Fishfinder/depth sounder recommendation wanted

G

gwb72tii

Steelhead
So i bought a 20ft a Duckworth, and need to outfit it with electronics for fishing and general usage.
I'll be SRC fishing with it, but also using a downrigger, crabbing and shrimping.
My issue with looking up which unit is the "best", most websites come back looking like they are Amazon websites where every recommendation steers you to Amazon.
I have nothing against Amazon, but it's hard to trust those websites. I'll be fishing mostly Puget Sound, but also lakes.

What do you use? And would you buy it again?
 
gwb72tii said:
So i bought a 20ft a Duckworth, and need to outfit it with electronics for fishing and general usage.
I'll be SRC fishing with it, but also using a downrigger, crabbing and shrimping.
My issue with looking up which unit is the "best", most websites come back looking like they are Amazon websites where every recommendation steers you to Amazon.
I have nothing against Amazon, but it's hard to trust those websites. I'll be fishing mostly Puget Sound, but also lakes.

What do you use? And would you buy it again?
Click to expand...
Fred? @Wanative
 
West Marine has some good deals on Garmin units right now. I just got one to replace my old Lowrance, I have not had any major issues with either of those brands. I haven’t used Raymarine or Humminbird to any great extent, but I know people like those as well.
 
I've two Garmin Striker 4 units. Absolutely no problems with either unit (nor with their rugged transducers). Outstanding value!

I would, however, advise watching a few youtube videos to learn the intricacies of their menus. Very easy to use once you understand how they're configured.
 
I'm running Garmin finders.
I used Lowrance for years and found them very satisfactory for my needs.
I bought a Garmin Stryker 4 a few years ago for my lake fishing from a pontoon boat and float tube. I'm very happy with the Stryker 4 and would buy it again.
I decided to upgrade my 10 year old Lowrance elite 5 and elite 4 this year.
They both still function as they're supposed to but I wanted to move up in screen size.
I decided on Garmin because I know that many professional fishermen who make their living fishing use them.
Also I belong to another forum with several thousand members and the vast majority use Garmin chartplotter/depth finders and swear by them.
I purchased 2 Garmin Echomap UHD 93SV units for my 20' sled. I do a lot of bass fishing and have one on the bow and one at the helm.
I also fish for salmon and can put the bow unit at the stern when trolling with the kicker.
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Honest disclosure. I haven't put enough time in using the new Garmins to form my own review but based on what experience I do have and many hours of watching Garmin specific YouTube videos I'm confident that I'll be happy with them.
They have a very knowledgeable and helpful tech support staff that can help with any issues about setup and instructions one might have.
The technology in todays fish finders is advancing so quickly like every thing else
That I believe you can't buy a bad depthfinder. Faulty...possibly but the capabilities of today's depthfinders are amazing and mind boggling to put it lightly.
Garmin, Humminbird, Lowrance, Simrad
Pick one, I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Go to the manufacturer's websites for the specs and so forth.
For the sound I'd recommend a 7" screen minimum size. 9" is better.
One doesn't need to have all the bells and whistles that higher end depthfinders come with either. A good traditional 2d chirp feature will be your daily driver most of the time. A chartplotter/fishfinder is a great unit and also a safety feature with the modern mapping capabilities in todays finders.
It also shows structural elements below the surface that fish are attracted to. Points, dropoffs, underwater humps etc.
YouTube is your friend on learning about fishfinders. Go there and do a search on 0the brand and model your're considering and you'll find more content than you'll have time to watch.
Coming soon to the "What have you done for your boat lately " thread are the upgrades I've done over the winter and early spring on my '93' Fishrite 20' sled.
 
Unless you're going to spend big money, all the main brands make a quality unit that will do the basics of what you would want from a sonar/plotter. I'd recommend playing around with units from the different big names and seeing what brand you prefer when it comes to their interface. Some are more intuitive than others for different people.

I have had good experiences with Raymarine, Lowrance, Furuno and Garmin. I'm not a big fan of the interface of the Garmin products, but quality and function is good.

Currently have a Lowrance Elite9 TI2 in my boat and for what you describe it would serve your needs nicely. Touchscreen works surprisingly well even in the heavy rain. I can't say the same about some other touch screens I've used.

Sounds like you need a unit that will show bottom and contour, mark baitballs, lay waypoints for crab pots etc etc which is exactly what I use mine for. All the big brands will do that nicely so I'd say pick your budget, pick what screen size you want, then go play around and see which brand feels best to you.
 
Full disclosure, I am a Lowrance guy. I have two 5 inch elites that still function as they should. I upgraded to a 7 inch elite FS touch screen. I didn't think I would like the touch screen, I was wrong, the touch screen works great. I have played around with other sounders. I find the functions that the different units and brands have are fairly similar. I am biased, but I think that Lowrance makes the most user friendly units on the market.
Good luck with your choice, I am sure it will serve you well.
 
Thanks everyone. I had never considered Lowrance, yet when I look at guide websites where they show pictures of their boats, there is a lot of Lowrance users.
 
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