Northwest Fishing Reports

I'm looking to replace my current fish finder. If you have a recommendation for a FF in the $300 or under range, please post. Also, if you know of any good sales in the South Sound area, post those too!

I should also mention, I already have a GPS mounted on the kayak, so I'm not looking for a FF with GPS on it - BUT if it does have that, it's ok.

This is probably going to end up being one of those debates like Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge. I'm not a brand loyal kind of person, I use past performance and observations in making my purchasing decisions. I have owned Garmin units and have had experience with several Hummingbird units in the price range you are targeting. The Garmin units I've owned eventually lost their moisture integrity and blew out their transmitter circuit. The Hummingbird units I've seen likewise lost their moisture integrity and became so intermittent they were useless unless baked in an oven prior to use. I currently have a Lowrance product that is 4 years old and still going strong. Also, Garmin products tend to have lower resolution screens than their competition so if you are comparing units, keep that in mind. Eagle is Lowrance's sub brand and I haven't had much interaction with them so I don't know if the same quality could be expected from their products. There is an ice fishing package that Lowrance has out that uses the X67C, which is a nice little unit. The ice fishing package will have everything you need to make it a portable unit. Have a look at www.anchorexpress.com, they have some great prices and selections and is where I order my big ticket marine electronics.

Oh I don't need portable, it will be mounted.

How long ago did you have the humminbird?

My current FF is the Eagle brand, and I'm not happy with it. It shows me the depth, but it doesn't show fish regardless of how much I mess with it.

FWIW - I did a lot of research a couple years back and found that Lowrance seems to still have the best reviews and strongest history of good units. Eagle was (is?) a Lowrance sub-brand. Good luck in your search.

With your current Eagle, are you certain you've got the settings right to mark fish? and what is it's resolution? The reason I ask is because I had the same problem with mine, but found that my settings (although recommended), were not correct to adequately mark the fish in the lakes I was fishing. I found that I could see my 1/4 oz jig, but couldn't mark fish and couldn't figure out why. It took a lot of reading and a lot of playing to start trusting what I was seeing.

I've got a Humminbird 585c that I really like. The color screen is important because it will show the thermocline clearly. It is a great unit. They are now selling the updated model, the 586c, which is about the same. Check around for prices, I think you can find one for around $300.

http://store.humminbird.com/products/271386/586c

I wrote an article on the thermocline. In it, I posted pictures of the Humminbird 585c fish finder screen. This will show the defined thermocline.

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/ReadArticle.aspx?id=300

Great article. Thanks. I've gotten several recommendations for the 550/580 humminbird series.

I've got a Humm. 595c, includes gps. The retail was over your 300.00 but a good used one might be there. I love it, and the gps is really handy to have. Think of dropping crab pots and finding them, or maybe a good area to fish in large open water... marking a waypoint etc.

I'm looking at the 586c right now (still open to suggestions). I already have a GPS mounted. I have a picture of my cockpit/dashboard setup. If you'd like to check it out, shoot me a pm with your cell # (picture is on my phone)