03-05-2014, 03:47 PM
It all comes down to what do you want it to do, and how much do you want to spend – anywhere from $125 to $2,000.
For basic depth and structure and ease of use, it’s hard to beat the Fishin’ Buddy. Color is fun but not essential, and the front-projection sonar feature is great for finding fish within casting distance but outside the cones of the down-beam sonar. I think the Fishin’ Buddy is 9 volt, but you can buy a voltage converter for $10-$15 that will let you run the FB off a 12-volt battery. I’ve also used rechargeables for radio controlled vehicles that output 9.6 volts. Two of them will last you all day.
My biggest frustration with most sonar is that the coverage beam is usually only equal to the depth (e.g. if you’re in 20 feet of water, your sonar cone is only covering 20 feet of bottom. You can pass within 30 feet of a fish pod and they won’t show up on the sonar. Other than side-imaging sonar, there is not much that can be done if your fishing in shallower water.
You can add GPS and mapping for an extra $100 but you will likely want to add a map chip with bathometric data for another $150. The newer maps have 1-foot depth resolution and cover the many popular lakes in Utah.
Next up is down-imaging sonar that gives a very detailed image of the bottom so you can distinguish mud, rock, sand, weeds, sunken trees, etc. Down imaging is fun and interesting (especially if you regularly fish the same areas of a lake), but it does not per se find you more fish. Starts around $350.
Next is side-imaging sonar that shoots a wide beam 100-150 feet on each side of the boat that gives detailed images of the bottom and can help you spot fish and good structure from that distance. Starts around $700.
My two cents is start with a basic B&W Fishin’ Buddy with side-sonar (not the same as side-imaging). If you really get into sonar (like I did), the FBs are easy to sell and you can always move up. If you just want basic depth, structure, and water temp, the Fishin’ Buddy may be all you’ll ever need.
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For basic depth and structure and ease of use, it’s hard to beat the Fishin’ Buddy. Color is fun but not essential, and the front-projection sonar feature is great for finding fish within casting distance but outside the cones of the down-beam sonar. I think the Fishin’ Buddy is 9 volt, but you can buy a voltage converter for $10-$15 that will let you run the FB off a 12-volt battery. I’ve also used rechargeables for radio controlled vehicles that output 9.6 volts. Two of them will last you all day.
My biggest frustration with most sonar is that the coverage beam is usually only equal to the depth (e.g. if you’re in 20 feet of water, your sonar cone is only covering 20 feet of bottom. You can pass within 30 feet of a fish pod and they won’t show up on the sonar. Other than side-imaging sonar, there is not much that can be done if your fishing in shallower water.
You can add GPS and mapping for an extra $100 but you will likely want to add a map chip with bathometric data for another $150. The newer maps have 1-foot depth resolution and cover the many popular lakes in Utah.
Next up is down-imaging sonar that gives a very detailed image of the bottom so you can distinguish mud, rock, sand, weeds, sunken trees, etc. Down imaging is fun and interesting (especially if you regularly fish the same areas of a lake), but it does not per se find you more fish. Starts around $350.
Next is side-imaging sonar that shoots a wide beam 100-150 feet on each side of the boat that gives detailed images of the bottom and can help you spot fish and good structure from that distance. Starts around $700.
My two cents is start with a basic B&W Fishin’ Buddy with side-sonar (not the same as side-imaging). If you really get into sonar (like I did), the FBs are easy to sell and you can always move up. If you just want basic depth, structure, and water temp, the Fishin’ Buddy may be all you’ll ever need.
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