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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

It seems ALL the fish finders do a great job these days....that being said the only input i can give you is i bought a garmin 73dv this year...it works great...7 inch screen is plenty big enough for me...and this is just my own opinion, i feel the garmins are easier to use than the Lowrance units...i got mine on sale for around 400 dollars....since your just a weekend warrior fisherman so to speak, i would buy a modest unit(under 1000 dollars) and spend the money saved on other goodies to fish with....and again....this is only an opinion and there really is no right or wrong answers to what you personally are looking for


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Seven inch screen is as big as you need (IMO), especially in a boat your size. Nine inch is niice but could be a problem mounting it in a position so you could rotate it and read it from bow or stern. I have a 14.5ft Semi-V and the seven works out fine,
Down scan and side scan are not really needed for most bass fishing instances or for that fact, most of the lakes you will fish with that size boat.
Based on my experience, I would select either Lowrance or Garmin. I have fished with and used both as well as Humminbird and feel the first two have the best sonar and GPS. Garmin is probably the easiest to learn and operate. 
Don't judge the units by the simulator operation in the display. check if you could find members in your area and see the sonar and plotter in real time operation.
I have a Lowrance Gen2 Seven Inch Touch with down and side scan. The only time I use the D&S is when fishing walleye and saugeye in deeper reservoirs. If I were to do it again, I would only purchase a sonar/gps unit.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

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## backfar (Sep 24, 2014)

For my use the gps is a have to have....i wouldn't purchase a unit without it... but i fish lake erie for walleye and perch....


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

You can always get back to "hot spots" and unseem structure with GPS. If you get a unit without GPS, you will be wishing you did in the future.


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## legendaryyaj (Nov 1, 2005)

Easy answer, if you don't take fishing seriously and want to wonder why you never can find fish, get the cheapest one you can find. If you want to be able to find fish and be able to get better, buy the best you can afford.

A good fish finder is like a map to a treasure hunter. How you fish will help you decide what you want in a unit. Only a person who doesn't bass fish would say that a bass fisherman wouldn't need side imaging or down imaging. That's just plain false. Not all bass sit on the bank and not every bass fisherman beats the bank. I am not walleye or catfish person so I would never speak on their behalf. Each species requires a different way of approaching them to be successful. Sure you can catch any of them on a rod and reel but when you really get into it, you'll start to understand the nuances of each. Again, how you plan to fish should determine what unit to buy and how much to spend. I would tell the average fisherman to get one that just reads depth. A black and white one is sufficient enough for that.

Screen size is to make out detail. The newer units have clearer screens so it should make it better but it's easier to make out small details on a bigger screen than a little one. I run a 998 HD SI on my 12' kayak if that matters. GPS and side imaging go hand in hand. Do you want to be able to revisit a spot you caught fish at before or would you like to waste time next time trying to find it? That's your call and the benefit of GPS. After owning my SI units, I will NEVER own another fish finder without side imaging and GPS. I've been all over the place with my kayak and unit and wouldn't have it any other way.

As far as brands go, read up on the customer service of each and pick which you think you can deal with or are willing to deal with. I've heard Lowrance customer service isn't the best. With Humminbird, if you buy their higher end units, they have a special phone number for you to call to bypass all the lower end unit customers and customer service. Garmin seems to be pretty new into the game. Yes, they've been around but they've just started to take ground. Mapping for Garmin units seem to be a bit of a hassle as well. I read somewhere that all the mapping services are actually done by companies overseas and not by the US so getting data and cross sharing data is hard.

Side imagine, Down imaging, and all the imaging is eyes under the water. I don't know about you, but I like my vision and would like to see what I'm fishing. Who wants to be blind? I know I don't.


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## crappiedude (Mar 12, 2006)

I've been using electronics for fishing for over 40 years. At that time when I started, our only option was the lowly flasher but if you took the time to learn it, it was a wonderful tool. I will say right here that every depth finder, no matter what type it is will show you exactly the same things. The only real difference is they will show it to you differently.

Basically if are moving along and your boat passes over a stump and there are fish hanging over a stump, all units will display that info from the lowly flasher of yesteryear to the black & white and color 2d sonar to the DI/SI units of today, they will all show the stump and fish. Once you found that stump (back in the days of old) we used to mark the spot by shoreline features so we could go back and fish it again, it took a while be we'd always find it. What GPS adds is the ability to go back and find the same stump very quickly every time you go out to the lake.

Since you mentioned you are on a budget I will say* I have to agree with Shortdrift*. If you get a good 2d sonar with GPS you will probably be fine for your style of fishing. Personally I don't care if you are fishing for bass, crappie, walleye, catfish or anything else.
Here is the real secret to electronics....No matter what unit you decide to buy take the time and learn how to use it. A tool is only as good as the craftsman using it. Bigger screens are a plus for adding detail, get as big as you can afford. If you have a 7" screen and you split 2d sonar and GPS you will only allow 3 1/2" for each view.
As short summary
2D sonar shoots a round signal
DI shoots an oblong signal
SI shoots a thin wide signal (like an upside down turkey tail)
SI seems to work best if you are moving in a reasonably straight line, 3-4 MPH and for the most part only looking 3-4 times wider than the water depth. eg: if you are in 10 fow set the SI to 30'-40'. If you have a 7" screen you are looking at 60'-80' of bottom on only around 6" of actual screen. That little stump you are looking for get's lost pretty quick.

As far as mapping extras...I'm not sold on them. I use the standard basemap that comes on the units and as long as I can mark waypoints and get back to them, it's all I need.

I've owned Lowrance, Hummingbird & Ray Jefferson units.
In the future I will only buy Lowrance and maybe Garmin if I decide to upgrade. I will also add, I currently use Lowrance hds7 & hds8 with si/di and they are linked together via Ethernet cable. I've also had good success with Low's customer service, of course in the 25 or 30 years of using their products I've only had to call them once and they replaced the unit for free even though it was out of warranty. This isn't what I heard...it's what happened.

On my console I run the hds8 with DI or a combo of DI/Chart. I use the DI mostly for my passengers sake so I don't have to explain what the picture is showing.
At the TM where I'm fishing I run 2D/Chart.

Last but not least electronics are like any other technology. The newest and best is already outdated the day it hits the markets, you'll never get ahead of the game.

I hope this helps


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## flounder (May 15, 2004)

I wanted to get a sonar/gps unit and when I was looking around the HB 698 came up deeply discounted. I wanted to mess around with side imaging but I didn't have the bucks to spring for the higher end stuff. So I bought this unit. I've only been out a handful of times since the purchase but the SI feature has helped me find a few more isolated rock piles on Hoover and Alum that I may not have been able to locate as quickly with regular sonar. The menu is not real intuitive coming from lowrance units but I got used to it fairly quickly. The sonar imaging is pretty good for the sale price of the unit, but is older and is being phased out by HB. I would not have paid full retail for this particular unit.

Gander near me had them in the store so I did get to play around with it before deciding to buy, and for the price I am happy with it so far. My older navionics chip works with it too.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modpe...-HD-SI-Chartplotter-Fishfinder-Combo&i=770809


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## jcoholich (Feb 12, 2014)

If you have the ability to find a bundled unit that comes with the Navionics + chart, you will save some money from buying both separate. You will get 1 year freshest data with that chart so you will be running the most up to date charts on the market.


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## TomC (Aug 14, 2007)

If your gona look at the 698 at least look at the 798 hd si, its got a little wider screen, takes 2 cards, has more features as well. I was in the same boat you were two years ago and went with the 798. im sure you could find a 998 aat a great price right now


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## Rodbenderbob (Jul 14, 2012)

Garmin is not a newcomer and has the easiest and best GPS hands down. Garmin has introduced new sonar capabilities and is right up there with the best. SI and DI depend on your style of fishing, but also take a look at chirp and PanOptics (from Garmin). I have always found great customer service at Garmin like the last time I called and found I needed a part salesman didn't mention. So tech said, "I'll have one there tomorrow, no charge."


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## OldSchool (Oct 18, 2006)

A lot of good advice on here already… I will likely echo some of it but hopefully offer some additional perspective. I will key on two of your self-defining parameters… you are interested in bass fishing… you may want to get into dragging stuff around (trolling). 

With that I would start with what I would consider to be essentials:


Color unit w/2D (I think that you will find all units start with 2d).


GPS/Mapping. (Even if you start with base maps, you still want mapping… BTW mapping usually gives you a “trail” of where you’ve been. This will be invaluable when trolling and wanting to go back over an area that produced fish.) Enhanced mapping – selective depth highlighting would be a double bonus. This will help you “read” new water. Finding points and humps etc.
Next would be in the group of get it if you can afford it:


Side Imaging (for bass this will help you discover fish holding cover/structure to go back to. For trolling it will help you make course adjustments to get your lines close to weedlines, etc.)


Larger screen size (pay attention to resolution as well)… an 8 or 9 in unit would not be too big for you 14fter and (in my view) more is better.


When it comes to Down Imaging I would be no more than 50-50. DI is a good tool for those who want to vertical fish and for a bit deeper water but just like 2D the DI shows you basically what is under the boat. If you are running in 10ft of water chasing bass not a lot of them are going to be under the boat.


There are loads of good sonar equipment out there with new stuff coming out every day. I couldn’t begin to tell you which brand is best it is too expensive to try them all. (I run with Humminbird so my bias would lean that way.) My last though would be “used”. With all the gee-whiz new stuff coming out each year there are lots of guys Jones’n to upgrade. A 1 or 2 yr old unit at half the cost (and maybe even goodies like mounts and map cards) would give you lots of bang for the buck and allow you to jump in at a mid-level unit and figure out for yourself what works for you.


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## papaperch (Apr 12, 2004)

Well lets see how bad I can muddy up the waters. First off the ranges advertised on items like SI and the 360 are true. What they don't tell you is the info is so small its real easy to miss. I have the Humminbird 360 and rarely use the range bigger than 60ft . Same with SI yes it can cover 180ft on each side of boat but again the info us too small. I use my SI imaging at 40ft to each side.

Secondly go to user sites like crappie dot com and bass boat central. Read all you can in their electronics forums. Invaluable info can be gained at both sites. Just be aware there are some individuals that promote whatever they have. Not because its better but just because they have it.

I run both Garmin and Humminbird equipment on my boat. Since Garmin came out with the Panoptix the Humminbirds almost never get turned on. I do use the Humminbird when using my I-Pilot Link terrova. Love the follow the contour feature and the anchor option.

The GPS /Navigation feature is not only a great fishing tool. Its also a great safety device. When moving at night or in fog at a strange/ new lake. Just by following my track I was able to get off a lake with several hazards. An unexpected storm caught us flatfooted while night fishing in the Poconos on vacation. This lake has some high rise rocky features that can destroy a lower unit.

Bottom line is I would get at least a nine inch screen not because of bad eyes but for ease of use. Larger detail is valuable as you cannot be sitting smack dab in front of unit while trying to fish. I prefer to stand while fishing and as info blips in and out on my units. I can easily see what is going on at any point in time.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

If you think of each feature as a tool of it's own, they all become kinda important. I suggest getting all the features and biggest screen size you can afford. I don't use my GPS every time, I don't use the Side find every time. Like wise for most of the other features, but, when the situation calls for that particular application, nothing will replace it. Side find has found several brush piles and other features I would have never known about otherwise, and, the GPS makes sure I can find them all again. Once in a while, I'll see a mark on my GPS and realize it's something I had found a few years ago, and totally forgot about. Down Scan has allowed my to see I'm fishing rock piles, stumps, or whatever. Things I would have only guessed at otherwise. Another thing, GPS will help you get home in the fog.

As far as HB's 360 or Garmin's Panoptix, I have never used them. They look like they would be great in the right situations, but, that's another $1000+.

I've had HB's all my life and my Dad has always had Lowrance. This year, we both switched to Garmin. I've not got to use mine yet, but I have used his. I'd rank ease of use as 1-Garmin, 2-Humminbird, and a distant 3rd-Lowrance. I'd rank customer service the same, except I'd say Garmin and HB are tied. Just today I called Garmin with a technical question. The call went like this: Automated answer, pushed the # for marine, pressed the # for tech support, 2 more rings and the call was answered by a guy speaking perfect English that understood the question and knew the answer.


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## capt j-rod (Feb 14, 2008)

Run last years model... You will get more bang for your buck. I've had lowrance and hummingbird. Chevy vs ford. Let the price guide you, they are really the same at the end of the day


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## saugmon (Jun 14, 2006)

Another thing to consider is your future upgrades like I pilot.

I upgraded to an elite-5 di a few years ago. I like it but having just bought a terrova I pilot with link,I gotta get a compatible humminbird unit.Now i'm in search mode for my next sonar unit. I was checking out all the 700-900 series and the Helix 9-10. I haven't pulled the trigger yet, but I got my eye on the Helix 9Di.It has the ability to make your own contour charts.

BTW:There's lots of demo vids on utube.Just enter the brand and model #. Amazing vids on the Helix 9-12 there at utube.


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