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New fish finder suggestions
#1
I have an old small Lowrance fish finder that has served me well for many years. I use it ice fishing and then have it rigged to easily move to my kayak or float tube. It has started getting glitchy lately and I am thinking of getting a new one and need suggestions.

I don't need a giant screened monster because I don't have a boat to put it on. I haven't tried the color screens and would like to know if they are worth the extra money. I have mostly used Lowrance in the past and like it but have seen a lot of the Humminbird models and they are a bit cheaper. Usually you get what you pay for so opinions on this is welcome as well.

I have seen a lot about different transducers lately with lots of fancy names and gizmos. What do I need to look for in a fish finder for ice fishing and kayaking where I rarely see water over 60 feet deep?
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#2
I was in about the same boat a year ago, except my Lowrance is a fairly nice black and white unit with pretty good resolution... So after lots of study, I decided to get a humminbird 788 ci HD DI, it has color, GPS, down imaging... My thought was to use the new one on the boat keep using my old one on the toon and ice... Well that held until I used the new one once... I don't use the old one at all any more... I use the new one everywhere... Color is very nice, GPS is very very nice, love having the real speed on the screen, love being able to get back to hot spots exactly... Especially try out in the middle of the openess of Willard... Color is even nice as you learn what the different shades mean.... My advice is find as good of one as you can afford and check Amazon for prices, then have a little patience watching sales, last year between Thanksgiving and second week in January was the best prices then they rolled out a new model... Anyway DI (down imaging) is nice, but not necessary, but I do use it fairly often, really helps when your trying to tell what the terrain is underneath you... I can also tell fish on it now after using it a while... I would make sure to have gps, it's so nice how you can mark a spot just by hitting a button so you're still over it when it takes a reading and the accurate speed is great... I used to do this with my hand held unit, but it was slow and difficult to mark way points... not to mention extra batteries to replace all the time... Good luck and have fun, it's great to have good eyes underwater... Later J
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#3
I used one of the original bottom line fishing buddy's for about 20 years with no problem until this summer when it finally died. I replaced it with the Hummingbird version of the Buddy and so far I really like it and have had no issues with it. It works great on my kick boat.

Mark
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#4
Color? Yes, without a doubt, unless you are color blind this is one of the biggest advancements in consumer level depth sounding ever.
GPS? Yes, as stated above it is really great to be able to get back to a place you know fish are, even ice fishing. To be able to find that spot in any weather or light conditions is worth it.

Get the best you can afford, you won't regret it.
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#5
I love Garmin electronics. I have owned a couple GPS units and recently purchased a fish finder this past Spring. I have found them to be very reliable and simple to use. I got the Garmin Echo 550C with a cover and speed sensor. With the quick mount it is easy to remove at the end of the day for safe storage.

The screen is very visible even in daylight. With dual beam settings you can find fish in deep water or use the wide beam for shallow water. I loved using it on Willard Bay this year. Every time we found targets we caught fish!.
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#6
Color is a big dill to me, but I fish for kokanee a lot. also GPS
you can mark fish and go back for them.
Their is a lot of post on BFT about fishfinders if you do a search.
Make sure you don't skimp on your fish finder
If you wait and watch for sales you can get a good one. that will work for Ice. and on your tube.
I use Humminbird and love them (the one I have works best when I'm moveing between 1.5 and 3 mph). but mybe on a tube the Lowrance would be better.
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#7
got to agree 788 huminbird is the deal pricey but its worth it
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#8
I had a HB 597 and liked it I never used the Flasher I don't ice fish
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Ice Fishing Mode: On
When Ice Fishing Mode is on, the Circular Flasher View displays the sonar
data in traditional flasher format with additional features including Zoom and
Depth Cursor.
• Sensitivity: When you turn on Ice Fishing Mode, the fishfinder’s
sensitivity settings are adjusted automatically to accommodate ice
fishing conditions. These settings will apply to the other Sonar Views
until you turn off Ice Fishing Mode
The Zoom feature displays a 2x magnified view of the area you choose on the
flasher display

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Here is one on ebay for $400
[url "http://www.ebay.com/itm/181461699881?item=181461699881&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466"]http://www.ebay.com/itm/181461699881?item=181461699881&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466[/url]
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#9
If you or anyone reading this thread buys a finder from Ebay be warned, they don't all come with a transducer. If the ad does not say it comes with a transducer it likely won't. I bought a smaller color Lowrance on Ebay for under $100 only to find out the transducer was not included. I ask the seller why he did not say the transducer was not included, he said i should always assume they are not included, unless the ad says it is[crazy]. Lucky for me he took it back but lesson learned.
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#10
So I was looking at the 688 ci HD, seems like pretty close to the same model, does anyone have any information on this one yet?
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