Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv

Curated from 114 real Reddit conversations

Refreshed on: November 20, 2024

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Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv

Brand: Garmin
Price: $159
Snoop Score:
6.8
Sentiment
8.0
Popularity
8.4
Technical
5.8
Buy on Amazon for $159See All Fish Finders & Depth Finders Reviews
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Snoop's Take

The Garmin 010-02550-00 Striker Vivid 4cv is a 4-inch color fishfinder that employs vivid scanning sonar color palettes to reveal underwater structures and fish with impressive clarity. It comes equipped with a GT20 transducer that delivers both traditional CHIRP and ClearVü scanning sonar, along with built-in high-sensitivity GPS for marking waypoints and mapping. Anglers in the community are largely effusive about its performance, with one user declaring, 'Is the Garmin striker 4 the best bang for your buck?' while many have been loyal since 2016. The vibrant color display and precise sonar imaging earn high marks, even though a few complain that 'the screen was WAY too small' and that the fish icons can be misleading. Overall, the tone reflects satisfaction among beginners and seasoned users alike, who appreciate its no-nonsense, budget-friendly approach. In conclusion, despite minor critiques regarding display size and iconography, the Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv stands out as a recommended choice in its category for both optimized fishing performance and reliable navigation.

Not for you? Check out our other rated Fish Finders & Depth Finders

Is the Garmin striker 4 the best bang for your buck?

Positive Feedback

My only gripe with mine is I wish I had done the Striker 5 or 7 for the bigger screen when there's a couple of us jigging in the popup.

Negative Feedback
Product
6.8
Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv
Buy on Amazon for $159
Optimized Fishing Performance
8 / 10
Enhanced Navigation
8 / 10
Versatile Mounting Options
4 / 10
Real-Time Underwater Monitoring
6 / 10
See how this compares to all Fish Finders & Depth Finders

What it does well!

Key strengths users can’t stop talking about.
Reliable performance and great value
“Is the Garmin striker 4 the best bang for your buck?”➕
“Garmin striker 4 plus is dope.”➕
“Been running mine since 2016 and have seen everything under the sun since then and I don’t see any need to upgrade.”➕
“If your not going crazy with lovescope or sharing screens, and just starting, the 4 is perfect”➕
Enhanced color display options
“I believe the Plus is being discontinued and the Vivid is replacing it.”➕
“I bought a Striker 7 Plus CV on sale when they went discontinued.”➕
Clear view sonar improves water column imaging
“Then you have the clear view option. It seems to filter the water column better and is a much better view of what is under you.”➕
“Definitely sounds like the 4cv is my clear choice.”➕
Extra features justify extra cost
“Get the CV.”➕
“I've got the 45CV which has preloaded relief maps for my local waters..”➕
Effective for targeting individual fish and identifying fish‐holding areas
“Everything you see on the screen is history, the most current data is at the very right edge of the screen.”➕
“I mostly troll, and I use I my Garmin 4 to locate schools (usually Kokanee) so I know what depth to target.”➕
“Vertical sniping with sonar was a thing long before ridiculously priced live scopes and side scans.”➕

Where it needs some work!

Areas to watch—feedback on possible improvements.
Small screen size limitation
“My only gripe with mine is I wish I had done the Striker 5 or 7 for the bigger screen when there's a couple of us jigging in the popup.”➕
“For me the screen was WAY too small.”➕
Fish icon display is misleading
“Turn the symbols off, learn to interpret the sonar.”➕

Compare On All Talked About Dimensions

Product NameImagePriceScoreCompareSee DetailsBuy Now
Lowrance HOOK2 4X - 4-inch Fish Finder with Bullet Skimmer TransducerLowrance HOOK2 4X - 4-inch Fish Finder with Bullet Skimmer Transducer$107
7.5
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Garmin Striker Vivid 5cvGarmin Striker Vivid 5cv$299
7.1
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Garmin Striker Vivid 4cvGarmin Striker Vivid 4cv$159
6.8
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Hawkeye FishPod® 5X Bluetooth FishfinderHawkeye FishPod® 5X Bluetooth Fishfinder$54
6.4
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Humminbird Helix 7 Chirp MDI GPS G4 Fish FinderHumminbird Helix 7 Chirp MDI GPS G4 Fish Finder$549
6.1
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Humminbird XPLORE 10 GPS Fish FinderHumminbird XPLORE 10 GPS Fish Finder$2136
6.1
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Humminbird PIRANHAMAX 4 DI Fish FinderHumminbird PIRANHAMAX 4 DI Fish Finder$158
5.9
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Humminbird HELIX 5 SONAR G2 Fish FinderHumminbird HELIX 5 SONAR G2 Fish Finder$203
5.7
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Humminbird PIRANHAMAX 4 Fish Finder BlackHumminbird PIRANHAMAX 4 Fish Finder Black$103
5.5
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Lowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShotLowrance HOOK Reveal 5 SplitShot$387
5.4
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LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth FinderLUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder$42
3.9
DetailsBuy
Lowrance HOOK Reveal 9 TripleShotLowrance HOOK Reveal 9 TripleShot$484
3.6
DetailsBuy
Lowrance Elite FS 9 Fish FinderLowrance Elite FS 9 Fish Finder$825
2.8
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Venterior Portable Rechargeable Fish Finder Wireless Sonar SensorVenterior Portable Rechargeable Fish Finder Wireless Sonar Sensor$85
2.4
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ReelSonar Portable Fish Finder Accurate Fish Depth FinderReelSonar Portable Fish Finder Accurate Fish Depth Finder$81
0.8
DetailsBuy

Core Power Plays

The specs and strengths that make it shine.
Discussion on mapping and GPS integration features
“Hummingbird calls it auto chart and Garmin calls it QuickDraw contours.”➕
“The more passes you make over an area the more detailed the contour map.”➕
“Lowrance calls it Genesis Live.”➕
“I’d like to be able to save the maps, or just the data (I'll convert it to a file that's readable in google earth with a script), so I don't have to be dependent on the fish finder to access the map.”➕

Hidden Hero Hacks

Unexpected tricks and side‑door uses you’ll love.
Clean wiring installation solutions for Garmin fish finders
“I used the YakAttack thru hull wiring kit for mine. Looks nice and provides a good seal.”➕
“Drill through the hatch lid and use something like a Wilderness Systems Through Hull kit to waterproof it.”➕
“If you don’t want to drill into your boat, your best option(IMO) is the yakattack cell block with a switchblade arm for your transducer.”➕
“Buy a set of step drill bits and some marine adhesive that flexes (I use goop).”➕

Buyer’s Cheat Sheet

What to check before you click ‘Add to Cart.’
Comparison among Garmin Striker model variants
“The screen on the Plus 4 is taller than the 5 which gives a better view for ice fishing, where as the 5 is much wider than the Plus 4 which is better for running dual screens with the mapping or down imaging.”➕
“I really like my striker 4 plus. I can run 2 functions on the screen and see it fine.”➕
“Same here, I’m perfectly happy with my 4 Plus CV.”➕
“I really just like to see water depth & water temp. Which the 4 plus cv does just fine.”➕
Garmin Echomap and LiveScope discussions
“Not coupled to a motor, just used as a GPS/fishfinder.”➕
“Best fishfinder on the market.”➕
“I feel like I got a steal of a deal.”➕
“Let’s just say none of it looks like it does in the demo.”➕
Optimization settings advice for fishing modes
“In shallow water I use low frequency, lower gain - for wider scan cone. In deeper water (over 25ft) I use the high frequency chirp and higher gain.”➕
“Check out this guys full tutorial on the unit, it will answer all your questions”➕
“Biggest thing I’ve come to love about it is the different colour settings, makes it easier to see in bright conditions and less harsh on the eyes when it’s overcast or dusk/ dawn.”➕

Cautionary Callouts

Know the pitfalls before they catch you off guard.
Outstanding Garmin customer service
“I called and they one day shipped a brand new transducer for free with almost no questions asked.”➕
“Garmin has taken care of me a few times, above and beyond their warranty.”➕
Surface returns are noise caused by wind and wave turbulence
“The returns at the surface are just noise - turbulence from the wind and waves on the water.”➕
“This is such an in-depth (no applause please, it was purely coincidental) response.”➕

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