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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Furuno FCV620

The Furuno FCV620 dual frequency color fish finder is the smaller sibling of the brawny Furuno FCV582 sounder. Like its big brother it features a rotary knob for gain control.

In our opinion, using a rotary knob for making quick and easy fine adjustments to the gain is a necessity for maximizing the usefulness of your fish finder. Normally only much more expensive sounders have this feature.

furuno fcv620 fish finder sounder

Furuno FCV-620

The FCV620 display unit has a square panel front that measured 6.7 inches across the width or height with a depth just under 4 inches.

The Furuno FCV620 fish finder package includes the display unit, power cable, owner’s manual, single-page quick reference guide, a beefy rotating single stanchion mounting bracket, and hardware to flush mount the display if you so choose.

All essential electronics are internal to the display. The only remaining component needed get full use out of this bottom machine is a transducer.

Several transducer options are available ranging from transom-mount units with water temperature sensing to a bronze thru-hull unit with both water temperature and speed sensors.

For our on the water testing we mounted the display using the accompanying bracket and found that it held the display unit securely.

A pair of ports on the case back connects to a power and transducer cable using twist-lock connectors. A single ground wire connection is on the back too. This fish finder can interface with other NMEA 0183 devices.

Screen Size and Viewability

The Furuno FCV620 has a color LCD screen measuring nearly 4.5-inches high and just over 3-inches wide. On the diagonal we measured the portrait layout screen at 5.6 inches. Screen resolution is 320 pixels vertically and 234 pixels on the horizontal plane.

We reviewed the Furuno FCV620 display screen on a sunny day with the unit mounted under a T-Top.

The display screen was fairly bright, adequately sharp and showed good contrast when viewed from straight-on.

We noticed very little screen darkening after donning polarized sunglasses.

However the screen does darken when viewed from severe side angles and finally blanks completely going beyond about 50 degrees.

The screen does exhibit a small amount of reflectivity. We gave it a good rating for daytime viewability.

A quick press of the on/off pushbutton brings up the brightness and contrast menu onscreen. Each can be adjusted to one of 10 levels.<