For millennia, fishermen have relied on a combination of instinct and local knowledge in order to catch fish. Fish are, after all, simple creatures which tend to obey certain rules. Most fish like to live in places where they have cover from predators yet are still able to seek out
| Highest Rated Fishfinders | ||
|---|---|---|
 | Humminbird Helix 5 CHIRP G2 | 4.8/5 |
 | Lowrance HDS 7 Gen3 | 4.7/5 |
 | Garmin Striker 7sv | 4.6/5 |
 | Garmin echoMAP CHIRP 73sv | 4.6/5 |
 | Raymarine Dragonfly 7 PRO | 4.4/5 |
Fish Finders: Unbiased Reviews
Garmin echo 151dv Review
| Rating | 3.5/5 |
A fishfinder that’s both powerful and very easy to use, the Garmin echo 151dv offers a four-inch display with an eight-level grayscale display and 160 x 256 resolution. Echo 151dv provides similar features and specs as its predecessor – echo 150 – but it has two notable upgrades
Humminbird 678c HD DI Review
| Rating | 4/5 |
The new 600 series from Humminbird was conceived to meet the requirements of anglers who want a sleek but unobtrusive medium sized, easy to read screen and all of the features of larger, more expensive fishfinders. The 600 series offers anglers world-class fish finding without the need to compromise space for other instrumentation
Garmin echo 201dv Review
| Rating | 4.5/5 |
The Garmin echo 201dv is a powerful unit with advanced sonar features that until now could only be found on much more expensive fishfinders. 201dv provides traditional sonar as well as Garmin’s version of down imaging called DownVü.
Humminbird 859ci HD DI Review
| Rating | 4/5 |
When the goal is to catch as many fish as possible, the right equipment is crucial. Rods, reels, bait and boat can take a fisherman far, but to truly catapult to the next level it’s important to know where the fish are in relation to one’s location. To make sure they know where the fish are biting, more anglers are turning to the Humminbird 859ci HD DI.
Garmin GPSMAP 840xs Review
| Rating | 3/5 |
GPSMAP 840xs is a part of the new series of fishfinders from Garmin that support down imaging as well as side imaging (Garmin branded those technologies as DownVü and SideVü). Down imaging is built-in while side imaging requires a GCV 10 module that is sold separately.
Lowrance Mark 4 HDI Review
| Rating | 3.3/5 |
The Lowrance Mark 4 HDI comes with a 4.3 inch greyscale screen. HDI stands for Hybrid Dual Imaging and provides both the Broadband Sounder and DownScan. HDI was first introduced by the Elite7 model and it provides extremely accurate fish markings and is capable of tracking bait movement.
Garmin echo 551dv Review
| Rating | 4.1/5 |
The echo 551dv is a new fishfinder from Garmin that offers both traditional broadband sonar and down imaging. It produces probably the clearest image among fish finders in its price range. Garmin echo 551dv also stands out from the crowd by giving the user the ability to view the output horizontally or vertically.
Humminbird 688ci HD DI Review
| Rating | 2.9/5 |
The Humminbird 688 ci HD DI offers anglers a combination of down imaging and GPS. The 688 has a 640 x 480, five inch display with 256 colors and a backlight. Note that this display has lower resolution than the one found in the older 5 inch models that had 640 x 640 resolution. As the result the output is not as crisp and clear.
Lowrance Elite-4 HDI Review
| Rating | 4/5 |
Lowrance Elite-4 HDI is a new generation of compact fishfinders ideal for kayaks and small boat where room for mounting electronics is at premium. Despite of its small footprint Elite 4 HDI has almost all the features found in the larger Elite HDI models, yet it’s moderately priced. It will be a very popular model among those looking for smaller, budget priced units.
Garmin echo 301dv Review
| Rating | 4.3/5 |
The Garmin echo 301dv is a small but powerful fishfinder that offers down imaging (called DownVü by Garmin) as well as traditional 200/77 kHz dual beam sonar. The Garmin DownVü offers an almost photographic view of the structure underneath the boat. The new echo 301 is an evolution of the echo 300 platform.
Humminbird 899ci HD SI Review
| Rating | 3.6/5 |
Humminbird 899ci HD SI features the 480′ Side-Imaging technology, which Humminbird began and has mastered. It uses the XHS-9-HDSI-180-T transducer, the same one that was used by the older side-imaging models. The 1000W transducer supports 800/455/200/83 kHz frequencies, and it reaches the depth of 150’ in side imaging mode and 1500’ in broadband mode.
Garmin GPSMAP 527xs Review
| Rating | 4.7/5 |
The Garmin GPSMAP 527xs combined sounder and chart plotter permits clear and easy visibility during both the nighttime and the daytime. This will be the main attraction of the angler’s helm, regardless if it is swivel, flush, or flat mounted. The unit includes a worldwide base map as well as a user-friendly interface.
Raymarine a68 Review
| Rating | 3/5 |
The a68 fishfinder by Raymarine features CHIRP DownVision built right in with a full featured multifunction display. The CHIRP DownVision channel on the a68 model fishfinder delivers some amazing images of wrecks, fish, and underwater structure with photographic quality. There is also a CHIRP fish targeting channel on the a68 model fishfinder for easy identification of predators and baitfish.
Humminbird 698ci HD SI Review
| Rating | 4.1/5 |
The Humminbird 698ci HD SI features a brilliant 640V X 480H, backlit, five inch, 256 color display. It offers precision GPS chart plotting, as well as Down Imaging and Side Imaging sonar. This unit has a tilt and swivel mounting system with quick disconnects and built-in Humminbird UniMap cartography. You can also save your favorite views with three preset buttons that are programmable. The Humminbird 698ci HD SI fishfinder GPS system will enhance the fishing experience for any angler.
Olympus Magellan Review
The Olympus Magellan is mid-size 7×50 marine binocular that weighs in at 39-ounces. Noted features in this binocular review included individual eye focus and a smooth blue plastic exterior armor. The diopter scale is located on the bottom side of the eyepieces with index and scale marks molded into the
XM Satellite Weather Review
XM marine weather data is transmitted to a compatible system, like the Garmin GDL 30A weather receiver and Garmin 3210 multi-function display we used for testing, with satellite based radio signals. Intro Weather information is collected from both government and private weather providers then analyzed and processed by WxWorx, a
West Marine VHF650
The West Marine VHF650 is built by Uniden and sold through West Marine. This mid-level marine VHF radio has some unique features normally only found in more expensive gear. They include a basic hailer, battery voltage monitor, and dot matrix display screen. Plus, its waterproof to tough JIS7 standards, meaning
West Marine VHF580
The West Marine VHF580 is sold online through the West Marine website and nationally in stores. This entry level marine VHF radio has all the basics plus a Class D DSC rating. The front panel features up/down channel selector pushbuttons as well as one-button control to select transmitter power level
West Marine VHF 250 Review
The talented West Marine VHF 250 features full marine-band capabilities, plus it can receive signals from the Family radio, AM, FM, and Aircraft bands. It can transmit on the Marine and Family radio channels. Other features include a die-cast metal case and a top-mounted adapter ready to accept an optional