Is this old skool fish finder any good?

[mike64]

Money's tight, and something like a new fish finder is waaayyyy down on the list of things I would buy for myself. So my wonderful wife, thinking of me, bought a fish finder at a garage sale for $10. She says the person selling it told her it was 10 years old and originally retailed for $250. Looking at the manual it says "copyright 1987" so it's at least 22 years old. It's an Eagle ID-6300, with the old liquid crystal low-res B/W display.

Can anyone tell me if this thing will be of any use in finding fish, or was it a waste of $10? I can almost hear the laughter. I expect jokes so bring 'em on, but I'm hoping I'll get a serious comment or two, like "it's not worth the two 6-volt batteries you need to put in it", or "it was a great fish finder for its time, and it'll work, but it'll probably just make you want to go out and buy a new one".

 

[JB]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

"it was a great fish finder for its time, and it'll work, but it'll probably just make you want to go out and buy a new one".

 

[Splat]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

Ditto what JB said. The problem will undoubtly be the resolution and the ability of the unit to detect fish echos. Technology has come a long way since 1987.

Bill

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

What a deal! What a wife!!

I may be in the minority here but I believe that you should use this thing as long as you can without putting any money into it(except buying batteries).

Even if the digital depth number is correct you will at least know where the underwater ridges, dropoffs, bottom structure are and that is valuable info.

Is it a dual cone? The manual shows 8 degree and 20 degree cones so you will want to find out which you have(will tell you how large of a footprint the sounder has on the bottom).

Link to manual
http://www.eaglenav.com/upload/Eagle/Documents/Manuals/ID-6300.pdf

If it is a dual cone then that would be a larger reading than some brand new fish finders that are single cone(depending on the degrees).

If it doesn't end up working for whatever reason you can always buy a piece of plexiglass and convert her into a glass-bottom boat and just look down to see if there's any fish around

 

[mike64]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

Huron angler, I don't know which cone I have. I have the manual but it says there's another manual that has info on the transducer, and I don't seem to have that. Hopefully it's a 20 degree.

I'll give it a try. Anyway, I wouldn't want anything too modern in my old skool '71 Saf T Mate!

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

hi mike. I have an 83 four winns with an old humminbird depth finder of about the same vintage. I also have an old humminbird fish finder. I luv them both. The new ones are nice but if you know what you are doing and learn how to use it, that old stuff will work just fine.

You are a lucky man to have such a thoughtful wife. She deserves a hug and a kiss.

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Is this old skool fish finder any good?

I have an Eagle SupraPro ID I got new in 93. It catches a lot of fish. New stuff is many times better... Working on a new one for myself, but old doesn't necesarily mean bad.