Shopping for a new fish finder can be a daunting task for the novice angler, even experienced boaters and anglers can be overwhelmed by the options available. There really is no one “best fish finder”, and there never will be. There are dozens of models manufactured each year, and each brand and model has its own strengths and place for best use. The purpose of this guide is to help you cut through the confusion and the marketing buzzwords to help you choose the best
fish finder for the money that fits your style of fishing. We’ll walk you through the different types of sonar and features found on today’s top fishing electronics, and they can be used to help you enjoy your time on the water and catch more fish. 2022 Best Fish Finder – Quick OverviewOur top fish finder recommendations for the year are unchanged from last year, as nothing new of note has been released. They include 3 Side Imaging models, 3 Down Imaging, 3 for Kayaking, and 1 Portable unit. There are great units to choose from at any budget and any skill level. This list is a quick rundown of our top recommendations. Keep reading for more info on each type of fish finder.
1. Top Fish Finders by Price RangeDo you have a specific budget in mind for your next marine electronics purchase? We’ve got you covered with guides for choosing the best fish finder in several price ranges.
2. Latest Fish Finder ReviewsIt looks to be another great year for marine electronics. There are a ton of products to review, and we’ll list them here.
3. Top Fish Finders by Type of SonarEvery few years there seems to be some type of new sonar technology that pushes the envelope for consumer-grade fishing electronics. For many years, flashers were the deal, like Lowrance’s famous “Green Box” locator, and Humminbird’s equally renowned “Super 60” flasher. From there, fish finders turned to paper “graphs”, and then LCD displays that revealed more information about what was below the boat. Then in the mid-2000’s, Humminbird was the first company to release affordable side imaging to the consumer, and it was a smash success. From that point on there has been an arms race that some have come to call the “Sonar Wars“. The guide below will help you understand each of these fish finding technologies and help you decide if you need them in the unit you purchase.
Kayak Fish FindersKayak fishing has exploded in popularity in the last five years. If you are looking to get into kayak fishing, now is a great time. There have never been so many awesome fishing kayak options and quality fish finders to put on them. There are several really good 5 and 7-inch models that have awesome screens, full capabilities, and are easy on your budget. See all our Kayak Fish Finder Reviews, or check out our Top 5 recommended Kayak Fish Finders. Model: Editor's Choice
Best Imaging
Editor's Choice Model:
Best Imaging Model:
Model:
Model:
Model:
Portable Fish Finders Portable fish finders are units that are easily attached to and removed from a boat. A portable unit can be useful if you make infrequent trips to the lake, rent boats, or have a smaller fishing boat that isn’t conducive to a permanently mounted fish finder. These units typically come with a separate battery that you stow in the carrying case Guide: Top Portable Fish Finders There are also castable fish finders, which are basically a transducer pod that floats, and a smartphone app is the fish finder. These kinds of fish finders are excellent for fishing from shore or from small watercraft. Model: Editor's Choice
Great Value
1. HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G3N All-Season 2. Garmin STRIKER 4 Portable 3. HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2 PT 4. Lowrance Hook2 4x Portable Mapping: microSD (Lakemaster), AutoChart microSD (Lakemaster), AutoChart Editor's Choice Model:
1. HELIX 7 CHIRP GPS G3N All-Season Mapping: microSD (Lakemaster), AutoChart Great Value Model:
2. Garmin STRIKER 4 Portable Model:
3. HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2 PT Mapping: microSD (Lakemaster), AutoChart Model:
4. Lowrance Hook2 4x Portable Model:
Fish Finders for Ice FishingIce fishing requires a special type of unit to be effective in catching fish under the ice. You are working your bait vertically so you want to be able to see fish under your bait, as well as see your bait as it drops down the water column. The first thing to look for is a good flasher display. Mechanical flashers tend to break down more frequently and require repairs, so for that reason, we suggest getting a digital flasher. Most 5 inch portable units now have a flasher option in the available views. You can also do a split-screen to see traditional 2D sonar. With these two views, you can see fish and your bait under the hole in the ice. Best Down Imaging SonarDown imaging uses a transducer that emits a single extremely thin slice of high frequency sound waves to create a lifelike 3D appearance of whats below your boat. When stacked up and painted on your fish finder, these thin slices of sonar returns make it much clearer as to what is below the boat. What might look like a blob of “something” in standard sonar, is instantly revealed to be brush, rocks, fish, or other kinds of structure. Each manufacturer has their own version of down imaging sonar; Humminbird’s Down Imaging, Lowrance’s DownScan, Garmin’s DownVü, and Raymarine’s Dragonfly. The imaging looks very similar on all the brands, so it’s really up to you to look closely at screenshots and specifications and decide what will work best for you. With imaging being more or less equal, look for the best and largest screen, as well as for the mapping capabilities that will meet your fishing style. Down Imaging Fish Finder Reviews
Model: Editor's Choice
Touchscreen
Best Budget DI
1. HELIX 9 CHIRP MEGA DI+ G4N 2. Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73cv 3. Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot 4. HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA DI GPS G3N 5. Garmin STRIKER Vivid 7cv Editor's Choice
Model:
1. HELIX 9 CHIRP MEGA DI+ G4N Touchscreen Model:
2. Garmin ECHOMAP UHD 73cv Model:
3. Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 SplitShot Best Budget DI Model:
4. HELIX 7 CHIRP MEGA DI GPS G3N Model:
5. Garmin STRIKER Vivid 7cv Best Side Imaging SonarWhere down imaging uses one sonar beam looking directly towards the bottom, side imaging uses two beams that are angled slightly upward in both side directions. The two beams together create photograph-like images of the lake bottom on both sides of your boat, revealing contour changes, bottom composition transitions, fish, and structure all at the same time. Side imaging is an extremely useful tool for searching out fish-holding structure on the lake. It can significantly reduce the time it takes to find fish, making you more efficient, allowing you to spend more time trying to catch them. Side Imaging Tutorial, Tips, and Tricks Side Imaging Fish Finder Reviews
MEGA Side Imaging: If you are looking for the best possible images in a fish finder, there is nothing better than the Humminbird MEGA units. They utilize 1200 KHz frequency (1.2 MHz) to get ultra clear images both side and down looking sonar. MEGA is only available in the HELIX 9, 10, 12, and 15 as well as the SOLIX models. Garmin has megahertz capability in the ECHOMAP UHD, Ultra, and some GPSMAP units. You need the new GT56UHD-TM transducers to get the 1.2 MHz SideVu frequency. The DownVu still only supports 455 and 800 kHz. Best Side Imaging Fish Finders
Model: Best Budget SI
5. Garmin STRIKER Vivid 9sv Best Budget SI Model:
5. Garmin STRIKER Vivid 9sv MEGA 360 Imaging & Scanning Sonar
Humminbird developed an innovative solution to this problem, called MEGA 360 Imaging. MEGA 360 uses a rotating transducer to sweep in a full circle around you and the boat. This allows you to see in front of you, behind you, and to all sides without moving at all. Lowrance has done a clever thing with their Ghost trolling motor to give their users a 360 view. Ghost 360 uses a software update to rotate the Active Imaging transducer back and forth 180 degrees, giving you a 360 image around the boat. The significant drawback to this is you can’t be spot locked and use this feature. Still, it’s a cool idea to implement and give to your customers. The rotating transducer refreshes the screen even while you are stationary, allowing you to see targets in front of you to cast to. Now you can clearly see casting targets such as pockets and turns in the weed-line, as well as brush, stumps, and trees. The MEGA 360 transducers are a fairly expensive add-on, but something that will be a huge leap forward for serious anglers, especially bass and panfish anglers. All of Humminbird’s Helix G3N and newer units are capable of displaying 360 data, as long as you have the most recent software updates. We have used and recommended the MEGA 360 Ultrex unit, which you can see in the review here.
CHIRP Fish FindersCHIRP sonar is one of the newest technologies to come to fish finders that the average Joe can afford. Lowrance and Garmin and helped push this type of sonar into the mainstream, and now Humminbird and the others are starting to follow. You are probably wondering what exactly is CHIRP, how does it work, and what are benefits? You aren’t the only one, so here is a short primer. Where regular sonar uses a fixed frequency, such as 83 kHz or 200 kHz, CHIRP transducers transmit longer sweeps across a range of frequencies. CHIRP transducers are essentially putting many times more sound energy into the water column than a traditional transducer, making it much easier to detect objects in the water column. This also means objects in the water can be viewed with better clarity, with better target separation, and at greater maximum depths. CHIRP has been normally been relegated to saltwater fishing boats, where they need greater depth capabilities, but the fish finder manufacturers are finding ways to affordably process the CHIRP signals in a way that benefits the typical freshwater fisherman in shallower water. For some of the best units with CHIRP, check out the below article, as well as the excellent primer video from Lowrance.
Best Fish Finder GPS CombosWhen your boat passes over a large fish, or the fish passes through part of your sonar cone, it can appear as an arch. It takes a very specific circumstance to display an arch on a fish finder, so do not be alarmed if you do not immediately or always see the arches. Sometimes the fish look like thin lines, ovals, or balls, it just depends on the speed of your boat, and where the fish are in the cone. When you see a fish finder advertised as a “dual beam”, this just means it has the ability to use both beams at the same time. You can usually view them side by side, blended together, or on separate screens in order to help you understand what’s happening below your boat. All of the top fish finders today will be GPS combo units. These units have 1 or 2 SD or Micro SD card slots for using mapping cards such as Navionics or Lakemaster. Lakemaster map cards are exclusive for use in Humminbird fish finders, while Navionics can be used in almost any brand. In the past few years there have been exciting advances in mapping technology coming out, such as DIY mapping software like AutoChart, AutoChart Live, Navionics SonarCharts, and Insight Genesis. Some cards like Lakemaster PLUS and Navionics Platinum+ are also offering Satelite Overlay as a way to enhance your lake maps.
*Last updated 2022-09-26 at 03:30 / Product Links & Images from Amazon Product Advertising API What fish finders have side imaging and Down imaging?Sonar. The Garmin Echomap comes with all the sonar you could ever need on a fish finder including Dual Beam Plus and CHIRP Sonar for looking down when cruising. Then you have Down Imaging and Side Imaging which work up to 300 feet down and on either side.
Can you get down imaging and side imaging?If you own one of our High Definition Side Imaging products you can use a Down Imaging transducer with it to improve your Down Imaging readings. High definition side imaging products are only available in our HELIX 8, HELIX 9, HELIX 10, HELIX 12, HELIX 15 or 800 / 900 / 1100 Series of products.
Is down imaging the same as side imaging?Side Imaging vs Down Imaging. The main difference between side imaging and down imaging fish finders is that down imaging fish finders read the water vertically while side imaging fish finders do so horizontally.
What is a disadvantage to the side scan sonar?Side scan cannot measure bathymetry (depth), so it is often used in tandem with depth-measuring tools such as single beam and multibeam sonar in order to create a more comprehensive map of the seafloor. Text adapted from Side Scan Sonar at the Edge mission log (2002).
|
Fish finder with side imaging and down imaging
Copyright © 2024 paraquee Inc.
