I’m shopping for a new sonar or possible sonar/GPS combo for my boat. (13 foot Boston Whaler) I’m leaning toward a Humminbird, but am also considering a Lowrance.
Here are a few questions for the community to start off the discussion…
1 - I want a color display because it just looks nicer, but am not sure if it makes a difference. Is there an advantage to color?
2 - How often do you use the GPS feature? Are you really plotting every fish you catch and do you refer to it later?
3 - Lowrance or Humminbird? Any other models I should consider?
4 - Does the size of the display matter when looking for fish or structure? (3.5" vs. 5") I have had smaller displays in the past so im not sure of the advantage of a bigger one.
Here are a couple that I am looking at from Humminbird…
383c combo
Description: The 383c Combo features a brilliant color 320V x 240H 3.5” display, advanced DualBeam PLUS sonar with 2400 Watts PTP power output, and GPS Chartplotting with built-in UniMap.
$400
585c
Description: The 585c features a brilliant color 320V x 240H 5" display and single beam sonar with 2400 Watts PTP power output.
$350
Seems to me for the extra $50 I get GPS with chartplotting, but a smaller display.
I own a lowrance 102c and love it. I even use it ice fishing sometimes and it will show my 1/48th oz jigs all the way to the bottom. Color, in my opinion, is a really nice option due to the fact it is a little easier to read for me and in the case of the 102c has a cool night fishing feature that changes the lcd color to neon green and black. just my 2 cents,
Jed
I switched to color a while back and it is really helpful. The color differential gives me an idea as to the relative sizes of the fish targets I’m seeing and gives me a better idea than B&W did as to whether that “bump” on the bottom is just a rock or a big fish with its belly on the bottom.
For me, GPS is a necessity. I use it to mark structure that holds fish and I go back to those spots time after time, year after year.
I’m a Lowrance guy.
The bigger the display the more detail you can see, all other things being equal (e.g., power output). In this case, bigger really is better.
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Another thing I was thinking of…
Do the GPS units that do Chartplotting come with software to review off the lake? [/reply]
With the Lowrance units you can look at your waypoints iff the water by simply “navigating” around the map with your cursor. I assume Humminbird has something similar.
I recommend that you visit the Lowrance website (http://www.lowrance.com/), go to “Downloads” and download the “Product Emulator” for something like the LMS-332C. It’s roughly comparable to the Humminbird units you listed. You can then get a feel for how the Lowrance units work. I love mine.
I have the lowrance lcx112c and I love it. I set up correctly I think the color does a better job of showing strong from weak signals. I like the larger screens because 1. easier on the eyes 2. I can see what is on the screen from just about anywhere. As for the gps I don’t know how we ever fished without it. Depending on the type of fishing you do a gps can take a good day of fishing and turn it to a great day. If you jig at all you need gps.
The argument between lowrance and humming bird is kind of a ford vs. chevy thing. They both have good and bad qualities and they both get the job done. I like lowrance because I’ve never had a problem with them. I’ve never owned a humming bird. This is based on my personal experience hope it helps.
I echo Don and Mackaddict’s comments. Lowrance. Color. As big as you can afford and/or have room for. GPS is handy.
Go to their website, and then shop the net for best prices.
Don’t be “suckered” into a dual frequency transducer. 50 khz is useless in fresh water. And my advice is to avoid Humminbird all together. If you consider any other brand, consider Garmin, then go ahead and get a lowrance!
I own 6 sonars. Three are Humminbirds, one with GPS, a Raytheon and a Navman. And my newest and best is my Lowrance with GPS, $699. I would always choose the Lowrance over the others. Any sonar will tell you how deep the water is, but for distinguishing fish, go with the best you can afford and you’ll be happy. Color is not a neccessity, but it really does help to tell the difference between fish and the other stuff. (Another reason I chose Lowrance is because I use the Navionics HotMaps, especially at Strawberry and Powell. (I still use the Humminbird Matrix in the runabout, and it’s OK, and about half the cost of the Lowrance.)
Sorry it has taken me a while to reply to your posts. Thanks for all the information regarding sonars. Sounds like I will be shopping for a Lowrance with a color screen and GPS combo. I downloaded their catalog and am ready to give that brand a try. So far I have heard really good things. It also looks like the screen size will depend on my budget. Thanks again for taking the time to rely and give your 2 cents.
-Cory
I also am a Lowrance fan. I have the M68c, which has the built in GPS and is color. I use it for ice fishing (has a flasher mode built in, with night and day color schemes) and I have transducers on both of my boats so that I can use it on them also. It is an extremely valuable tool when navigating Lake Powell or Flaming gorge. You know EXACTLY where you are at all times. I like the compactness of it, and has I am on my 4th year with it now. I did the math recently to figure out how much it has cost me per fishing trip since I bought it. Came out to about $2.00 per trip!
I did start off with the X67c, which is the same thing without the GPS, and then I just used my Garmin GPS…that got old after one trip. So I took it back and for an extra $100 got the built in GPS.
Everyone that has seen it likes it. If I had my druthers (and an unlimited bank account) I would get the same one with a bigger screen.
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Sorry it has taken me a while to reply to your posts. Thanks for all the information regarding sonars. Sounds like I will be shopping for a Lowrance with a color screen and GPS combo. [/reply]
If you’re not in a hurry, Cabela’s usually does a Lowrance closeout on the current year’s models in about mid-December. The saving is usually around 25-30% but they sell out fast so you have to check frequently.