This unit looks to be quality built and with a 2 year warranty,you can't go wrong at this price.Like any other electronic device,with proper care and handling,this fish finder should last many years.I'll give this to my Grandkid someday when he's older and ready to take care of his 'toys'.It's a great little 1st fish finder and I give it 5 stars.

Set it up with a canoe mount that kept it in the water pointing straight down. I could hear the ticking sound that indicates it was working. It gave readings sporadically in less than 10 ft of water but then quit all together. (The BWCAW lake I was in was about 50 ft maximum depth.) Tried all of the sensitivity settings but no response. Another canoe in our group was using the Showdown Troller by Marcum (also a portable fish finder) and his was seeing the bottom, the fish, and his jig just fine. Returned mine for a refund.

I was looking for an inexpensive fish finder to use for my canoe and had read some positive things about the Hawkeye so I purchased it. Its fairly simple to use and it works just fine. Shows the depth, which appears to be very close. It also shows fish and their depth along with debris/grass on the bottom, which you can change the sensitivity for different water types (clear to murky). The only negative thing I can say about it is the plug from the sonar to the unit. You think its pushed in all the way but you get no readings, so you push it in harder and although it doesn't feel like it moved, it starts working. There are a couple of spots in the manual where they stress to push it in hard and check it first if it doesn't work, so I assume the bad design has caused a lot of complaints in the past. All in all though, I recommend it as a great fish finder for the money.

It works great for my useage and being portable can't wait to take it ice fishing...... My old NorCross bit the dust and the company has a trade up program but they suggested I purchase a new one because the cost difference is insignificant

I bought my unit from Amazon.ca last February 9 and I had the opportunity to use it today when we went fishing. I followed all instructions including pressing the sonar sensor into a hard surface when inserting it into the the display housing but the depth reading remained "---". We were approximately in 15 feet of water and the water was calm. Also, when pressing (with a lot of pressure), I did not notice a click sound although the plug was firmly inserted into the socket. I checked the unit itself and it makes an audible click sound albeit faint. I am very disappointed with my purchase. I would either like to get a refund or a replacement ASAP.

Nice product. Great, friendly customer service. Thanks!