Your opinions on fish finders

[BenFishin]

make sure you research the mapping package that comes with the unit, almost as important as the brand you select. IMHO Navionics is far superior to the rest of them but not all manufactures support it

[OceanSunfish]

Good prices on units right now. Rebates by Lowrance this time of year........ In addition, some retailers have been doing some one day 20% off online sales that include marine electronics. Take 20% off then the rebate, and the price is dramatically less.

I will say that it is really easy to get caught up with all the side scan or structure scan stuff........ just remember that you have to have the time to decipher what you're looking at, etc. If you have days on end to 'map' the bottom floor of the delta or lake xyz, then go for it..... if you are getting a day here or a day there to fish, then you may not wish to spend the time looking at a screen as opposed to actually fishing.

IF the fisheries of CA were as healthy as they ever were, we wouldn't need any electronics other than a depth sounder and the GPS would be nice for safety reasons.

[JAWallace]

make sure you research the mapping package that comes with the unit, almost as important as the brand you select. IMHO Navionics is far superior to the rest of them but not all manufactures support it

I have been 100% Lowrance for 25 years, except for a Raymarine unit I got with a boat that I truly hated and sold it. Ben's comment about the Navionics chip is spot on--best thing to happen to small sonars in years. I have topo maps on demand for almost any lake I need and my fish count has improved because of it. I have a 4" on my pontoon and a 7" on my Whaler. Could not be happier, and yes, it does need to be reset on occasion but that's been the extent of my problems. Hear Humminbird has some very good new products too but the display is better with Lowrance IMO.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Feedback from top Delta skiff guide:

"Hi Bill,
I prefer Lowrance, seems to be more user friendly. I have played with Hummingbird helix 10 but definitely takes awhile to figure things out. It's nice but I still prefer Lowrance. The only thing is if someone wants to connect the fish finder to their Minnkota trolling motor they have to have hummingbird. Lowrance has seemed to always have an edge on Hummingbird up until the last couple years they have stepped it up and are quite comparable.
Dan blanton has a Hummingbird now and I have a couple buddies that have them too now. I think the price was pretty good so that's why they went Hummingbird.
Seems like you can't go wrong with either now days."

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[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Feedback from a friend who fishes the Delta and out of Bodega Bay in the ocean:

"For the ocean, I absolutely prefer Garmin but I wouldn't recommend them for inland use. There just isn't enough chart detail.
Navionics is the best chart software on the market, by far. Consequently, any sounder that supports their software is probably a solid choice. I'll be buying a new sounder for my little boat to use in the delta, in the next year. I'm leaning toward a Humminbird Helix 7."

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[Mr T]

I just installed a raymarine dragonfly 7 chirp unit w a navionics chip and wifi out the door the whole setup was 440 dollars. Killer mapping and serious graphics.

[Cmcculloch]

Has anyone tried a "castable fish finder"? I have an inflatable kayak and would like to use a fish finder. Here is a review of several models of the castable variety. Has anyone used one of these? I'd appreciate your recommendations.

http://www.fishinghugger.com/best-castable-fish-finder/

[JAWallace]

Humminbird used to make one, and I loved it for the float tube. The screen was worn on the wrist, and for whatever reason that silly thing would ID fish better than any $1000 unit I've had on the boats. So, lots of my friends got one because mine was so cool. None of theirs worked. Then I replaced my transducer and it didn't work. Shortly thereafter, Humminbird stopped selling them. They were about $100. You could cast it or drag it.

That was before iPhones, so these new ones may be just fine. I'd try one, just make sure you can return it. For your application the concept is perfect....if it works.

For not much more though, you can get a 4" sonar and use your own battery pack and strap the ducer to your yak. That's what I do with the pontoons, and I even have the Navionics chip which is terrific for topos on most of our lakes. I think that was about $325 total. Eliminating the GPS saves money.