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ok, as my earlier post said, my fish finder died and it's time to move on. It was an older Eagle Ultra Classic and I really enjoyed it over the years. It really did what I needed, both on the boat and the ice. I could see the jig, the fish, etc.
I know things have changed drastically since I got that one and wanted to know what others have seen with the newer finders.
I am looking to find something in the $200 range, something I can use on the ice, on my boat, and on my little 14' aluminum boat (probably would need to buy another transducer or something like I had on my Eagle).
I'm seeing a lot of reports of all the new technologies, HDI, DSI, etc, etc. Many of those are out of the price range, and the one Lowrance in the price range is getting terrible reviews on all sites.
Anyway, hopefully I'll get some good responses before this gets moved to a board that nobody ever visits. I'm looking to buy something soon so I can actually get out on the ice again as I have only been the one time in about 7 years (last weekend).
Thanks!!!
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You might try looking at something used for that price range, I bought a used lowrance a few years back and it turned out a real good unit.
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It's model year close out time for Humminbird. You might find the 386 for that price range. Check out Amazon and good luck. I got an $800 unit for $450 ish. Later J
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Cabela's has 4 Lowrance X-4 models below $220 right now.
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It depends on what you are looking for. Some fish finders have really wide cones. Some have dual cones. I love my dual cone. It has a 20 and a 60 degree cone. Works really good in shallow water. A lot of guys swear by a flasher, I will take my finder any day over a flasher.
Good advice above, Amazon has some good deals, and hummingbird gets my vote for a finder in your price range. The 153 has wide cones and is cheap, the down side is they don't sale it in a portable package. Ebay has a ton of good deals too.
The main thing you want to look for is the transducer, the wider the cone the bigger the area at the bottom, but a narrow cone will show better detail of bottom structure. Its not the head unit that makes a good finder, its the transducer. Let us know what you end up getting.
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Thanks for the input. I'm mostly looking for what features, options, etc I should look for in a finder that can be used in the various situations mentioned, as well as experience based on the finders you have.
I'm not looking for the most portable as the screens on those tend to be quite small. My old Eagle is a 5" and I have it set up in a tacklebox with a small 12v battery to run it. I should be able to fit most 5" finders in there, and possibly some of the 7", though those tend to be out of the price range.
I've looked online at some of the ones indicating DSI, HDI, or other acronyms. Does anyone here have any experience with those? The Lowrance one my price range has terrible reviews, but there are a couple of Hummingbird ones that are around the same price.
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I've had a Humminbird 165 for ice fishing and it has been great so when I needed another finder I purchased a Humminbird 195c. I have used it this year for ice fishing and it has made the difference for me from smelling of skunk to catching fish. Its easy to use which is good for me because I'm technologically handicaped. It was just under a $ 200.00.
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I might be able to take a stab at the Humminbird initials... ci, the c is for color display, I think the i was for gps, but not sure on that one... HD is for the screen type and I think this was the high definition display, and the di is for down imaging(x-ray like picture of terrain), but this feature may be out of your $200 price range... I think you can get a catalog that explains the features just ask the clerks at Sportsman's and they will get you some literature... Good luck... J
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Here are a couple I'm looking at on the websites (Cabelas, Sportsmans, Bass Pro Shops, etc). After spending way too much time looking through them I think I'll go with Walmart.com (same price as Amazon / eBay, but can be returned to a local store if needed) and I'll probably go with one of the Humminbird models:
Humminbird 561 DI. Has the new Down Imaging as well as traditional sonar for only $210 at Cabelas and just $185.52 at Walmart.com. 5" screen, 320x320 resolution, grayscale
Humminbird® 571 HD DI Sonar - A little higher price at $260 Cabelas, $250 Sportsmans, and $221.99 at Walmart.com, but higher resolution. It does say dual beam, but not sure if that means the other is the more traditional sonar in addition to the DI.
Lowrance Mark-5x DSI. Also down imaging on sale for nearly 1/2 price (around $180). 480x480 resolution, 5" screen. Better resolution than the Humminbird 561, but doesn't have traditional sonar (sounds like that's a must for still fishing, like ice fishing) and the reviews on it are terrible.
Let me know if you've had any experience with any of these, or your thoughts on the specs. I'll probably order within the next couple of days.
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