Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

[brokemerc]

My 95 capri F/S 3.0 has two fish finders installed, an eagle and a hummingbird,, Both probably came with the boat but needless to say their rather old and on their last legs. I'm shopping for something new,,, Any Ideas or suggestions??? I prefer to have one that reads water temp but depth is priority 1... thanks for any ideas..

 

[frankie g]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Hec, how much you wanta spend... 100.00 - 1000.00 color. no color? how accurate does it have to be?
I'd say best, go Furuno...next Lorance... my last was a Garmine and I don't think the make a great f/f. they make a great GPS though.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Color doesn't really matter to me,, under $400.. Anyone use the Lowrance X96 Sonar Unit?? I've yet to read a bad review on this one and $199 sounds pretty cheep for all it's got..

 

[JB]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I agree with frankie about Lowrance (includes Eagle) for fresh water, Furuno for salt.

Beyond that it really depends on what specs you are willing to pay for.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

i'm perfectly happy with my hummingbird piranha 20.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I didn't know it mattered salt or fresh water when it came to fish finders... I fish only in saltwater...

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I see the hummingbird piranha 20,, does it shoot through the hull or does the transducer have to be mounted outside the hull?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

on the transom

 

[dingbat]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I didn't know it mattered salt or fresh water when it came to fish finders... I fish only in saltwater...

It used to make a difference primary because the ?saltwater? units where generally higher powered which caused saturation problems with the transducer in shallower water. The new digital units vary the output power, the pulse width and the ping rate so this is no longer that much of an issue.

 

[gunner1]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Hummingbird Model 565.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Saltwater water makes a big difference. Saltwater takes a lot more power to see the bottom and fish. If you fishing less than 100 feet then it not a big deal. As you go deeper you need more power and a narrower transducer. As an example my 192 khz transducer with 375 watts RMS or 3000 watts PeP with a 20 degree transducer would only see fish out to about 200 feet of saltwater. After that I could only see bottom. I changed to a 8 degree transducer and can now see fish out to 400 feet deep.

I would suggest if you are going to fish out to 200 feet deep get a unit with at least 500 watts RMS Power. Deeper than that get a unit with at lease 500 Watts RMS power and Dual frequency. Lowrance Single frequency units come with a 20 degree 200 KHZ transducer. Lowrance dual frequency units come with a 12 degree 200 Khz transducer and a 37 degree 50 KHZ transducer. These are both narrow cone angels compared to the normal transducer. This allows the unit to work better in deep water. The 50 KHZ transducer also penterates saltwater much better than the 200 Khz units.
Also the deeper you go the more vertical resolution you need if you want to see fish.

For saltwater over 400 feet then I think Furuno is the best. Under 400 feet I like Lowrance the best.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Thanks for the advise. My fishing will consist of 100' or less.. Thanks.

 

[Jarhead44]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I have the Eagle 502c. Very easy to navigate thru the different menus. The color makes a big difference, and you can upgrade the GPS with the sd card outlet. You can get them on sale for around 430.00.

 

[KatDaddyJames]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

Hummingbird Model 565.

x2... awesome finder, displays water temp also, and is speed capable. puck is transom mounted, but i believe you can thru hull mount it too, will check my manual if you are interested.

James

 

[lifeisfun]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I'll second the Humminbird 565...

 

[jtexas]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

you asked about the lowrance x96, I have the eagle version of the same unit, fishmark320, IMHO it's about as good a value for the $$ as you will find.

three most important features of a fishfinder: resolution, resolution and resolution - get the most vertical pixels per inch you can afford.

 

[BillP]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

x2... awesome finder, displays water temp also, and is speed capable. puck is transom mounted, but i believe you can thru hull mount it too, will check my manual if you are interested.

James

Yes the Humminbird transom mounted puck can be removed from the mount and work shooting though the hull. Lowrance, Eagle, Garmin, Raymarine & Furuno will too. Mfgs differ on what to "glue" them down with though. Some spec epoxy and others silicone.

I think all transducers that sit flat can do it but there might be exceptions.

bp

 

[rbeck]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

You can't go wrong with the Lowrance X96 Great Reviews
Also speed and temp capable

 

[GiMLit]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

I am looking to buy a fish finder also. I won't really be using it for fishing, more for reading depth of the water I am in. Small inland lakes and such just wanting to be safe as the season goes on and the water levels drop.

I would prefer to mount the transducer inside the hull if possible. Don't really need/want to spend much. Found an OLDER unit online, it is a Eagle Z7000. I am certain I can buy it cheap as it is not likely desirable for most people. Would you advise I go with a cheap new unit or this unit?
Thanks in advance.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Fishfinder suggestions PLEASE.....

not familiar with that unit, but.......you can spend $100 on something you know works, or you can spend $24.87 plus $33.89 shipping & handling for something that might work. ok, so that's an opinion about ebay and not about fishfinders, but you asked for advice..............