Fish Finder Recommendations

[Canadave]

Holy smoke!!! There's a lot of newbies here now but then again it's been so long since I've posted that maybe I'm the newbie now. Anyway, my fishfinder bit the dust after 10 years so it's time to get a new one assuming it doesn't make sense to get my bit the dust Lowrance repaired. Being a cheap bugger I don't want to spend a lot of loot, mind you those $10,000 suckers are pretty cool. For whatever it's worth I've been advised to avoid Garmin and stick to Humminbird, Lowrance, Eagle and Furano but that's only one person's opinion. I've seen something that was tempting for $160 U.S. considering my needs are fairly minimal with a 16 foot Harbercraft fishing mainly on a chain of 4 inland lakes. I would consider going up to $300 or a smidge higher if necessary. Any suggestions or recommendations?

[Guest gbfisher]

Most have come down in price for what most people need. Unless your blind like me, not being able to see the smaller screen is what puts the price up.

I have always spent the cash and went with a good finder. It leave less guess work.

Although last one I bought cost me double what the same thing costs now and they discontinued my unit the very next year after buying it lol..........but it is still works great 7 years later.

I've been buying Lowrance for years. Had a couple paper graphs that I only stopped using because the newer units finally caught up with what they can show.

 

Did you say you drive a Harbercraft?

 

buy something nice...

[Perch Thug]

Holy smoke!!! There's a lot of newbies here now but then again it's been so long since I've posted that maybe I'm the newbie now. Anyway, my fishfinder bit the dust after 10 years so it's time to get a new one assuming it doesn't make sense to get my bit the dust Lowrance repaired. Being a cheap bugger I don't want to spend a lot of loot, mind you those $10,000 suckers are pretty cool. For whatever it's worth I've been advised to avoid Garmin and stick to Humminbird, Lowrance, Eagle and Furano but that's only one person's opinion. I've seen something that was tempting for $160 U.S. considering my needs are fairly minimal with a 16 foot Harbercraft fishing mainly on a chain of 4 inland lakes. I would consider going up to $300 or a smidge higher if necessary. Any suggestions or recommendations?

I am one of those newbies, actually I have been reading for years. I needed some info so I decided to join just to ask. Electronics are fickle, and something I know a good amount about. You might be best suited to a Garmin if your looking for something basic. a 300C is a solid piece has a decent sized screen and most importantly is a Color sonar. You can score one online at most places for under 300 bones. If I were buying a mid-priced piece though I would buy a lowrance Elite-5 combo this way you could always get a lake map from navionics once you were tired of the base map.

[Roy]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH David! Really good to see you. No, I'm not dead either! Go Lowrance or go home.

[scugpg]

I'd look at a used Lowrance LMS-520 or 522 if you can go a smudge above $300

[Roy]

Canadave don need no stinkin' GPS.... instinct gets him home.

[bigfish1965]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH David! Really good to see you. No, I'm not dead either! Go Lowrance or go home.

 

+1

[DRIFTER_016]

Yep, I loves me Lowrances too!!!

I have had 4 or 5 over the years and still have 3 of them.

My current one is 15 years old (LMS-350) and replaced an X-16 paper graph.

It's time to upgrade and the minute I win the lottery there will be a herd of HDS units on my boat.

[troutologist]

I really like Lowrance for finders, have an X135 on the bow still. After hearing alot of issues with the HDS line when it was new and some somewhat serious customer service complaints. I went with a HBird. Very happy with it, zero issues. Though still not sure, it has the sonar detal of the Lowrances, however its close.

[TennesseeGuy]

Is Sam still around?

[Uncle Buck]

i've got 3 humminbirds... for the price and the features, you can't beat them...

 

compare the specs to lowrance...

[Beans]

CANADAVE...Now there is a name from the past...

 

Can't help with a fishfinder...I only have a cheap Eagle portable but it points out the shoals and humps for me...

 

Stop being a stranger, especially since we will soon have a Provincial election coming up...

 

Your ideas and opinions are always held in high regard by me...

[Gerritt]

Jesus, Pigs do fly! and the Liberals are all honest folk!

 

Welcome back Dave!

 

Hard to go wrong with Lowrance, or their little brother Eagle..

 

Nice to see you posting, Hows the leg?

 

G

[aplumma]

Welcome home Dave good to see ya again. Here is the link for the lowrance elite hds5 dsiIt while above your price range it has a lot of benefits that you will be glad you have. I really enjoy the ability of the side and down scan of the hsd7 with the lss-1 scanner this is a less expensive version that will give you a real edge on fishing. To give you an idea how sensitive it is it picks up when I shift into gear you see the turbulence or dropping the anchor it shows you the rope.

 

 

Art

[camillj]

With my humminbird 565 I can zoom in and see (distinctly) two minnows and a split shot when I am fishin lakers through the ice at 45 feet ...and I can see when the lower minnow swims up to avoid the 'incoming' fish ... before the line evens starts to move ...

 

It is black and white lcd and a battery lasts most of the weekend in minus 20 weather ... can't say enough good things about it...

 

But I do like those sidescan images - I suspect it will be a while before they drop down to the $300 range

[Billy Bob]

I been called the CHEAP DAMN AMERICAN (Frugal is what I like) but when it comes to my fish finders I don't skimp....L O W R A N C E all the way.

 

Now you can get there many ways...if you want a Lowrance LMS unit it almost has to be a used unit as they stopped making them over a year ago for the new HDS series....they are REAL NICE but PRICEY....

 

Best place is check Ebay or this link for a GOOD used one.

 

http://www.bbcboards.net/zeroforum?id=70

 

These Bass Guys are SERIOUS about their electronics and as soon as a new unit comes out they upgrade at all cost, then sell the used units on the above link.

 

Bob

[Canadave]

crap!!! I just did a huge Damn reply to just about everybody and then itv all just disappeared. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

[Canadave]

HI Tennessee ... Unfortunately I had to put Sam down on October 19. We kept him going as long as absolutely possible on a day to day basis but on the 19th the decision was obvious. He had difficulty even standing and easily fell over. On the 19th we even had to carry him out to do his business which he then couldn't do. He was getting dehydrated so his whole system was shuttung down. His sight and hearing was also bad. It's one of the worst days of your life when you have to do it. He was 2 1/2 when we rescued him 12 years ago, the day before he was going to be put down at the local pound where he ended up after being abandoned so he had 12 more years of being spoiled rotten. He now lives in an urn in the living room.

 

aplumma ... I checked out the Elite-5 DSI but $700 is more than a smidge beyond my $330 maximum

 

camilly ... I've had my eye on the Humminbird 565 for $200 U.S. and I also found a 580 on the net for the same price.

 

Billy Bob ... I checked out that bbcboards.net site which is great and should be helpful. I'll certainly spend some more time on it.

 

Gerritt and Beans ... Looking forward to throwing McSquinty out ASAP. He always reminds me of one of those creepy geeky psychopathic liar jerk guys we all knew in school who brown-nosed up to the teacher and was his/her informer while pretending he was everyone's best friend. No wonder he was a politician.

 

gbfisher ... I bought a Harbercraft 1625 TE back in 2001. As you likely know they're built like a tank, all weld with double thick sides and hull. It would stll be in mint condition if a tree beside the dock hadn't fallen on it and destroyed the windshield. Fortunately my insurance covered it. When I took it out three days ago I backed it into the garage and broke the centre window on the garage door opener but I figure I can get it fixed for a couple hundred bucks.

 

Hi Roy ... Jeez I'm amazed you're still alive. I should talk though, I had an appendectomy on March 29 and they found a Goblet Cell Carcinoid Tumour in it which is a rare (only 600 cases world-wide)aggresive form of cancer. Fortunately it was found early so my chances are very good. The oncologists think there's only about a 20% chance of it recurring and if it does there are other treatments available. I consider myself lucky when I see the shape other people are in at the cancer centre in Kingston General Hospital. I just finished my 6th of 12 chemotherapy treatments which I get every two weeks and am having minimal side-effects so far.

 

It seems like Lowrance and Humminbird are the favourites here with one recommendation of Garmin 300C by Perch Thug. I'll check it out too. I was cruising the site and saw some pictures of PJ and family. My God his kids look like they're all grown up which shouldn't come as a surprise cuz 10 years can do that. Is it just my imagination or did TJ put on about 200 pounds?

[bigbuck]

Take a look at the Eagle units as well, they are Lowrance's lower price units, they are decent for the price. I have an Eagle 420 Fishmark that works perfectly fine for me.

[TennesseeGuy]

Dave, that's unpleasant news about Sam. He was a good one. I've never known a bad lab. We had to do the same with my Beatrice a couple of years ago. She made it up yonder with me for a whole bunch of trips and loved flying on a Beaver.

 

Best to you with cancer treatment. Make cancer sorry it ever met you.

 

We did some Flanders Field posts last week and, of course, I thought of you.

 

take care,

 

TG

[Canadave]

Dave, that's unpleasant news about Sam. He was a good one. I've never known a bad lab. We had to do the same with my Beatrice a couple of years ago. She made it up yonder with me for a whole bunch of trips and loved flying on a Beaver.

 

Best to you with cancer treatment. Make cancer sorry it ever met you.

 

We did some Flanders Field posts last week and, of course, I thought of you.

 

take care,

 

TG

[Canadave]

Things are going very well with the cancer and touch wood I'll beat it.

 

What are the Flanders Fields posts? If it's what I think it is, my grandfather was a doctor and good friend of Dr. John McRae who wrote the poem In Flander's Fields. They went through medical school together. I sent you another mesage which I assume also goes to a mailbox on the site.

[TennesseeGuy]

Dave, received your PM and replied to your new email address. Sent you a photo of my girl, wearing a red collar and holding a rabbit in her mouth.

[readfisher]

...

Edited November 21, 2010 by readfisher

[Canadave]

We miss Sam terribly but take comfort in the fact that we originally rescued him 12 years ago the day before he was to be put down at the local pound and he ended up getting 12 years of being spoiled rotten and loved to pieces.

 

I'm now half way through my chemo which consists of a total of 12 sessions, one every 2 weeks. Each time I also am attached to a pump which I wear for 2 days and then a nurse comes to the house and unatttaches it and cleans my pik line which is a tube attached to my arm which facilitates getting the chemo and blood tests without getting needled each time. So far I'm having minimal side effects consisting of tingling in the fingers and toes whenever it's even slightly cool. I have to be careful about that or I can get permanent nerve damage. My oncologists say that they expect that there's only about a 20% chance that my form of cancer will recure which is pretty good.

 

Speaking of cancer and dead dogs, I've been researching fish finders and called Furuno in Washington State to get info on them. The guy there was helpful and also referred me to www.thehulltruth.com which is boat and boat equipment site. I searched Furuno and found many links related to Furuno and fish finder stuff. The opinions there were overwhelmingly positive about Furuno and very underwhelming about Garmin although with some positives. Comments on Lowrance and Humminbird were also positive. As almost all Furuno products are high-end and expensive and are used primarily on large and commercial and mostly salt water boats, I'm going to start a thread about the LS4100s which is their cheapest line and more suited for inland lake guys like us. I'll let you know if I find anything intersting.