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Hi! This is a great forum, and led me to purchase the ODC 420, which I had a complete blast using last weekend for the first time. I have been reading a lot of old posts but am having a hard time figuring out what is the best route to go for a fish finder. The Humminbird Fishin' Buddy 120 & 130 look promising but I'm not sure that that's a better route than a more traditional style. I'm trying to keep the total cost to about $200 and will not be using the FF for any other purpose than tubing. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Mike
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For $200 in the Humminbird line you might want to take a look at the 565. A little harder to mount maybe on your tube but has a lot of options and is a very good unit. My brother uses it and I have the 575 which is a 565 plus side view that doesn't work so well so they pulled it.
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I'm still kind of in the dark about whether color/b&w matters, if side view is worthwhile, how much level of resolution on the screen matters, etc. Easy portability and mounting/removal is important since it's going on a float tube. I plan on using it at night so being backlit is a must.
Thanks for helping this newbie!
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I have never used color so can't comment on it. The better the resolution the better you can pick things off the bottom which can come in very handy instead of just seeing the bottom.
As for potability it really isn't that bad. I can put it on or take it off my tube in a couple of minutes. I can have it in the water ice fishing in a few seconds.
The side view I have been greatly disappointed in. Not sure if it is just not that useful or its that my units side view doesn't work all that well. Like I said they have pulled it off the market. It has helped find structure and depth changes I would have missed without it a few times.
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I have the old Fishin buddy three. It has side finder on it and I find it works in different situations. From what I have gathered the new fishin buddies are same technology as the old ones. The side finder pretty much just tells you if there is a fish out there and how far. Also depends where which direction the transducer is pointed as well.
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The old Fishing buddies by Bottom line were total CRAP...the new models by Hummingbird are pretty good.
I haven't been sold on Color yet...like a pretty fly, I think it is not needed.
Ocean yes.
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Thanks, fellas. I went ahead and got a Fishin' Buddy 130. I talked to an employee at a boating store who was a tuber and he was the final straw that convinced me the FB was the way to go. Seeing as how they didn't carry the FB, I felt he was being sincere. I'll receive the Cabela's holster this week for a test run at Santa Fe Dam.
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Well let us know how it works out for you!
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