Top 5 Editorial Picks

Five current fishfinders chosen for distinct buyer needs—from compact value to a premium expandable system. These are editorial selections, not Amazon or reader ratings.

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  1. 1
    Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv Fishfinder with Transducer - 4-inch LCD Display - Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar - Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces (010-02550-00) | Transducer, 4-inch LCD Display, Easy-to-Use Scanning Sonar, Color Palettes, 11.2 Ounces 4 Inch STRIKER Vivid 4cv Transducer

    Best Compact Value

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 4cv

    A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.

    • CHIRP and ClearVü scanning sonar in a compact package
    • A sensible pick when you do not need a chartplotter or SideVü
    • Best fit for budget-conscious small-boat anglers
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  2. 2
    Garmin Striker Vivid 7sv, Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder and Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes (010-02553-00) | Easy-to-Use 7-inch Color Fishfinder, Sonar Transducer, Vivid Scanning Sonar Color Palettes 010-02553-00 7 Inch STRIKER Vivid 7sv Transducer

    Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder

    Garmin STRIKER Vivid 7sv

    A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.

    • CHIRP, ClearVü, and SideVü sonar for fish and structure
    • Simple setup with a practical 7-inch screen
    • Strong value for most general boat anglers
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  3. 3
    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv with GT54 Transducer, 7” Touchscreen Chartplotter, Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland 7' Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland with GT54 Transducer

    Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade

    Garmin ECHOMAP UHD2 73sv

    The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.

    • Garmin Navionics+ U.S. Inland mapping and touchscreen control
    • Ultra High-Definition ClearVü and SideVü sonar
    • A better fit than STRIKER when charts matter
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  4. 4
    Humminbird XPLORE Series GPS Fish Finder MEGA Side Imaging+ & HD Touchscreen Display Transducer Included) 9-Inch Display

    Best Side-Imaging Upgrade

    Humminbird XPLORE 9

    A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.

    • MEGA Side Imaging+ and MEGA Down Imaging+
    • 9-inch display with touchscreen and keypad control
    • Recommended configuration: 9-inch, transducer included
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  5. 5
    Lowrance HDS PRO Fishfinder/Chartplotter with Smartphone Integration and Preloaded C-MAP U.S. & Canada Charts 10 Inch ActiveImaging HD 3-in-1

    Best Premium Expandable System

    Lowrance HDS PRO 10

    A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.

    • Active Imaging HD and C-MAP charting
    • Wide networking support for integrated electronics
    • Ready to expand with ActiveTarget 2 and the Lowrance ecosystem
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Raymarine A60

The Raymarine A60 system pack ships with the display unit, DSM25 black box sounder, RS12 GPS sensor, and a Navionics Silver All-in-One map card.

The display measures 9.6 inches wide, just under 7 inches high, and 3.4 inches deep. We mounted the display head on the supplied metal bracket. Connections for power, GPS sensor, transducer, NMEA 0183 data are all through twist lock connectors on the back panel.

By removing a rear panel bezel the A60 can be flush-mounted with supplied hardware.

Satellite changes made last year have rendered the Raymarine RS12 GPS sensor incapable of receiving WAAS signals; it remains fully functional as a GPS receiver, but lacks WAAS accuracy.

raymarine a60 chartplotter fishfinder combo

Raymarine A60 Display Unit

An upgrade to the Raymarine RS125 GPS sensor would cost approximately $300, requires some minor wiring modifications, and would restore WAAS capability to the A60.

Screen Size and Viewability

The Raymarine A60 has a 5.7 inch screen with a landscape layout and a resolution of 320 x 240. This made fine details tricky to read when the range setting resulted in a display cluttered with lots of information. Sunlight visibility was also hindered by a lack of selectable color palettes, high screen reflectivity, and less screen brightness than some of the best units this size we’ve tested.

We rated the Raymarine A60 display screen only fair for day viewability. Color choices when viewing a chartplotter page are limited to changing some areas of water to white or light blue. When looking at a fishfinder page numerous color choices are available. We noted that the A60 screen darkens when viewed from side angles, as the angle steepened the darkening increased. No screen fogging was noted during our testing.

Backlighting on the A60 screen can be controlled between 5% and 100% in 5% increments and the standard map color palette seemed to be better for night viewing. This resulted in a good for night viewability.

Operation

Dedicated push buttons for page selection and waypoint functions plus five soft keys with page specific functionality earned the Raymarine A60 an excellent rating for chartplotter user interface. We found this unit’s functions and menus very easy to navigate and use.

Hitting and holding the MOB key takes the A60 into man overboard mode. This single button push will generate an a