Thread: Suggest a fish finder for me.

Save your money. There is no such thing as a fish finder.

Call Brian at BBG Marine and pick his brain. Great prices and service.

At that price, you are probably looking at 2D sonar, black and white. For a bit more, you can move to color with DI. The difference between the two is like the difference between the inside of a giant cave with only a candle and being outdoors on a bright sunny day. With 2D sonar you will see blobs. Blobs might be a brushpile, a big ball of bait, a school of crappie, or even just bubbles. With DI, that blob will be something you can probably identify....if it's a tree/brushpile, you can see every branch and even see fish holding on branches. If it's a ball of baitfish or a school of crappie or even a mixture of the two, you will be able to see that also. In my opinion, it would be worth it to save for a while and get the best unit you can. Use the handheld GPS to mark spots where you catch fish, or feel brush when you are fishing.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the input.

I will call Brian and see what he says.

I'm in no hurry to buy a unit. Will also keep my eyes open for a local, used unit.

If you can stretch that budget just a little...you can get into the world of 2d and DI in the same unit...(and color display also)...

This has the benefit of seeing both technologies side by side (or 1 above the other I'm not sure)...to aid in learning how to interpret what the images are displaying...


OVERVIEW
346c DI | 300 Series | 409020-1

The 346c DI features a brilliant color 240H x 320V 3.5" display with LED backlight and Down Imaging Enhance and advanced DualBeam PLUS sonar with 4000 Watts PTP power output. New for 2013 is the ability to turn 2D sonar off while in full screen DI view and get twice the number of DI pings.
Price: $249.99 (MSRP on the HB website)..

Our board sponsors can even beat that price...

http://www.humminbird.com/Products/346c-DI/

Use your handheld GPS for marking brushpiles...

Rickie

I have a Piranhamax 220, since discontinued. It has the dual beam sonar technology and it does mark fish below and around the boat. Yes, I use the fish symbols. Gray scale screen. For about $100, its hard to beat the PMax units. It is a base unit and performs the same functions as the more expensive units. For your purposes, it should work great. I use mine on lakes of all sizes, 300 acres to thousands of acres. Won a few local Crappie tournaments with it as well. Humminbird also sells a PMax unit that attaches to the side of the boat and is removeable. I believe it is called the Fishin Buddy. The main feature you want is Dual beam sonar. The sonar will read a circle the same as the depth of the water. If your in 10' of water, it will display a 10' circle. 30' = 30'. Single beam will give you considerable less information and will need to be on top of the fish to see them. Humminbird has a section that explains the beam technology. Worth the read.

This is single beam 200kHz ...it has a 20° cone...



This is Dual Beam...it has a 200kHz 20° cone and a 83kHz 60° cone...



Like Hanr3 mentioned...the wider cone available in the Dual Beam units makes it easier to find brush and fish...simply because it covers more of the water under the xducer ...

Rickie

Thanks for the information. I have been doing a lot of research, and have learned a lot.

No doubt I would be much happier with a color, DI unit, but I have decided to go a cheaper route right now. This morning I found a Humminbird 561 locally for $50. Nothing wrong with it. The guy just bought a newer unit. I won't get the color or DI, but I will get the dual beams.

I'll make this portable so I can use it in my canoe. If I really get into lake/crappie fishing, I'll try to upgrade next year.

Now I am going to research the best bang for your buck battery options. I read that lawn mower batteries are a good option.

Again, thanks for all the info/help.

Trevor