Fish Finders

[LaqueRatt]

Never had one. Don't know anything about them. Don't know if need one. One thing I do know is don't want to spend a fortune on one. Some guidance from you old pros would be appreciated.

Plan to mainly fish in a small lake and a nearby river. Would it really do me a lot of good? If get one with GPS will it tell me how fast the boat is going? Would like to spend $200 or less if possible.

 

[briangcc]

I have a Garmin Stryker 4 Plus (I think that's the model). Ultra small screen and basic GPS functionality - it'll tell you the track you've been on and GPS speed but no basemap. I think these can be found in your price range. For a bare bones basic unit, it works - that's about as glowing as I'll get about it.

**For me, the lack of a basemap and a small screen are deal breakers - my admiral was even in one of the chain stores recently sizing up a replacement and she's not one to spend money on such things.

Would it help? Dunno. I use it mainly for depth and finding structure/drop offs. Sometimes that's key to finding fish.

Then again there are days I want to borrow the DEC's shocker poles to make my life a bunch easier!

 

[BWR1953]

I'm "in the same boat" as briangcc. I also have the Garmin Striker 4 Plus; the transducer is currently mounted on my trolling motor and the head unit is on the bow in front of my fishing chair.

As an old school guy (old old!) I just use it to get water temp and depth.

And like briangcc, I also really dislike its lack of base maps and small screen. But it was cheap enough at a hundred bucks (3 years ago), so I got one.

I still use the "pattern" method to find bass and the lakes here in FL are shallow and full of grasses and other water vegetation, so a basic unit was all I needed at the time.

I'm thinking of relocating the transducer to the stern and put the head unit on the console. At least that way, I can start creating my own lake maps. Several that I fish aren't in any databases anywhere, so making my own could be nice. Honestly though, I don't know that I ever will. About the only way I could do that is to go alone (I'm not supposed to do that) and just cruise and record with no fishing gear in the boat. Tough stuff!

Lately, I've been eyeballing the Garmin Echomap UHD 93 SV and may get one later this year. Maybe. Depends on if I catch more fish with the Striker.

 

[airshot]

Basically they will tell you the depth and most tell you surface temp on the water. Some will tell you the volts on your battery. I use the depth feature all the time to stay out of shallows. Many of the cheaper units dont do well on locating fish. I have always had cheaper units and have been pleased with the limited features. Last summer I bought a used boat with a high tech Lowrance unit, gps, mapping, down scan, accurate fish locator and other bell and whistles I havent used yet....I have to admit, it has been pretty cool having the nicer features..do I need them ? No ....do I like them ? Yes I do....would I spend over 1000 for a new one...probably not....but for the price being used....well worth it !!

 

[dingbat]

Unfortunately fish finders are like conventional casting reels.

You don’t want to spend good money until you learn how to use one, but an inexpensive unit is so lacking in performance they are hard to use and learn.

 

[LaqueRatt]

How do maps work? Can I get a map for my lake off a database somewhere? It's not that big, but it is one of the largest area lakes not counting Michigan. Never been on the big lake in anything smaller than a cabin cruiser. Not sure if want to fish that one with my little tinny.

 

[dingbat]

How do maps work? Can I get a map for my lake off a database somewhere? It's not that big, but it is one of the largest area lakes not counting Michigan. Never been on the big lake in anything smaller than a cabin cruiser. Not sure if want to fish that one with my little tinny.

No freebies.....
Depends on the mfg of the unit, but you can either buy a unit with pre-loaded base maps or buy the SD chip with the data

U.S. & Coastal Canada - Marine Charts

Detailed coverage of the entire U.S. coasts, lakes, rivers and inland waterways, plus Alaska and Hawaii. Canada coverage of coastal British Columbia, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Coverage includes Bermuda,

www.navionics.com

 

[LaqueRatt]

Ah, I see. Just thought maybe there would be a way for anglers who have mapped a lake to pass the info along to others fishing the same lake. Like on a thumb drive or something.

 

[dingbat]

Ah, I see. Just thought maybe there would be a way for anglers who have mapped a lake to pass the info along to others fishing the same lake. Like on a thumb drive or something.

Some units are capable of creating your own “maps” by storing the soundings you’ve pasted over to a chip, but pretty useless for navigation purposes.

Since you’re in a small lake, navigation probably isn't a priority. Check to see if there isn’t a user group that shares sounder readings online

 

[LaqueRatt]

Is a small screen going to drive me nuts? Seems like that's the major price difference. As the screens get bigger so do the price tags. I know they also have more features, but I see big price jumps that seem to go along with screen size.

 

[MRS]

Never had one. Don't know anything about them. Don't know if need one. One thing I do know is don't want to spend a fortune on one. Some guidance from you old pros would be appreciated.

Plan to mainly fish in a small lake and a nearby river. Would it really do me a lot of good? If get one with GPS will it tell me how fast the boat is going? Would like to spend $200 or less if possible.

I have have a 7in Garmin now I’m trying to figure out how to get the 9in one. You get what you pay for. And yes you will get the gps speed

 

[airshot]

Bigger screens are easier for old eyes, as the screen gets smalker so does the printed words and numbers !!

 

[airshot]

How do maps work? Can I get a map for my lake off a database somewhere? It's not that big, but it is one of the largest area lakes not counting Michigan. Never been on the big lake in anything smaller than a cabin cruiser. Not sure if want to fish that one with my little tinny.

Depends on your tinny and your experience. You must pic your days carefully !!! I fish Lake Erie in my 16' side console with no issues, but...I do choose my days carefully !! I also have been on the lake for over 50 years and know and understand what the wind forecast means and what it will do. Gotta keep my freezer full !!

 

[dwco5051]

Bigger screens are easier for old eyes, as the screen gets smalker so does the printed words and numbers !!

I just recently upgraded. Before I did I went to various makers websites and youtube and brought up simulations on my computer and changed sizes so they would match the actual size. Found out that even my 84 year old eyes could read a 7" screen at the distance I would be away from the unit in the boat. I was surprised and went with the 7. I did have cataract surgery a few years ago and was more than amazed at the results. Tried it on my wife's Iphone and it was an absolute no way. There is probably a magic size for every different individual.

 

[RMClark]

My boat had a Lowrance Elite 4 DSI when I bought the boat. First "real" fish finder I've ever used. Decent down images to see what's underneath the boat for fishable structure. It also has basic GPS, and is compatible with Navionics maps.

Over the winter, I upgraded to a Humminbird Helix 7 Mega SI GPS G3N. It's not the latest generation of that series, so I got it for about $700 on sale at BassPro. Yes, you do get what you pay for.

My FF has Humminbird's "Base Maps" included. I can upgrade to more complete maps, for a price of course.

In the "new" realm, I see on the BassPro site that the Humminbird Piranha can be had for well under $200. These are basic units; you'll get water temp and depth in addition to a sonar representation. I don't think they have GPS, so you won't be mapping with them. Maybe somebody can correct me if I'm wrong.

I upgraded from my old Lowrance because the display was weak, particularly in bright sun while wearing polarized sunglasses. I decided I wanted side imaging as well.

If you're looking to get away as cheaply as possible, I suggest keeping an eye on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for a used unit.

If you decide you want new, keep an eye out at the retailers for clearance deals on older generation units. For example, BassPro does not show any of the unit I bought just a few months ago, but they do show a Helix 7 MEGA SI GPS G3 for about $500 now. There's probably not a lot of them in stock since Humminbird is on their G4 version now.

Good luck.

 

[racerone]

Old timer told me.------" I just go out to the point / beach.-If I see seagulls diving and fishing , I launch the boat.-Big fish are driving minnows to the surface for the seagulls.- I go get the big fish "

 

[dingbat]

Old timer told me.------" I just go out to the point / beach.-If I see seagulls diving and fishing , I launch the boat.-Big fish are driving minnows to the surface for the seagulls.- I go get the big fish "

Seagulls are minnow and scrap chasers.

If I see seagulls chasing bait I don’t bother getting out of the truck.

Now if I see gannets on the hunt or diving it’s game on.

 

[airshot]

Seagulls are minnow and scrap chasers.

If I see seagulls chasing bait I don’t bother getting out of the truck.

Now if I see gannets on the hunt or diving it’s game on.

Ha Ha....I do a similiar thing, when perch fishing, I look for boats with sea gulls close by. Ifvthe boat is catching perch, they toss the small ones back teasing the sea gulls, if there are no sea gulls, then the perch are not biting in that area because the boat has nothing to toss back....worked well for me for 50 years....so far !!

 

[SirFishesALot]

My experience with fish finders is after you buy one you immediately wish you bought a better unit. A good fish finder will but more fish in the boat. I would recommend watching Craigslist, next door, or Facebook market place for deals on a better unit. A lot of times at the beginning of the open water season you can find deals as other people upgrade. Otherwise at ice on you can usually find good deals as well. If you need one now a Garmin striker 4 is a good unit for under 200.