fishing finder/gps

perchie15 · #1 05-18-2014, 07:31 PM

HEY,

Im debating what kind of fish finder/model i shall get id want one with gps forsure, anybody have any advice they can give me on the fish finders that are out there? thanks guys!

perchie15 · #2 05-18-2014, 07:37 PM

well i guess the big thing now is Sonar i met, sorry use to talking about fish finders haha so sonar/gps combo??? any ideas?

RavYak · #3 05-18-2014, 07:43 PM

Fish finders are pretty straight forward you just have the following options

a) Size of screen
b) Colour or black and white
c) Regular sonar only, down imaging or side imaging
d) GPS or not

If you answer those questions you will be able to slim the options down to only a few.

perchie15 · #4 05-18-2014, 07:45 PM

size of screen doesnt matter to me (thats what she said to me) haha
colour would be nice, but probably pay alot more??
But C? side imaging, down imaging? u lost me there just to where the sensor would be reading from?
GPS would be nice.. but i do have a hand held one... with all my marked spots..

Buckhead · #5 05-18-2014, 07:54 PM

Go to the Humminbird and Lowrance websites and look around.
Everything is explained there.

RavYak · #6 05-18-2014, 08:05 PM

Yeah google up down imaging and side imaging.

Side imaging you probably want at least a 7 inch screen and are going to be looking at $1000 or more.

GPS and down imaging will run you $500-600. Can get descent basic sonar finder for around $200.

The one thing I just found out about GPS fish finders is that most of them don't come with maps only a blank screen showing a boat... You have to pay like $200 more for the maps... So if you have a handheld GPS that has maps and that you are happy with a basic fish finder might be good enough.

perchie15 · #7 05-18-2014, 08:10 PM

yeah i think ill just keep the one i have now until it screws up i dont even have a clue about the sonar lol it has it but i mainly use it for depths and such..

RavYak · #8 05-18-2014, 08:13 PM

Fish finders unless you go with the top of the line will never tell you that much more then depth, maybe bottom type if you learn how to read them but that can be done with cheaper regular sonar as well.

This is coming from a guy that just upgraded from a HB 565 to a 987c SI and so far has been a little disappointed. Maybe it will live up to my expectations when I fully learn how to get the most out of it.

Pixel Shooter · #9 05-18-2014, 08:23 PM

Its all in price point, then work backwards to see where you can get your big bang for your buck./ as suggested, visit lowrance and hummingbird website, you cant go wrong with either. I run both, find the navigation on hummingbird easier and logical lol. for me, all I want to know is speed, temp, structure and mark waypoints. as far as fish showing on screen, well I think they are all pre-programmed to keep you interested LOL!!

perchie15 · #10 05-18-2014, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pixel Shooter

Its all in price point, then work backwards to see where you can get your big bang for your buck./ as suggested, visit lowrance and hummingbird website, you cant go wrong with either. I run both, find the navigation on hummingbird easier and logical lol. for me, all I want to know is speed, temp, structure and mark waypoints. as far as fish showing on screen, well I think they are all pre-programmed to keep you interested LOL!!

LOL EXACTLY!!! im the same way thats what my handheld one is for mark waypoints/and speed, then my sonar that i dont really now how to use/dont believe it lol shows fish up constant like all in one bunch, to good to be true, i always just say ohh that is just a bunch of bubbles on the bottom haha! Id prob need a quick crash course on mine but meh.. i mainly use it for depth/dropoffs..

newguy · #11 05-18-2014, 08:35 PM

I would recommend the fishin hole for advice. They made it easy for me to decide based on my price point and needs.

One thing I never saw mentioned anywhere is how heavy of a machine can a ram mount hold. My new lowrance was sitting on the floor of the boat after installation and driving home from a buddies place. Even after I torqued it as hard as i could, it still isn't going to hold as I bounce down the highway.

I'll remove it for transport, no big deal. I'll probably only forget the one time that it falls and breaks!

EZM · #12 05-18-2014, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy

I would recommend the fishin hole for advice. They made it easy for me to decide based on my price point and needs.

One thing I never saw mentioned anywhere is how heavy of a machine can a ram mount hold. My new lowrance was sitting on the floor of the boat after installation and driving home from a buddies place. Even after I torqued it as hard as i could, it still isn't going to hold as I bounce down the highway.

I'll remove it for transport, no big deal. I'll probably only forget the one time that it falls and breaks!

Fishin' Hole is a good place to start for sure.

As far as a ram mount goes, I use the GIANT ones, they are pretty good and don't slip unless you are doing hours on the bumpy gravel.

Nevertheless, I mounted a high density foam block (feels kind of like rubber) and zip tied it to the arm to prevent any damage to the unit or my dash.

Best innovation ever !!!!! lol I love ram mount everything.

I also thought about using a tennis ball and/or squash ball ( with a hole in the middle and zipped tied to the arm) for the same application, but settled on the block as it does not slide around the arm at all.

newguy · #13 05-18-2014, 10:09 PM

Excellent advice and pics EZM!

Buckhead · #14 05-18-2014, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RavYak

Fish finders unless you go with the top of the line will never tell you that much more then depth, maybe bottom type if you learn how to read them but that can be done with cheaper regular sonar as well.

This is coming from a guy that just upgraded from a HB 565 to a 987c SI and so far has been a little disappointed. Maybe it will live up to my expectations when I fully learn how to get the most out of it.

Even the cheaper sonars will allow you to target individual fish if you have the settings just right. Just takes a lot of patience.

cube · #15 05-20-2014, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by newguy

I would recommend the fishin hole for advice. They made it easy for me to decide based on my price point and needs.

One thing I never saw mentioned anywhere is how heavy of a machine can a ram mount hold. My new lowrance was sitting on the floor of the boat after installation and driving home from a buddies place. Even after I torqued it as hard as i could, it still isn't going to hold as I bounce down the highway.

I'll remove it for transport, no big deal. I'll probably only forget the one time that it falls and breaks!

For what it's worth Cisco mounts are better than ram for holding.

http://www.ciscofishingsystemsltd.co...ics-mount-5224