Best fishinder under $150 (Budget now increased!)

[BonairII]

I'm looking for a fishfinder under $150. The Humminbird 561 is a new model so I can't find any reviews on it. Seems to be a good unit...and can be in-dash mounted which is a plus IMO. Anyone have any insight on this model? Or can someone recommend a different fishfinder in my price range?

Just looking for the best FF I can get within my budget.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

I'm looking for a fishfinder under $150. The Humminbird 561 is a new model so I can't find any reviews on it. Seems to be a good unit...and can be in-dash mounted which is a plus IMO. Anyone have any insight on this model? Or can someone recommend a different fishfinder in my price range? Just looking for the best FF I can get within my budget.

You need to maybe up your budget to $200 or $250.

If that won't work then here is my suggestion: Mark5x Sonar Fishfinder. This unit is "black-and-white" (grayscale, not color) 480x480. That is 33% better resolution than the HB561 by 33% I have an Eagle 480 (very similar product, same company) that is a coupla years old now that has been a fantastic tool on the water. I run it side-by-side with a 640x640-pixel color sonar/gps but I never use the 640 for sonar because it is color and therefore only has half the resolution of the 480 grayscale. (works fine though- I tried it! But the lesser resolution is sometimes noticeable)

The "modern" edition of the classic FishID Pro is the X-4 Pro at only $109....

 

[BonairII]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

My budget is pretty much set in stone. Too many other things needed for fishing and the boat itself.

What's the deal with "dual beam" fishfinders(the 561 has it). Do I need it?

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

..."dual beam" fishfinders(the 561 has it). Do I need it?

I do not think you need it.

That is unless you need to read VERY deep water. Basically 50Khz gets you good deep response

200Khz provides better (about 60 degrees wide) coverage and returns from the shallower water. Basically the top 130 feet or so.

Mine (200Khz) does well at tracking bottom to about 310 feet or so.

But even if I see fish at 120' two important things to think of:

1] those are usually lakers (and catchable) and my target is usually landlocks. So I ignore them most often.
2] I also manually set the depth to display 100 or 150 feet. Whatever is deeper than that- I don't care! I am most often targeting salmon and trout anywhere from the surface to 60 maybe 75 feet and by setting the scale at 100' it gives me very decent size fish arches.
3] I don't run in the "Fish ID" mode as that eliminates a lot of decent info and calls clouds of bait a Fish.

I want to see the bait, too!

 

[dingbat]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

I have an Eagle 480 (very similar product, same company) that is a coupla years old now that has been a fantastic tool on the water. I run it side-by-side with a 640x640-pixel color sonar/gps but I never use the 640 for sonar because it is color and therefore only has half the resolution of the 480 grayscale.

A 640 x 640-color display has less resolution than a 480 x 480 B&W?

Until you get into the large screen displays the only thing a higher resolution does is to make object appear smaller on the screen. My fish finder with 6.5", 240 x 320 display shows just as much detail as my 8.5" unit that has 480 x 640 resolution.

200Khz provides better (about 60 degrees wide) coverage and returns from the shallower water. Basically the top 130 feet or so.

What transducer are you running that gets you anywhere near "an honest" 60 degrees at 200 kHz? Most are in the 12-20 degree range

 

[BonairII]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Ok, I've changed my budget. I can go up to $300 if it's absolutely necessary, but I really don't want to spend that much if at all humanly possible. I need a new reel, so I'd like to save a little cash for that also.

Any thoughts on this unit? I don't care about color, but I'm liking the 'down imaging'. If down imaging isn't really a big help then I'm open to other options.
http://www.basspro.com/Lowrance-Eli...ishfinder/product/53518000/247261#description


This one also looks good, but is at my max budget.
http://www.basspro.com/Humminbird-Fishfinder-570-DI-Sonar-Fishfinder/product/10210564/102292

I'm liking this one, too because I can mark fishing spots etc
http://www.basspro.com/Lowrance-Mark4-Fishfinder/Chartplotter/product/11090805011714/247264

 

[BonairII]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

I pulled the trigger on a FF today. Ended up getting a Humminbird 540 DI Sonar. Has dual beam sonar and down imaging. Seems like a real nice unit. Picked it up at Bass Pro for $279 cause I made them match Walmart's online price.
http://www.basspro.com/Humminbird-Fishfinder-570-DI-Sonar-Fishfinder/product/10210564/102292


Couldn't resist picking up a BPS Pro Qualifier baitcasting reel and a new 7' BPS rod also.
http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Pro-Qualifier-Baitcast-Reels/product/102287/37353

The reel is smooth as silk. I've only fished with a baitcasting reel 2-3 times, but after some adjustments to the reel.....I was casting long and accurately(in my yard) in about 5 mins. No backlash at all.

 

[magicman1942]

Re: Best fishinder under $150

Re: Best fishinder under $150

I just did an extensive review on this Humminbird Fish finder..Feel free to check it out

http://fishfinderreviews123.com/humminbird-piranha-max-170-waterproof-fish-finder-review/