Fishfinder Shopping

[ktisdall]

I'm a total newbie fisherman.   But last summer I know we spent a lot of wasted time trying spots that yeilded no fish when we could have seen what was there and moved on.

So I'm looking for a basic fishfinder with good imaging, able to show the fish and bottom while moving.  I don't need gps, color display is preferred if possible.   All for under $450.   Salt water, depth 100 ft or less.

At the risk of causing a fuss like an oil thread, what are you guys finding to be good, reliable units?


--Kevin
1984 CCP200

[Capt. Bob]

Here's a start:

search.php?keywords=fishfinder&terms=all&author=&fid

[ktisdall]

Thanks Capt Bob!

I did search and came up with less than yours, but looking through it there's not much relevant info to my questions.  Most have no detail, many are more expensive and almost all are fairly old units.

Again:

At or under $450
Fishfinder only
Color Preferred
Reliable - Waterproof
Able to show fish and bottom while moving
Salt Water
Mainly for 100ft or less depth
New or still for sale.


--Kevin
1984 CCP200

[Capt. Bob]

This is what I have (Gen 1 model).
http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/ ... en-us.aspx

It works really well but some say not for long. Mine's 3+ years old I believe. Lot of bells and whistles I never use but it shows the bottom very well here in the shallow Gulf.

Good luck.

[Georgie]

At the risk of (unintentionally) sounding rude, yes you do want GPS.  It is an absolutely essential tool for fishing that allows you to go back to your own previously located spots without wasting a ton of time searching, and also allows you to rapidly locate spots provided to you by others or located on charts.  

...unless of course you say that because you already have GPS; in which case I completely rescind my recommendation.  

[ktisdall]

Thanks - Already have a gps and I'd like to keep those functions separate.  Also I'm pretty familiar with the NMEA0183 connections to network the devices together.

--Kevin
1984 CCP200

[Georgie]

As you were, then!

FYI - Humminbird build their entire legacy building quality affordable units for the recreational user, and since LI Sound is not deep, you don't need anything with multiple frequencies or other features those of us do in blue-water areas.

[gran398]

Thanks - Already have a gps and I'd like to keep those functions separate.  Also I'm pretty familiar with the NMEA0183 connections to network the devices together.

--Kevin
1984 CCP200

You  might want to check in with Seabob. He is always rigging boats with new electronics, when the old ones work perfectly fine....the owner is just looking to upgrade to the latest and greatest in bells and whistles.

A few year old Furuno would meet your requirements nicely.

[Bergertime]

I would look at the Lowrance HDS5.  Its got great sonar imaging and having a backup GPS is not a bad thing.  I just helped a friend put one on his boat and I love the bottom detail.  Seems the better sonar units that are in your price range are coming in combo units with the exception of the CHIRP ones that after the transducer is added might be more than what you want to spend.

Food for thought... On the newer combo units you can mark a waypoints directly off the sonar screen getting the exact location of that ledge or structure which is a little more difficult if not impossible with two different units.  Moreover, I often use my Garmin 76cx hand held in tandem to my 740s when I am offshore.  It’s nice to be able to isolate my drift pattern without clearing my tracks on my 740s which I use for navigation.  Guess just a couple other reasons to buy a good combo unit even if the GPS functionality is partially redundant.  

One other thing... Since you are new I wanted to add....  I always opt for buying quality even if it costs a little more and still falls within reason to my budget.  Sonar options like color are important in that it helps the user id the makeup of what is on the bottom, i.e. sand, rock, reefs, mud... u get the idea.  Do some research on how to use a good sonar and then shop for the unit that will support the type of fishing you do within your budget.. This will help you be successful.  Not sure how it is there but down here... In some places if you off by a couple feet, you might as well be off a couple miles.  Good luck!

http://www.imarineusa.com/lowranceelite ... mount.aspx


B

[ceejkay]

if your not looking for a super expensive unit i would look into Lowrance elite series. my last one was an elite 4 dsi. the screen was a little small but you can get a elite 5 for 350$. that has a gps built into it but still a very good bottom sounder. for spots under 200ft it will paint a picture. my new boat im planning on putting in an elite 7 hdi

[ktisdall]

Georgie / Bergertime / ceejkay -

Thanks all.  Very helpful.

I have agonized over the combo/no combo units and I have a greater need to save money on this that to have a super-easy time marking waypoints.   I'm new here, but have owned a few large (30-40ft) sailboats and done a fair amount of racing and offshore sailing where going cheep is a bad idea - so I get your point.  My main focus is our 34' sailboat and sailing to maine this summer, on top of getting a new-to-me engine running on the CCP this spring.   This will be to take advantage of the few opportunities that i have to try fishing.  Optimizing that time is the goal but I have to do it at budget level.

Buying used-but-recent would be interesting.  But especially with the Lowrance units, the imaging of their newest models seems (seen in demo mode and a few online videos) to be a real step up.   I have been interested in the Lowrance Elite-5x HDI which is available for $399 in most places.  To hear some validation of that model is reassuring.  And a warranty tends to be compelling for me, but it's not a show-stopper.

So far, the fishing has been for Striped bass, blackfish, porgies, and bluefish.  Housatonic River and between Bridgeport and New Haven.  Almost all in under 50 ft of water.    I also scuba dive and it might be fun to look for underwater structure to go look at in person.

--Kevin

[wingtime]

keep in mind one neat feature my HDS is if I scroll back on the sonar to mark something.. it will give me a gps way point of where that something was at!

[ceejkay]

keep in mind one neat feature my HDS is if I scroll back on the sonar to mark something.. it will give me a gps way point of where that something was at!

same with the elite. im a big lowrance fan, there is a ton of features. Now that your saying you have a sail boat as well, i would look really hard at the elite 7. there is a nema connection for it for sailboats. gives you wind and a hole bunch of stuff. you can get the unit without a sounder for 599. pick up an extra power chord and sounder and just swap the main unit from boat to boat. obviously it a little more than your budget but something to think about. you could basically have 2 gps/chartplotters for the price of 1.

[ktisdall]

Fortunately (or unfortunately) the sailboat is all set on chartplotter / sailing instruments (which give depth).  It has a nmea2000-networked Garmin 740 for a chartplotter (no sounder option) and is all we really need for that boat.

The Elite 7 series is waaay out of my budget.   I went to the local West Marine to get a look at a few.  The Elite 5 series displays look fine but they didn't have the 5x HDI in stock yet.   The garmin echo 300c had a great display and is actually less expensive. But it doesn't have the downscan imaging which seems like it would be very helpful.

--Kevin

[wingtime]

Look online such as thegpsstore.com