One thing that I didn’t realize until recently is that fish finders work better the deeper the water is (unless it’s a side view finder) because imagine a cone projected straight down, the shallower the water, the smaller the cone can see, so it can be harder to see larger structure underwater shallower than like 10ft. It still works great, just may be trickier to identify stuff below

I put a Garmin striker 4 with CHIRP on my jon boat last year. I am a total novice but found a lot of instructional videos on youtube for that model and its been great so far. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd transducer and mount for my kayak.

Depth and water temp are easy to read, and in CHIRP mode I can tell the difference between weed beds, logs, rock/stumps, etc. on the bottom. Suspended bait/fish are easy enough to identify, but don't expect to be able to distinguish a fish tight to cover (or maybe I'm just bad at it, haha). My only complaint is I wish the screen was just a little brighter for direct sunlight, but that seems pretty common on all models.

I just got a Helix 5 SI GPS, it’s my first fish finder since I was a kid using a Eagle paper graph, lol. If you get the 5 or the 7 I think you’ll be really happy. Easy interface, easy to learn. Good luck!

I’ve had a helix 7 CHIRP SI GPS G2N for about 7 months now and love it.

I paid about $499.97 for it and think it’s worth every penny.

I have bo doubt you’ll love that g3 model.

garmin striker 4...

Striker 9 was $699 at Academy. Just got it and i love it

Where are you fishing? This is where you should start. Deep water? Lake? Creeks? ..all this plays into what will work best for your style of fishing.

How big and deep is the lake you fish?

One of the lakes I fish is less than 30 acres and gets to 7 feet deep. I've never marked a fish on it (in that lake) as I believe the boat scares them away before I would be able to drive over them. At 30 acres I can fish the entire thing in less than an afternoon. A fish finder is a complete waste of money on that lake.

I have another lake that gets over 30 feet deep and 250 acres. I am constantly finding new structure in that lake and mark fish all the time. I'd bet my catch rate has tripled on that lake. A fish finder is well worth it there.

Determine which one is like your situation

Garmin Striker 4. You will get what you pay for. GPS is a huge benefit.

These are all options bad enough to skip imo. You'll want to upgrade immediately. Get a Striker 4 or a 5" Helix instead.

I use a Garmin striker 4 on my 16’ flat bottom and I like it. It’s super portable

I've been happy with my Lowrance Hook Reveal 7TS. It's within that price range.

The Lowrance Hook Series are decent. However, see if there's any chance to splurge a little for the Garmin 73sv series. If you are big on using waypoints, the touchscreen is life changing on the water. If you just want basic imaging, the Lowrance will be just fine.

Striker 4. All day

You could go under $100 and still be fine.

Yes, they are a great tool, but use them -in addition to- not in place of the good techniques you already have. They are merely another point of information.

Some of the more valuable things they tell you is depth and surface temprature, and depending on the quality of the unit, they give you a great understanding of the makeup of the bottom (side sonar with a large screen is great for this). All this information is really useful in understanding whether to fish a particular spot, and how to fish it.

Regarding the 'fish finder' aspect of fish finders, I don't have much luck targeting individual fish, but it helps me see if the water I am in has a lot of activity. If an area has activity, I will note the depth, temp, and the makeup of the bottom, and then fish the whole area using good technique and a few appropriate baits. If I have luck, then I might stick with that depth, bottom type and whatever bait is doing best.

Sonar does not see fish in the weeds very well, and so the fish finding part of the device works best for me in open water. Also, if you are on top of the fish so that your sonar can see it, you may have already spooked it. Some people drift and drop shot over individual fish, but I can't imagine doing that in my fairy clear lakes unless the water is more than 15ft deep and there is some chop to hide me.

If powerfishing shorelines with search baits is what's working on a particular day then yeah, a fish finder won't help you much in that situation. But there are plenty of situations where a fish finder (more importantly - knowing how to interpret and respond to what your fish finder is showing you) will be the difference maker.

There are days when I don't even bring my fish finder, because I know I'm just going to be throwing frogs in lily pads or powerfishing the shallows. There are days when I bring it just to see what the water temp is. And there are days when I'm confident I would have caught nothing at all if not for the fish finder. At the end of the day it's just another tool and knowing how and when to use it (chasing individual fish marks is often a waste of time) is what really matters.

Useful for determining depth in lakes you haven't fished or after rain and runoff.

If you actually learn how to use it, yes. If not, its an expensive thermometer.

I recently got the Striker 4 and have found it very useful. Definitely has helped me catch more fish by not wasting time in places there are no fish.

There are a lot of comments already but none of them have explained that there's a difference between a "fish finder" and a "chart plotter" and it sounds like you want a chart plotter. I'm also in the market for one and hope to learn something on this thread.

A fish finder is basically just a sonar that shows you what's under the boat. It doesn't include any maps. They have GPS but only so you can mark spots where you found some great fish. They won't help you do things like avoid rocks on the bottom.

A chart plotter is more like Google Maps for water (except with frustratingly complicated interfaces). A chart is a fancy term for a map of water. Nobody has pointed that out yet.

The Garmin EchoMaps are very popular. You will want to get the ones that have charts optimized for navigation and for the water where you are going to operate! If you do buy the one loaded with the wrong charts you would have to pay for the additional charts (although I believe that's a smaller fee.)

Some fish finders will allow you to load user-generated charts. Be careful with those as they aren't necessarily as good as the one generated by chart makers. However, even charts made by the coast guard aren't always completely accurate. That's part of the challenge of boating.

The terminology and offerings can be quite frustrating for those who haven't owned one before. I learned navigation with parallel rules. But for smaller boats the chart plotters are better if for no other reason than you can actually fit them on board.

Garmin echomap is tough to beat for the price.

My suggestion is to get the biggest Garmin or Simrad unit you can afford.

GO7 with Active Imaging 3-1 Transducer. $460. A 9” would be better, but you’re gonna spend more than $500. https://defender.com/en_us/simrad-go7-xsr-multifunction-display-with-c-map-discover-chart-remanufactured-055-14838-001

I like my Simrad go9 with total scan. Have had it since it came out. Good overall. Flush mounted on a 22 mako

In case you needed one more vote to sway your decision - Garmin Striker 4. Agree that the portable ice bundle is the best, especially if you ice fish. Even if you don't, having a bag to carry it around is great. I bought this for my fly in trips and it's perfect.

Another vote for the Garmin Striker 4. You can get down imaging, GPS, the ability to create your own depth maps etc in a kit with a holder and battery all for around $200, and it’s light and portable. You can spend more for more features and bigger screens but you probably don’t need that on a tube. I have 2 Helix 5 units and a Helix 10 Mega Si, and I would never put the 19 on a tube. It’s just way too big and heavy and there would be no good way to mount the transducer. The Striker 4 is small and light and made for portable boats like that, but still have some great big unit features.

You don’t need to spend that much. Buy a striker 4, possibly with the ice fishing package as it comes with a case and battery. Or just get the regular model if you don’t live anywhere with hard water.

But you could find a very nice fish finder for $1000.

I wouldn’t recommend one for a paddle board, but would totally recommend one if you have a kayak or fishing kayak.

I have a Garmin 4cv, and power it with a NOCQUA battery pack. The battery pack is small (fits in my hand). You’ll want a dry place to store it and any excess wiring as well.

For your specific use case, I would think that any fish finder from a reputable manufacturer would do. In fact a rope with a weight at the end would probably give you the information you're looking for. I don't have that particular model, but I do have another Humminbird that I'm very happy with (oddly enough, I use it for fishing).

Don't know if price was the issue, but im partial to the Garmin echomap series. You can get it with sidescan also. I've been using them for years and love them. If you look real hardyou can find some models for 400 or so. I fish a lot so it is not pricey for my application. Don't know your situation.

Amazon Price History:

Humminbird 410160-1 PIRANHAMAX 4 DI (Down Imaging) Fish Finder, Black

• Rating: ★★★★☆ 4.5 (397 ratings)

• Current price: $158.64 👎

• Lowest price: $135.99

• Highest price: $169.99

• Average price: $155.22

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