Basic sonar with GPS and lake maps?

[Elkins45]

My Lowrance LMS-332c is starting to develop dead screen areas, and it’s 20 years old anyway, so I’m in the market for a replacement. I don’t need a giant screen or FFS, just something that will tell me the depth and contour, retain a track of my movement and allow me to store waypoints.

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Brands/...with-US-Inland-Lakes-and-Splitshot-Transducer

I found this Lowrance Eagle 5 with preloaded maps for $305 and that seems like a great deal, but I know enough to know that I don’t know much about modern marine electronics, so I thought I would ask for opinions before spending any money.

I posted this here rather than in the electronics forum because it seemed more like a place for repair questions. Sorry if that was a wrong choice.

 

[bakerjw]

I run some Lowrance gear but mostly it is Simrad. Same company owns them both.
The big question is what kind of fishing do you do? A simple unit like that should meet your needs.

It's a bit more for an Elite 7 unit but they are top quality units and can support sidescan. When I am on the coast, that feature is invaluable.

 

[Elkins45]

I run some Lowrance gear but mostly it is Simrad. Same company owns them both.
The big question is what kind of fishing do you do? A simple unit like that should meet your needs.

It's a bit more for an Elite 7 unit but they are top quality units and can support sidescan. When I am on the coast, that feature is invaluable.

100% freshwater. Bass mostly, some musky.

 

[bakerjw]

Just an example.
This was on Boone Lake here in N.E. Tn. Going up a cove in striper season with a few shad bait balls. You can clearly see structure on the right side of the screen going from shallow to deeper water. As it is a TVA managed lake, there is no vegetation so fish hold tight to structure.

 

[dingbat]

IMHO… side scan on anything smaller than a 9” display isn’t feasible in use.

By the time the screen is scaled to depth, you’re looking for tiny dots on a display. Throw in some glare from the sun and it’s unreadable.
Schools of bait show up pretty well, but I'm typically looking for small groupings of fish that show up as individuals.

I would personally go with conventional CHIRP sonar. Something covering the frequencies between 125-240 kHz would be ideal.

Buy the biggest display you can afford.

 

[Ifishmuskie2]

Dash mount or bow mount?

 

[Elkins45]

Dash mount or bow mount?

Dash mount so I can see the map while driving. I have a separate unit with a transducer mounted to my trolling motor at the bow.

 

[Ifishmuskie2]

I have a 7” screen but it’s mounted close to my eyes. I can drive the boat and push buttons without moving my body forward.

 

[Chris1956]

The size of the screens drive the price. However, the OEMs are discontinuing models all the time and marking them down. I would recommend you get the largest screen you can afford. Preloaded maps are real nice.

 

[Sprig]

I concur with others, get the largest screen you can afford. It makes a huge difference