Depth / fish finder ?

[RUGER]

Ok I got my depth finder working yesterday, no big deal, unplugged it and plugged it back in and it worked.

It has condensation inside of it and the screen is all, well hazy with little bitty cracks all inside it.
I assume that makes sense, not sure how to explain it.

In simple terms I can't see it.

I want to be able to see how deep the water is and if there are any fish under me.
Possibly be able to see the difference between big and small fish?

As always, I want to spend as little as possible.
What would you suggest?

LOL I just got on BassPro and looked a bit.
First one I see is $169.00 and I thought ok not bad.
I scroll down a couple and see one for $3,349.99 wellllll alrighty then.


Wow.

 

[mike243]

3-4 years ago I paid a little over $200 for 1 that has temp on it also,worked good 2 years ago when I had the toon out,hope it still works if I ever get the chance to get it out again ,

 

[JandSCattleCo]

Academy sports had the hummingbird pira�a max 150 on clearance for $49 a week or so ago.

 

[CATCHDAWG]

Cabelas has one for eighty something. Got to buy one myself.

 

[chunkandwind]

You need the $3300 one. None of the others will do.

I have a Humminbird 343c that need a new bracket for the transducer. Other than that it works great. It's yours if
you want it.

 

[mossyhorns300]

Ruger. Let me see what we have in the shop. Pm coming

 

[Football Hunter]

Just remember,like anything else,you get what you pay for.

 

[pressfit]

I bought one of the first lcr units they put out in the late 80's.. before that always had a hummingbird super sixty.. I have lcr's on my boats today.. but.. to be honest I dont think they have ever helped me catch a single fish... other than maybe showing me where the drop offs are.. I found out just because you can see a fish under the boat doesnt mean you can catch him.. I probably havent turned mine on in a couple of years... I like to fish where I casting towards structure like a sunken log or a boat dock etc.. but if you want to spend some money on a pretty neat gadget.. buy a aqua view camera... drop it over the side of the boat and watch the fish swim by on the tv screen.. I have had one for 3-4 years and its really fun in the cooler months when the water is clear..

 

[SilverFox]

For a plug and go finder the cheaper Lowrance models will work. Around $100 is entry level.

If you want a quality finder that will work great out the box and is color I would suggest the Lowrance HDS 5 model. You can get just finder or finder GPS models. You can get a used one around $300 and maybe cheaper... New ones around $500 and up. They do run them on sale and with the new models coming out chances are you can find them cheaper. This unit gives you the ability to customize your setting more than the cheaper $100 models and will help you greatly when you figure out what they do. With a GPS model you will get contour lines when you add a card... Those start around $100 for the card but will show depth and points which are the man things I look for when fishing. You can also mark brush piles on the GPS so you will know exactly where they are for the next trip. For crappie or bass that is very important to me.

If you have a smart phone and want to go the cheap route, by the cheap finder and buy the Navionics app for $10. You can get contour lines and the marking ability with it. It's just aggravating to me but I fish a lot.

In my opinion the Lowrance 2D models are the best 2D out there. It's what I use on the front. I use Humminbird for side scan and down scan at the wheel.

There are tons of info on YouTube and other sites. The 2D on all HDS models will work the same pretty much. Some have different setting but you can get the idea watching any video.

 

[TITANSFAN2104]

Just remember,like anything else,you get what you pay for.

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