It has become increasingly difficult since the advent of the modern wireless-equipped fishfinder for manufacturers to strike a balance between largely unnecessary features and vital, meat and potatoes fishing tools. The most important single asset for a finder is easily visible and accurate imaging, which is sometimes lost in favor of bells and whistles. Many fishfinders resemble tablets with a sonar app installed alongside a blizzard of other options. Let’s examine the three most popular high-end models priced under $1000 and find out which one of them is the top performer.
Lowrance HDS 7 Gen2
Lowrance introduced the original HDS series in 2009. The HDS Gen2 series launched in 2012 provides all features from the original line with a couple enhancements: faster processor speed and the StructureMap view that allows the user to create bottom contour maps. With the addition of the optional StructureScan module Lowrance HDS 7 Gen2 delivers side imaging, down imaging, broadband sounder and navigation to give the user the complete picture. Sidescan provides an image for upto 500 feet on either side of the boat. Downscan displays what’s directly beneath the vessel. StructureMap view allows the users to overlay structure scan images on top of the lake charts. This provides an easy way to pinpoint the location of objects in the sonar output in relation to the boat’s position.
The unit’s LED display itself is crisp and clear, and seems to have no problem with bright sunlight. The GPS is accurate and has a quick refresh rate. It is compatible with nearly every major cartography package available, but shines in its native use of Lowrance’s Insight Genesis software. It’s a custom map maker, and lets the user define bottom contours and points of interest with GPS waypoints, and saves all parameters