OK I have a boat....which fishfinder??

KansasKatter · #1 10-02-2006, 12:21 PM

Now that I finally have purchased my first boat, what is the best fish/depth finder for use in a 16' aluminum boat? The majority of the time this boat will be on the river, with a little lake mixed in. What would be the best finder for:

A. Price - like to keep it as low as possible of course, under $200 if possible

B. GPS - not really necessary

C. Water temp, and fish ID are a must

D. Are there depth/fish finders that will locate cats on the bottom?

Thanks for any suggestions, I know this is the place to get the info to make my decision!

bigtimeblues · #2 10-21-2006, 07:50 PM

I'm afraid it's "you get what you pay for". Since your not interested in GPS that will save you some money. But don't get hung up on that fish ID. My experience is that it doesn't pick up fish right on the bottom as well. I have a couple of Lowrances, a garmin, and a humminbird. I prefer the Lowrance. The one I prefer has all the "goodies". It's already obsolete and out of production though. To really pick up fish on the bottom look for watts. The higher the watts the more ability it has to pick up detail in deeper water. Also the higher the pixels the better the screen picture quality.
On Lowrances web site they have where you can download a simulation of some of ther finders and learn the controls. But it will also help you learn how to identify fish, brush, schools of baitfish, etc.
I hope this helped you a little. I lean toward the Lowrance and would buy the best I could afford even if I had to wait awhile to buy it. Buy a cheapy of ebay until then to find the holes and structure. Resale it when you can afford what you really want.

Willy · #3 10-25-2006, 08:54 PM

Check at Cabelas and see what they are closing out on older models. You can pick up some pretty good equipment cheaper and still have new warrenty that way.If ya got the cash you can find some good deals that way. All the guys I run with have went to Lowrance type of electronics and ya really cant go wrong. get the biggest unit you can afford as I have found that the screen size helps with not having to press your nose to it to read the screen. Color is nice but more pixels is the way to go. A X15 is a good unit and new models are not too far from coming available. I heard that Lorance is coming out with a model that will rival the new high dollar Hummingbirds that is gonna be sweet.