What makes the best fish finder the best?

[Blanco]

Just looking to get the latest greatest..
What ever helps me catch the most fish. :p

[1FASTLASER]

Thats a ford -chevy question there bud. Both the newest from Lowrance and the newest from Hummingbird is topnotch.....it comes down to a preference as to what you like and want. Before making a desicion on graphs you have to think about what you want in one.......GPS,deep water clarity, extra functions and most importantly price, how much space you have for one.
Lemme know what typ of water you will be fishing mostly and what you would like to have as far as options and I will be more specific

[Stan R]

One thing to consider is how tech savvy you are, I know the units I have can do more than I ever use. Staying with the basics might make sense if you haven't much experience. The more stuff they can do the bigger the price. The most important thing to me is clarity especially in sunlight.

[Blanco]

Since I've never owned one I dont really know what the do & options available.
I did look on the humminbird site & saw color screens & water Temps & depths Thos all seem important to me.
What else can they do?

I want one that makes it easiest to see the fish vs things that might be fish.
I've heard about some like the 18 year old one on the boat I just got that its just a bunch of black blips & lines & stuff & it not very good.

As for what sort of waters?
Bonsai might be able to explain that better I.
Because I only know that I wanna go to Castiac, Pyramid,Piru lakes like that.
But as to what those are like where you live I dont know.

[JEVPhoenixBass]

Blanco,

1Fast has it correct, however you have to let me know how and where you fish before you can start discussing Fords and Chevys. It's the difference between a compact car and a four wheel drive SUV, they both are good vehicles but have different strengths and applications.
There are many variables you should consider once you define your typical fishing areas and methods. Peak to Peak or RMS power levels, display size, color displays, what boat you're mounting the units on, flush mount or RAM mount, etc. are all considerations however, what works best for me here in MO. may not be the unit you need (I did not say want!) in the waters you fish.
Let us know and we'll give you a few suggestions that may help you out!

[Blanco]

JEV, As I said above. I'll mostly be fishing Castiac.
http://www.castaiclake.com/images/maps/map_upperlake_waterways.gif

Pyramid Lake.
http://www.fishingnetwork.net/socal/images/S_T_pmid.jpg

Piru.
http://fishingnetwork.net/socal/images/S_piru.jpg

& others, but for now I'll be fishing these, being they're close to home.

[JEVPhoenixBass]

Blanco,

I'm not familiar with those lakes. I'm a Missouri boy who fished deep most of the time so what I use in a unit may not be the most important feature for you. How do you fish? Deep, shallow, vertical, etc.
I'm a Humminbird guy so my preferences lay there however the model of either Lowrance, Humminbird, Garmin, etc I would recommend will depend upon the methods of fishing you do?
Thanks.

[ChampioNman]

It really depends on what you can afford. Ain't none of them Cheap a Lowrance HDS-5 starts around $600 with lake insight. The display is 5" diagonal. The H'birds are nice units also. I'm not a big fan of Garmin DF's they do make a heck of a GPS unit. I'd look for someone that is upgrading their units and want to sell it. Eagle is a very good unit but this is their last year. Not quite the bells an whistles of Lowrance but same basic unit. You can check Cabela's bargin basement too. Sometime they have blow out items there. Same with Gander Mtn.

[Island Breeze]

All those lake are deep and clear. If your fishing shallow you don't need it 'cause you can see 20' mostly one fishes in the 15-45 ft. range. Also one thing to keep in mind is price You have a 2300.00 boat do you need a 2000.00 fish finder? or will a 300.00 one do.

[Blanco]

All those lake are deep and clear. If your fishing shallow you don't need it 'cause you can see 20' mostly one fishes in the 15-45 ft. range. Also one thing to keep in mind is price You have a 2300.00 boat do you need a 2000.00 fish finder? or will a 300.00 one do.
Do they actually get that expensive?!?!?!

He Bonsai, You know where I wanna fish what do you think I'm best of with for the money?

[1FASTLASER]

Blanco .......yes and more......there are some systems that get as much as twice the amount.

[JEVPhoenixBass]

Do they actually get that expensive?!?!?!

He Bonsai, You know where I wanna fish what do you think I'm best of with for the money?

Hey Blanco,

Based on what "Banzai" said what you should look for is a unit with a dual frequency transducer usually a 200/60 or 200/83 kHz system that will allow you to either use both frequencies or split screen the two frequencies. 200 will give you greater detail at the depths your looking at with a narrow cone of coverage. The standard useful area in a 200 kHz unit is approx 1/3 the depth of water while an 83 kHz cone of coverage is a 1 to 1 ratio with a little less detail. In deep water when you combine the two or display side by side you have the best of both worlds. If you're going to use a single frequency unit stick with 200 kHz
You can purchase great units from Eagle, Lowrance, Humminbird in smaller formats (smaller displays) in color in the $300 to $350 range. More power and larger displays SD slots, etc will increase the costs. 200 kHz systems will be in the $225 range. You can spend up to $3000 for freshwater units and over $5000 for salt water units so buy smart based on your needs and style of fishing.

Here's a link to Humminbird closeouts and they have a 141c with all the TD and cables for around 183. If you buy a closeout unit or used unit make sure the transducer and power cable come with it.

http://store.humminbird.com/products/341693/141C

Good luck, if you have any further questions let me know.