what fishfinder?

[swimmin' for shore]

G'morning. I'm trying to pick out a fishfinder for a 17' flat-bottom aluminum boat that will be used strictly for pleasure. There's a lot of choices, and I wanted to take a few opinions before I purchased one. Here's a little more info:
I'm looking to spend something in the range of 250 dollars or less.
Looking to find an easy to use, newer model.
Must have depth finder(I think most of them come with these nowadays)
The boat will be for freshwater use the majority of the time, but see limited saltwater use.
The fishfinder will be mounted on the console of the boat, and though I'll keep it covered, it can stay there when the boat isn't in use.
Thanks for any suggestions you can provide. I'll do a little searching, as well. -Swimmin'

 

[jammer]

Re: what fishfinder?

G'morning. I'm trying to pick out a fishfinder for a 17' flat-bottom aluminum boat that will be used strictly for pleasure. There's a lot of choices, and I wanted to take a few opinions before I purchased one. Here's a little more info:
I'm looking to spend something in the range of 250 dollars or less.
Looking to find an easy to use, newer model.
Must have depth finder(I think most of them come with these nowadays)
The boat will be for freshwater use the majority of the time, but see limited saltwater use.
The fishfinder will be mounted on the console of the boat, and though I'll keep it covered, it can stay there when the boat isn't in use.
Thanks for any suggestions you can provide. I'll do a little searching, as well. -Swimmin'

Special note that I found. I know these things are popular...and I have one on my boat. What I hate though is that thing says there are fish there and they're not biting Honestly now I don't even use it.

 

[jtexas]

Re: what fishfinder?

hands down best value in your price range: eagle fishmark 480

three most important features in a fish finder: resolution, resolution, and resolution. get the most vertical pixels per inch you can afford.

 

[Kevin W]

Re: what fishfinder?

I have an Eagle 320C and i am very satisfied with it.
it clearly shows the bottom, depth, water temp, and i added the speedo option so it also shows speed.
base price is under 200$ it has a very detailed color screen.

i would buy it again...

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: what fishfinder?

i have the hummingbird parianah 20 serves my purpose well, i don't need color to see what's not biting.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: what fishfinder?

hands down best value in your price range: eagle fishmark 480

three most important features in a fish finder: resolution, resolution, and resolution. get the most vertical pixels per inch you can afford.

I have the fishmark 320, which is the same thing with less resolution. jtex recommended it, and I LOVE it. I haven't quite worked out the exact details, so I often have stray fish symbols, and cannot tell the difference of a brush pile and rockpile, but I LOVE it. When we get the restoration of the Lund finished, I will get another 320 or 480, even though I already have the equivalent humminbird here. (I got it for free, and really like the eagle better.)

 

[swimmin' for shore]

Re: what fishfinder?

Alright. I'm convinced. I've looked it up and done my research, and also taken your good advice into account. I've been about convinced to go with the Eagle 480, but I'm also considering biting the bullet and going with the gps version for another 200 dollars. A couple more questions, and I'll make a decision so we can get in the water.
I'm not overly familiar with gps...at all....so if I buy the gps combo, is this going to come with sufficient memory and maps and all that, or am I going to have to purchase add-ons to make the gps work efficiently? Keep in mind that I'm not cruising the world, but if I get out and about here, it would be nice to see where I'm at on a lake, river, and particularly in the Puget sound. So the only question is, can I buy this, hook it up, and go or am I going to have to anticipate immediate add-ons? Thanks again. James

 

[jtexas]

Re: what fishfinder?

here's what a fish looks like on the 320:

nah, actually that's either a school of bait fish or a shrubbery, not sure which (note: that photo was enhanced)

but here's an actual photo of a white bass feeding frenzy:

courtesy of my friend John Varner, guide extrordinaire

sorry, can't help with the gps.......wish I could.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: what fishfinder?

I have been very impressed with my humminbird 535,just ordered a new 575...

 

[Boatist]

Re: what fishfinder?

With the GPS it will have a base map. Lowrance / Eagle base maps are better than Garmin base maps but if you want depth contures and detailed bottom detail you will need to buy a additional map of your choice. Myself I never seen the need for the upgrade map. However I fished the same waters for years before GPS was around. I mark my favorite fish spots with a waypoint so I can return to that spot anytime.

I personally feel the GPS will help you catch more fish than the fish finder but of course both help.

Best I can suggest is you down load the product emulator and check the base maps out on your computer before you buy.

Try the unit of your choice on you computer before your buy it.
I would think about a color unit also. If you keep them safe and out of the heat will last many many years so get what you want now and you will not be upgrading in 2 years.

http://www.eaglegps.com/Downloads/Emulators/default.htm

 

[jtexas]

Re: what fishfinder?

remember this: only the extreme right hand column of pixels shows what under you right now - everything else is just history.

also this: each lit pixel represents an object suspended at that depth somewhere in a circle whose center is directly under your transducer, and whose diameter is approximately one-third the depth. So an echo at 30 feet is somewhere within 5 feet of your transom...you won't know if its left, right, behind or right under the boat.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: what fishfinder?

Unless you travel to lots of different bodies of water, I would not buy a combo GPS/Locator. Why not by a separate hand held GPS that you can use in your car as well. With the combo units, if the GPS takes a dump the locator is usually junk as well. On your home lake, you know all the hot spots anyway so a GPS is something you will likely not use. If you are blue water fisherman or travel large bodies of water where you can actually get lost (Like Lake of Woods on the Minnesota/Canadian border) and you do that frequently, then I can see the need.