Picking The Right Fish Finder

Whether you are a serious or casual bass fisherman, using a fish finder can seriously "up" your game. Fish finders allow you to really "scout out" where the bass are and what they are doing. You can track structure, sunken objects, schools of baitfish, and even the bass themselves. On some fishfinders, you can see your reel as you cast it and bob it up and down!

That being said, it's easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices that are out there right now. So how do you choose?

Brand
The Big-3 fish finder manufacturers are Lowrance, Humminbird, and Garmin. Lowrance and Humminbird are pretty much head-to-head when it comes to fish finding ability - but in the opinion of some, Lowrance takes the trophy.

Garmin also makes fish finders, but Garmin units are, at heart, powerful GPS units with fish finder functionality added to them.

Power
Fish finder power is measured in Watts(W). Most manufacturers display two ratings here: PTP and RMS - PTP stands for peak-to-peak - on a graph, this would be from the negatives all the way to the positive - this allows manufacturers to balloon the number to something really high - making it sound more impressive! RMS stands for Root Mean Square - and this is the number you should be looking for. In general, most fish finders are between 200-500 watts - and no matter the wattage, you should at least be able to see as deep as 100 feet.

Frequency
Frequency is the number of waves(measured in kilohertz kHz) the fish finder sends into the water using it's transducer, which is a small unit that mounts on your boat, usually on the transom. It is connected by a cable to the fish finder. As a general rule, the higher the frequency, the clearer the picture. The only caveat is that as frequency gets higher, the depth decreases, too. So you can see deeper at a lower frequency, but more clearly at a high frequency.

Standard 2D frequencies are 50 kHz, 83 kHz, and 200 kHz. The newer 3D models operate at 455 kHz and 800 kHz - more on that now.

GPS functionality
Many fishfinders include GPS technology - which means you can track your boat on a chart and get underwater readings all on one screen. If you have a larger screen, you can view both data as a split-screen.

Higher-end fishfinder/chartplotters such as the Lowrance HDS series are also compatible with Navionics charts - so you get a very robust charting package and a powerful fish finder all in one unit. Most professional bass fishermen use HDS units on their boats, from what I have seen around the web.

Whether or not you want/need GPS should be determined by where you fish. If you fish in a neighborhood lake that you know well and aren't going to get lost in, you can survive without GPS. But if you like to fish out on very large lakes, rivers, bays, or on the open sea, GPS is a must - primarily as a safety precaution and also as a way to mark your favorite fishing spots!

Advanced Features
In this department, both Lowrance and Humminbird are head-to-head, although some would say Lowrance has a bit of an edge.

Both Lowrance and Humminbird offer 3D sonar - which is basically a very high-frequency reading from the water. 3D sonar works at 455 kHz and 800 kHz - so while you sacrifice depth, you get a nearly picture-like image of the bottom.

Lowrance and Humminbird both offer budget models and higher-end models of 3D sonar. Some can work both 2D and 3D sonar, showing both readings on a split screen, while some are dedicated to 3D sonar.

Lowrance calls their 3D sonar technology DownScan Imaging(DSI), and Humminbird calls theirs Down Imaging(DI).

While DSI and DI only look downwards to show you what's below your boat, there is another option available for larger budgets called Side Imaging(SI) by Humminbird and StructureScan(LSS) by Lowrance.

Side Imaging shows you what's going on on either side of your boat for up to 300 feet - but be prepared to shell out at least $1500 if you want Side Imaging.

For even more advanced features, go for StructureScan. StructureScan works with Lowrance HDS models only - and it is a combination of Down and Side Imaging - which you can then display on top of a chart, so you can see sonar readings of where you have already driven around on a GPS chart, too!

Bottom line
For bass fishing, mostly any fish finder will do the trick - but if your budget allows for it, going for extra features like a larger screen, 3D sonar, and GPS will give you a bigger edge. If you are a casual fisherman, start out with the lower end models, and as you get better and better, upgrade to the more professional models.

 

About the author
Shabbir Nooruddin is the owner of Fish Finder Source. Fish Finder Sources specializes in fish finders from Humminbird, Lowrance, and Garmin, and offers in-depth buying guides and top-class service to help anglers get the best of the best! For more information, please visit Fish Finder Source(http://www.fishfindersource.com).

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