opinions of depth finders

[kerryd15]

Starting to look for a depth finder for my boat. Most of my fishing will be in the pothole lakes of southern Minn. What are your thoughts of the 500 series hummingbirds? I have a seperate GPS, is the color screen worth the extra doe? I like the split screen for the bottom zoom. Are there any others I need to consider in this range? What do you think of the garmins? Thanks for the help.

[harvey lee]

Quite a few years ago I had a Bird 565 I believe it was. It worked well for years and I never had an issue.

Humminbirds customer service is also very good.

I don't believe one can go wrong with this unit for the money.

I like the color screen but I don't feel it is a must for my fishing.

[JohnMickish]

I agree and disagree with Harv. I agree in that the Humminbirds are the best for the buck, customer service is fantastic and they work every time reguardless of where you are or how deep the water is.

I disagree in that I feel the color screens are worth every penny, especially if you fish in the daylight and are not sitting right in front of the unit. Some black and white screens can be hard to see with polarized glasses on.

[ryanmitchell]

I have a hummininbird 565. Fine unit. I wish I had bought the model that displays speed, but lesson learned and rectified with the purchase of the 898 in the spring. I am goig to move the 565 to the front and put an 898 on the console.

Its all about the benjamins and how many you can spare for the unit and how much time you spend on the water. Spend the most you can afford as you won't regret only. Probably only wish you had bought a better one.

B/W vs. color. That is almost on the low end of the options for me. That is a like a gimme. Color screens will help you identify bottom structure transitions like muck/sand/rubble. The color will help you identifying fish and weeds and such. I think and hope so!

[backlash 1]

My first locator was a Lowrance green box, and I have had Lowrance ever since, but with their cust service and problems, as soon as my 332C dies, I'm gonna be on the Hummingbird so fast the wife won't know what happened.

As far as color? Would you ever go back to a B&W TV?

Just my personal opinion.