Which Fish Finder Should I Buy?

Judging the best fish finder isn’t necessarily a matter of best features—at least not upfront. You do want the best features, of course, but the best features in a networked system really have no place on a kayak and a standalone fishfinder is a waste of time on a 30’ craft in open waters.

If you want to know which fish finder is best for you, you should consider several circumstances that matter, such as the size of your boat, what kind of water you will fish on, what you want to see, and lastly, what features come with the device.

So we will break down craft sizes, as they are related to the kind of fishing you may be engaging in, and what the best type of fish finder would work best for that type of craft.

When it comes to fish finders, having options is a bold understatement. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of fish finders on the market and it’s especially confusing if you’re new to the whole idea. 

Best Fish Finder For Large Craft – Offshore Fishing

In a large craft—something along the lines of 30’ to 45’, you need something that has a lot more capability than what’s necessary for fishing in a pond on a kayak or a small, rowboat. 

Humminbird Solix Range (10, 12, 15)

Looking at the underwater world on the Hummingbird Solix 12 is like viewing another planet in high definition! The screen is a 12.1” HD screen and it presents an absolutely stunning view of everything that’s going on in the deep.  This range is really super premium for fish finders.  If you are looking for the very best, then you are in the right place!

Features

• 12.1” HD Touchscreen
• Mega Side and Mega Down Imaging
• Dual-Spectrum CHIRP
• Wide and Narrow Views
• Four-Screen Grid
• Mounting Hardware Included

It achieves this level of clarity with Mega Side and Mega Down Imaging and while the exact colors of objects, fish, natural debris, and the sea bed may not represent real-life aesthetics, this is as close as your going to get with today’s available technology.

The Solix 12 uses a dual-spectrum CHIRP sonar that shows you exactly what you need to see, from potentially fish-filled structures to the crystal clarity of the sea bottom. You have two options: the wide view for an all-encompassing shot and a narrow view when you need the ultimate level of clarity.

The screen is a touch interface that gives you complete control over every tiny aspect of the display quickly and intuitively. You can even break it down into four, separate screens, each independent of the other. 

It comes with all of the necessary mounting hardware and the device itself is fully integrated with your smartphone, including use as a second screen and notification alerts. The setup is pretty simple with Bluetooth connectivity that’s reliable since the only measured distance will be on your own boat. 

Compare with other models in the Solix Range:

Click here to check out the Solix 10 Finder on Amazon.com…

Click here to check out the Solix 15 Fish Finder on Amazon.com…

Best Fish Finder For Medium Craft – Local Fishing

Out on open lakes and generally in areas where you can still see the shoreline, it’s certainly okay to use the fish finders that are designed for deep sea fishing but you probably don’t need the excessive expense and features. 

Humminbird Helix Range (5, 7, 8, 15)

While it has a much smaller screen—5” color WVGA display—than its far more expensive cousin, the Humminbird Helix 5 G2 still has a lot of bang for the buck. The Dual Beam PLUS Sonar is still here, powered by 500W. 

Features

• Dual-Beam Plus Sonar
• Basemap, AutoChart, and GPS Mapping
• CHIRP Digital Sonar
• Imaging Sonar
• Basemaps from NOAA and LakeMaster
• Switchfire

It has built-in chart plotting software with ANIMA cartography. This is also combined with the Humminbird Basemap, AutoChart Live, and GPS Mapping. It’s quite a lot of software designed to keep you in the know with location and charting. 

The Helix 5 G2 combines CHIRP Digital Sonar with Imaging Sonar to reveal the water bed while working in conjunction with the massive level of charting software. This all comes together seamlessly to put you on the fish, wherever they are and wherever they go.

There is also a built-in capability for side-imaging and down-imaging that sends you images in thousands of tiny slices that are compiled into a single image with astonishing clarity. Even though the screen isn’t the highest in terms of definition, the images are picture-like in quality. 

The base maps are built-in prior to purchase and derive their information from LakeMaster and NOAA to give you the most precise mapping tools available. This includes the mapping information for all US lakebeds and what is underwater, and the addition of topography, GPS, geography, and location.

The dual-beam technology gives you both a wide and narrow option to choose from. If you need to see everything, you can select the wide view, if you need to narrow it down to achieve peak clarity on a single area, the narrow view is available too. 

Switchfire is a new feature that lets you effortlessly switch between MaxMode and ClearMode so that you can bring out the detail in underwater structures, fish, and terrain, all on the fly. 

Compare with Humminbird Helix range below:

Check out the Humminbird Helix 5 on Amazon.com…

Check out the Humminbird Helix 7 on Amazon.com…

Check out the Humminbird Helix 8 on Amazon.com…

Check out the Humminbird Helix 15 on Amazon.com…

Best Fish Finder For Small Craft – Trolling Motors and Kayaks

The best thing about fishing on a kayak or another small craft is that there are still fish-finding devices available for such a small framework. 

Lowrance HOOK Reveal 7

The Lowrance HOOK Reveal 7 comes with a 7-inch, high-resolution screen that includes SolarMax. The SolarMax ensures that you can see the screen regardless of the environmental conditions around you, including direct sunlight. 

Features

• 7-inch High-Resolution Screen
• SolarMax Technology
• Target Separation CHIRP Sonar
• Genesis Live and GPS Plotting software that’s built-in
• Tripleshot Transducer
• Autotuning Sonar

The FishReveal feature uses target separation in its CHIRP sonar and combines it with DownScan Imaging which essentially makes the fish below you light up. It’s similar to how objects in infrared images tend to stand out from dark backgrounds in stark contrast. 

The HOOK Reveal 7 comes with highly detailed maps of over 4,000 lakes that lie within the U.S. mainland. You can also create new maps or overlay existing maps with plot points from GPS Plotter and Genesis Live Software.

The Tripleshot Transducer uses wide-angle CHIRP sonar and combines it with high-resolution scans that are pulled from the down-scan and side-scan technology. This way, you get the most accurate and immediate picture with high clarity. 

The Sonar is autotuning, which means that it adjusts its capabilities in a direct reaction to changing conditions in and out of the water. This frees you up to do what you do best without having to make adjustments yourself. 

Best Castable Fish Finder For On Shore Fishing

Castable fish finders are a growing trend, especially amongst on-shore fishers who engage in fishing from land whether it’s lakes and ponds or surf fishing out on the beach. 

Deeper Pro +

The Deeper Pro + is a high-tech device that looks exactly like a bobber and serves the function of a bobber, along with everything else that it does. And it does a lot. 

Features

• Scans to 260’ depth
• Built-in GPS
• 15 scans per second with two beams
• Excellent app coordination
• IPX7 waterproof
• Long-lasting battery with USB-C charging

You can generally get about 100’ – 300’ of seamless communication distance between the Deeper Pro + and your smartphone. It works with WiFi communication protocols and sends your phone a detailed and high-resolution image of what’s beneath it. 

It’s able to send you accurate views of the sea bed, including pockets, humps, debris, trees, and anything else that happens to be down there, where fish love to hide. It also spots fish, so you can not only see where they are at the moment but also where they are moving to. 

Deeper Pro + has a customizable bathymetric system so you can save the seafloor mapping and add additional plot points for areas that you fish in. You can fish in different areas, map it all, mark significant areas, and create an overall map zone that includes all of the pertinent information that you want to add. 

The built-in GPS also maps the shoreline for you and sends all of the information to your phone and to cloud storage that can be retrieved at any time on the Deeper Pro App. 

With its dual-beam technology, you can get a 55° wide-view and a 15° narrow-view for more detailed peaks at what’s below. It sends 15 scans per second to your smartphone using a WiFi connection between your smartphone and the Deeper Pro +.

When you turn the device on, simply access your smartphone settings and look for a new WiFi signal to connect to. Instead of locating your home WiFi, like it normally would, it will instead find the Deeper Pro +. Once you connect, that’s it for as long as you decide to fish.

Final Word

Regardless of what type of fishing you want to engage in, there is a fish finder that is available for it. The versatility of fish finders is continuing to grow and that’s nothing but a boon to those who enjoy fishing on a regular basis. 

Cover Art Credit: Photo by Thirdman from Pexels