Best Fish Finders
This article is more than 2 years old
So, you are looking for best fish finders for the money. The good news is that you have arrived on the right page. This is a comprehensive guide for someone with any budget. It covers all kinds of underwater aquatic life locators. On this page, apart from depth finders, you can read the theories of important factors which will help you decide what suits your style of fishing.
From technical aspects to price, we have taken the pain of covering all kinds of customers. From below $100 budget to $1000, the best depth finder in each range has been thoroughly reviewed on this page. So, it does not matter what your budget is you can find what is best for in your range of budget.
Importantly you will also be guided on what is a fish seeker? How do depth finders work? What features should not be compromised? Meaning of each technology and What technology suits you best?
| NAME | PRICE | GPS | TECHNOLOGY | SCREEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humminbird 409950-1 | Click Here | YES | 360 Imaging, Down Imaging, Side imaging, Dual beam | 9'' |
| Humminbird 409850-1 | Click Here | YES | Side Imaging, Down Imaging, Dual Beam | 7'' |
| LOWRANCE 000-11785-001 | Click Here | YES | CHIRP and Structure Scan | 7'' |
| Raymarine A78 | Click here | YES | CHIRP and CHIRP Down Vision | 7'' |
| Garmin Striker 7SV | Click Here | YES | CHIRP, Side Imaging/Down Imaging | 7'' |
| Garmin Echo 551dv | Click Here | YES | Dual Beam 77/200, Down Vision | 5'' |
| Garmin 521S | Click Here | YES | Dual Beam | 4'' |
| Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ | Click Here | Bathymetric, Mobile | Dual Beam 2D, 290/90Khz | Mobile screen |
| GARMIN 010-01550-00 Striker 4 | Click Here | YES | Dual Beam CHIRP | 3.5'' |
| iBobber Smart Fish Finder | Click Here | No, Mobile | Single Beam 118Khz | Mobile screen |
WHAT DIFFERENCE BEST FISH FINDERS MAKES?
So, you might be wondering why you should even buy a fish locator. Well to explain very briefly without much complication with the help of an analogy. Would you like to play a pitcher with or without your eyes opened on a baseball field? Would you like to play soccer with or without your eyes opened?
The answer is obvious, Opened eyes. Fishfinder serves the same purpose. It gives you the eyes to see what is underneath your vessel let it be a kayak, boat etc. It will scan everything and present in front of your fishes, rocks, bottom/surface, marine plants, ship wreckages, garbage and if you are super lucky, it can even point out lost treasures. This is the potential of the best finder for the money.
Also, you need to put into calculation the amount of time a fish finder will save for you. You might be fishing on the wrong spot your whole life when ideal fishing spots might be just few 100 feets away. You can change your fortune by addition of a very valuable asset in your arsenal. It is going to be an investment you will cherish for years to come.
The number of catches and sizes of the catches will increase. You can not only improve the number of catches but also a fish searches identifies and locates bigger fishes. Your quality of catches will improve the quantity of catch as well.
However, I want to emphasize on the word ‘’Finder’’. It is not ‘’Catcher’’, it will help you locate where are the fishes underneath your vessel. It will not help you catch the fish. The finding part will be done by depth finder however, the catching part depends on your skill and other equipment.
Humminbird 409950-1 – For $900 to $1000 Budget
This is Helix series Humminbird 9-inch aquatic life finder. It is GPS combo depth finder and makes into the list of best fish searches for the prime reason of having state of art 360 imaging. I will explain it further in the review of this depth analyzer.
360 imaging is a revolutionary technology. It has honored Humminbird to be awarded the best fish finder plaque. It scans around your vessel and forms a half sphere around your depth analyzer. The sphere formed has a diameter of 300feet which means that you can see with crisp details what is around your boat with a radius of 150 feet around your transducer. It is a prime feature and has made fish finding more interesting.
Besides 360 imaging Humminbird 9-inch fish finder also provides the ability of side imaging, down imaging and dual beam. This is a complete machine and has all the perks of the ultimate depth finders.
The display matrix is 800x 480 pixels which are quite enough for a 9-inch display with a colored screen. The backlight inclusion makes it very easy to view the screen in direct sunlight. The RMS power output is massive with 4000 Watts which mean that all the beams will be powerful to go into deep water. The reflection will have more than enough strength to display the best results.
This is a GPS combo fish finder and you can install Navionics Gold and Navionics Platinum maps on it by a MicroSD card slot. Humminbird also boasts the best user experience. The software used gets updates from Humminbird. 2750 waypoints, 45 routes, and 20 thousand track points can be dropped on to the map. You can start an adventurous saltwater fishing with this device without the worry of drifting into unknown areas of ocean.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 9-inch widescreen
Resolution: 800 x 480-pixel matrix with LED backlight
Technology: 360 Imaging, Down Imaging, Side Imaging, Dual Beam
Depth: 150 feet of Side and Down Imaging
Power: 4000Watt
Transducer: Yes – Transom
Waterproof: Yes
Temperature: Yes
SD Card: Yes – Two
Humminbird 409850-1 – For $800 to $900 Budget
For anglers with a budget range in 800 dollars to 900 dollars. Humminbird aces this range as well. Helix 7 is a 7-inch screen with a pixel matrix of 800 x 480 and a colored screen. Humminbird takes great pride in making this fish finder glare free. You can view what is on the screen with great detail even in direct sunlight. Since best depth finders are operated outdoor this is an important aspect and most brands have taken care of it in recent years.
This is a GPS combo fish spotter that includes down and side imaging as scanning transducer. Side imaging will help you scan what is on side of your boat, kayak or vessel. The side imaging can work until 100 feet in the surroundings. With down imaging, you can scan what is underneath. These are high-frequency scanning beams and do not operate at higher frequency.
The model comes with dual beam scanner as well. It operates at 83/200 kHz frequencies. The maximum depth you can measure with it is 1500 feets. The output transmitting power is 500 watts while for peak to peak the power output is 4000watts. So, you have a very powerful machine at your disposal.
This is not a standalone but a GPS fish finder combo and makes into this list of best depth observers. You can integrate it with new maps come from Navionics Gold, Navionics Platinum, AutoChart, and LakeMaster. The internal built GPS will provide you your location with pinpoint accuracy. 360 imaging is not supported by this marine life analyzer and you cannot buy it separately as well.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 7-inch widescreen
Resolution: 800 x 480-pixel matrix with LED backlighting
Technology: Side Imaging, Down Imaging, Dual Beam
Depth: 600 feet
Power: 500Watt
Voltage: 8-20 Volt DC (direct battery)
Transducer: Yes – Transom mounting
Waterproof: Yes
Temperature reading: Yes
SD Card: Yes – One
LOWRANCE 000-11785-001 – For $700 to $800 Budget
In this list of best fish finders, this is the first unit with a touchscreen. Although Humminbird has been producing quality best depth finders but Lowrance has taken the lead by providing touchscreen displays. But this touchscreen is reported to be very sensitive, which is both a good and a negative feature. If you have big fingers then you may get annoyed by unwanted touch clicks.
It comes with CHIRP structure scan. It will make nice crisp images on to the screen and you can locate fish with great precision. You can view results of both CHIRP and Structure Scan side by side. Structure scan is the 3D scan. It makes images of the structure within this range. However, it works best when combined with CHIRP or Dual Beam.
This is also a GPS combo fish detectors. By the help of internal GPS operating at 10Hz, you get pinpointed location update. It will show trails of your path on to the screen. You can see the exact same trail and reach the shore or the bank safely. It also comes with in-built maps for most of US inland lakes, rivers and coastal areas. It is also compatible with maps from your favorite brands as well.
With Lowrance Broadband sounder technology included on to the chip, you can see results on screen with higher speed from 1 feet to 300 feet of depth. Please note this depth finder is sold by more than one seller at Amazon at different prices. Also, the price of this unit might fluctuate.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 7-inch widescreen
Resolution: 800 x 480-pixel matrix with LED backlighting
Technology: CHIRP and Structure Scan
Depth: 1 to 300 feet
Power: 500Watt
Voltage: 12 Volt DC (no battery)
Waterproof: Yes
Warranty: Yes – 2 Years
Temperature reading: Yes
SD Card: Yes – Dual
Raymarine A78 – For $600 to $700 Budget
Raymarine also makes the list of best fish finders. Model A78 has a diagonal screen length of 7 inches and has a screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixel including the backlight display. Notice although the budget has gone down by $100 still you are getting the same screen size and resolution. Another plus point is that the screen is touch.
This is a GPS combo depth finder with inbuilt GPS antenna and comes with Navionics Gold cartography/maps. It also supports Raymarine LightHouse Charts, C-MAP by Jeppesen. You can install them with a microSD card. The number of waypoints symbols that can be stored is 70. You can store 3000 waypoints divided among 1 groups of waypoints. Which means that a total of 100 groups can store up to 3000 waypoints each.
The scanning ability is conventional CHIRP and CHIRP down vision. With dual CHIRP, you have great control over what is underneath. You can scan and views results side by side on split screen on the big 7-inch display. Although the screen will be split but with large 7-inch display you will not have trouble reading the results. The maximum depth which you can measure with this device is 600 feet.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 7-inch widescreen
Resolution: 800 x 480-pixel matrix with LED-backlit
Technology: CHIRP and CHIRP Down Vision
Depth: 600 feet
Power: 300Watt
Voltage: 12 Volt DC (no battery)
Waterproof: Yes
Warranty: Yes – 3 Years
Temperature reading: Yes
SD Card: Yes
Garmin Striker 7SV – For $500 to $600 Budget
7-inch diagonal screen size with a screen resolution of 800×480 pixels. It is very light in weight only around 700grams lesser than 1 kg. Making it easier to handle and portable. The design is very rugged and build is strong. It can display results at high speeds and takes in 12-volt power from your boat.
It comes with traditional CHIRP with the ability of scanning at 50/77/200 kHz. CHIRP can be operated both at mid and high range frequency. It is also accompanied by ClearVu and SideVu which are Garmin terminologies analogical to the side and down view. The transmitting power is 500watt and maximum depth which can be measured is 2,300 feet for freshwater and 1,100 feet saltwater. You can view the result on split screen. The results can be zoomed in for more in-depth analysis.
This device is also a GPS combo fish finder. You use can use the feature of waypoint where you can drop points on fishing spots. The strong build also makes it easy to handle on your saltwater fishing journey. You can mount the transducer on trolling motor but would have to follow the procedure for that. You can also mount it on the hull but that results in performance reduction.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 7-inch-widescreen
Resolution: 800 x 480-pixel matrix with LED-backlit
Technology: Conventional CHIRP and Side Imaging/Down Imaging
Depth: 2,300 feet of freshwater and 1,100 feet saltwater
Power: 500Watt
Voltage: 12 Volt DC (no battery)
Waterproof: Yes
Temperature reading: Yes
SD CARD: No
Garmin Echo 551dv – For $400 to $500 Budget
5-inch diagonal screen size with a screen resolution of 480 x 640 pixels. Very light in weight of just 500 grams. The display unit can be placed on tilt/swivel mount. The display also comes with the smooth transition which gives seamless changes on the screen from shallow to deep and from deep to shallow water. You also have wide to narrow cone angle giving you immense control over what is below your boat.
The model operates on conventional Dual Beam Sonar 77/200 kHz and down vision. The transmitting power is 500 watt and maximum peak to peak power is 4000watts. The freshwater maximum depth which can be measured with this unit is 2300feet. It will also show you the water temperature on the screen. You can do split screen and view the results by zooming in. This depth observer is also equipped with fish symbol Id which helps in identifying fishes.
Garmin Echo 551dv fish detector comes with swivel mount and the transducer cable is 20 feet in length. If you have a trolling motor then it will work on it smoothly. You need to plug in external 12-volt output from your boat as a power source. The model is just at borderline when it comes to displaying size for kayaks. If you can manage well the battery and transducer mounting then you can consider this unit for kayak fishing as well.
It is a standalone fish finder and you will not be able to plot your course on it. So, if you are planning to go fishing on a big lake or ocean then you should be extremely careful and make sure you do not cross the safe zones. In no time, strong river currents or ocean waves can take you far away and you would not have realized it. The catches will lure you to go deeper into the ocean and it’s actually not really worth it.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 5-inch diagonal screen
Resolution: 480 x 640-pixel matrix with LED-backlit
Technology: Dual Beam 77/200, Down Vision
Depth: 2,300 feet of freshwater
Power: 500Watt
Voltage: 12 Volt DC (no battery)
Waterproof: Yes
Temperature reading: Yes
SD CARD: No
GPS: No
Garmin 521S – For $300 to $400 Budget
At a screen resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 4-inch display screen, Garmin 431S is just over the basic fish finder screen resolution of 240 x 160 pixels. It makes the list of best depth finders owing to its GPS combo. Although the screen resolution is low Garmin has compensated that shortcoming by making the screen ultra-bright so you can view what is on the screen with ease. The bright sunlight will not prove to be a hindrance to read the screen.
Although it competes with Lowrance 000-11448-001 Elite-3X this model does not include the GPS and is a standalone fish detectors. Having GPS makes a dramatic difference and this is the prime reason Garmin 431S makes into this list of depth finders. You can do saltwater fishing or even in big lakes with peace of mind.
It comes with inbuilt maps for most US inland lakes. So, you do not have to buy the maps from expensive sources. But if you want to install premium maps then after buying them you can install them via microSD card. This fish seeker can store a maximum of 3000-waypoints. With route capacity of 100 and track, log capacity of 50 including 10,000 points can be saved in this model. All this is done by inbuilt GPS internal antenna.
It scans the water with 77/200 kHz Dual Beam. The larger frequency can scan deep into shallow water while higher frequency can scan the shallow water for you. The transmitting power is 500 watts and the maximum depth you can measure with this unit is 900 feet. While going down deep with low-frequency waves, the signal might lose power while on their way up. It can be a problem it the screen resolution is on the lower side.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 4 inch 240px x 320px colored
Technology: Dual Beam
Depth: 900feet Dual Beam
Power: 500 Watts
Water Proof: YES
Saltwater fishing: YES
GPS: YES
SD card: YES
Deeper Smart Sonar PRO+ – For $200 to $300 Budget
If you are looking for best fish finder in the range of 200 to 300 dollars then this is the most different fish locator. If you have a budget within this mentioned range then it is assumed that you are a hobbyist and probably own a kayak. This kayak fish pinpointer is very portable and is the only 6.5cm ball. You can even place it in your pocket.
The operating principle is straightforward. Simply attach the Deeper Smart Sonar pro with your fishing rod or with your fishing equipment. Then throw it in the water. The ball itself is the transducer and you do not need to take the stress of mounting the transducer.
The transducer has an inbuilt Wi-Fi and it starts transmitting data by it. To receive the transmission from the transducer you need to install deeper smart pro app. The app is available both for Android and IOS. Simply download the app and then turn off the mobile data on your smartphone. Search for Wi-Fi signals and you will find deeper Wi-Fi transmitting. Connect with it and open the deeper app. You will begin seeing the results from the transducer.
You do not need to worry about the display unit in this fish pointer. The screen resolution depends on your cell phone itself. Better the smartphone better will be the screen display. So deeper has further increased mobility and handed over the display unit responsibilities to the mobile phone. It even takes the battery out of question. The deeper transducer has an inbuilt battery that can be charged by a 110/240 V source and can last for 6 hours.
It works by Dual Beam Sonar operating at 290/90Khz with a cone angle of 15 for narrow and 55 for the wider scan. Moreover, it can scan up to a depth of 260 feet and includes a temperature sensor. In addition, it also includes GPS but that is only going to show you what is at the bottom of the lake and you can save it. It is not conventional GPS.
In all the gold, there are shortcomings of this fish finder. the charming wireless transmission becomes troublesome as soon as your distance with the transducer increases. At 130 feet of distance, the connection breaks completely and you would have to retract the transducer back. Also, the battery lasts for 6 hours only so you cannot plan a very long day as boats do not have the 110/240 Volt source available. As a tip, turn off the mobile data when using this fish seeker. Because when you lose Wi-Fi reception your mobile will connect to mobile data and will not connect back to a weak Wi-Fi signal.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: Depends on your Smart Phone
Technology: Dual Beam 2D, 290/90Khz
Depth: 260feet
Power: 2100 Peak to Peak
Battery: 6 hours – 110/240V charging
Water Proof: YES
Saltwater fishing: YES
GPS: YES
GARMIN 010-01550-00 Striker 4 – For $100 to $200 Budget
Another Garmin makes into this list of best fish pinpointer. In low budget best depth finders Garmin has been producing very competitive fish finders. The price of Garmin unit is slightly over 100 dollars and this is a GPS combo fish locator. It has a 3.5-inch display and has a colored screen. The screen resolution of this 3.5inch screen is 480 x 320 pixels. This is a very high pixel matrix for this sized screen.
Garmin has provided DownVu employed in this device. This is a GPS combo aquatic life finder but does not get carried away, you will not get all the perks of a fish detector with GPS. It only has the chart plotter integrated which is a blank sheet that allows you to drop waypoints over it. You can navigate your way through the waypoints. It allows you to drop up to 50 thousand waypoints.
The maximum freshwater depth this fish finder can scan is 1600 feet. Although it is a GPS marine life finder it is an entry-level machine and I would personally recommend buying a better machine for saltwater fishing. You should never compromise on your safety. The scanning ability for saltwater fishing is 750 feet.
The operating frequency for Dual Beam CHIRP is 77 KHz and 200 KHz and transmitting cone angles are 15 and 45 degrees. The transmitting power of this frequency is the 200-watt root mean square (RMS) and 1600 peak to peak power. The good news you can mount the transducer onto your trolling motors.
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: 3.5 inch 480px x 320px
Frequency: 77/200 kHz Dual Beam CHIRP – also operate-able at 50/200 for more depth
Depth: 1600 Freshwater and 750 saltwater
Battery: 4 AAA 6-8 hours
Power: 200 Watts
Transducer: YES
Water Proof: YES
Saltwater fishing: YES
GPS: YES
iBobber Smart Fish Finder for Budget less than $100
The most affordable marine life finder in this list of best fish detectors. It is under 100 dollar and is perfect for an angler who is just starting out and is on a budget. Like deeper smart pro this unit also does not have display unit rather you can connect the transducer to your smartphone. This is the reason why this fish locator is so affordable. As the manufacturers have integrated the transducer with your smartphone via an app.
If you read the deeper smart pro review above then it works in the very similar way. Download the app and connect to the transducer. The best part is that the marine life detectors coming in this range have low screen size but with iBobber small screen size goes out of questions as you will be using your smartphone which is usually of 5 inches these days. The size is extremely small and light and is very portable you can keep it in your pocket.
iBobber operates at 118Khz and has the ability to scan water to the depths of 135 feet. As soon as it detects fish it will mark it onto your screen. The fish categorized by this machine is one parameter that is the size. One with the size of over 15 inches and the other of size lower than 15 inches. So you can do selection and target place where you believe will yield bigger reward.
Deeper works on Wi-Fi but iBobber works with Bluetooth. Now here is the catch Bluetooth is known for connectivity issues. Although the company claims that the range is up to 100 feet but Bluetooth suffers connectivity issues after 80 feet of distance. In addition, as the temperature decreases the connectivity further drops even if the distance is not much. So, you should keep this in mind that with this budget range you can experience connectivity issues.
If you are looking to buy wireless fish finder and are confused between iBobber and deeper smart pro then without thinking more go for deeper smart pro. Am assuming you can afford deeper and you are confused because both work in similar fashion. It operates on Wi-fi and has better range, Bluetooth is too fragile in terms of wireless signal transmission. In addition, devices operating on Wi-fi lose battery much quicker than those with Wi-Fi
SOME IMPORTANT KEY FEATURES
Display: Depends on your Smart Phone
Technology: Single Beam 118Khz
Depth: 135feet
Battery: 10 hours
Water Proof: YES
Saltwater fishing: YES
VERDICT
It is very crucial that you do not compare one fish locator with another within the same list other than deeper smart pro and iBobber. All these are best fish spotters within their same category.
If you managed to read all the page then I must congratulate that your knowledge about best depth finders must have increased. Especially after reading all these scanning abilities, you will have an idea of what each technology means. You must have crafted an idea in your mind what you need for your style of fishing. It is worth noting that Garmin uses name DownVu for its one of the scanning abilities. It is no different than down imaging.
If you can afford to buy fish finder from any of these budget categories then you must take the decision and make your life easier. The investment is not just the increase in the number of quality catches but more importantly, it is the time. You will save tons of time by finding a better fishing spot. Your chances of catching fish will also increase exponentially.
So, do not waste more time in traditional techniques. Embrace the modern technologies, go out and start fishing!
