Which sonar?

[CWCW]

I am looking at a couple of different 17' aluminum bass boats and some of them come with different brands of fish finders (Lowrance, Humminbird, Garmin) and i have also found Eagle (which has not been on any boats i have looked at). Is any brand better than the others as far as ease to use or quality? Most of the fish finders found on the boats i am looking for are basic models with 4inch screens, are these OK for a newbie fisherman fishing in local lakes? Also i noticed that some of the more extensive models have GPS. Is this more of an option for tourney fisherman that may be fishing in a lake that they are not familiar with?

 

[fishnutt]

Re: Which sonar?

They all make good products, If i had to choose the one i thought was best i guess it would be lowrance. Eagle is also made by lowrance. My advice is go with the biggest display screen you can afford, If you fish a lot like i do you will find yourself relying on it more and more.

 

[CWCW]

Re: Which sonar?

Fishnutt,
what do you think about the GPS option?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Which sonar?

If you fish very big water and make repeat visits to many other lakes, a GPS is a good option as you can mark hot spots and it is valuable in getting you back to the dock. However, in my view, a separate hand held unit is more valuable as you can use it in the car as well. Second, if the GPS portion or the locator portion of the combo unit dies, you junk the entire rig. If you have deep pockets, go for the GPS. But in my view most recreational anglers doesn't need it. Spend the money on a better locator. Color locators are getting less expensive and while they are no better at locating fish than the gray scale counterparts, they are easier to read. As for brand, I vote Lowrance/Eagle, Humminbird/Garmin, and PinPoint/BottomLine in that order (the "/" indicates a tie).

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Which sonar?

It depends on what kind of fishing you do too. And how often. I fish for crappie just about 100% of the time. I have several hundred waypoints plotted for Kerr lake alone. It sure has increased my catching by being able to go back to them. But if you just go occasionally a handheld will do the same thing plus you can get a little more use out of it like ST mentioned.

 

[CWCW]

Re: Which sonar?

So im guessing the portable GPS units dont have a "hot spot" location lock-in like the ones that are made for the boat?

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Which sonar?

So im guessing the portable GPS units dont have a "hot spot" location lock-in like the ones that are made for the boat?

Sure they do. They call them waypoints.

 

[CWCW]

Re: Which sonar?

Cool thanks for the replies, i think ill go with the separate GPS so i can use it in my truck when finding my way to different lakes.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Which sonar?

Many things to look for but it all depends on how deep you will be fishing and if it fresh water or salt water. Shallow water like for bass in freshwater lakes then most units will work fine. For bass and other shallow water you will want a unit with a 20 degree 200 khz transducer.

As far as the GPS goes I feel it may help you catch more fish than the fish finder. Marking the spots you caught fish and the rock piles that hold fish will get you to the good spots fast. If you fish the same lakes alot fish will usually be at the same location. Water level and temperature will also affect where the fish stay.

If you go with a handheld GPS make sure you look at the Lowrance
IFinder H2O Mono and the H2O C Color. Both are great units.