which sonar?

[turbo5oh]

hey everybody. im in the market for a new fish finder and i cannot make up my mind beween the new bird 570 or the new lowrance mark 5 pro. it will be used for a small 15 ft boat in mostly 50-10 ft of water. ive never had a "good" boat sonar unit. ive had some bad experiences with lowrance i.e. customer service and the x50 ds i have right now. so thats why im considering the bird but ive heard bad cust service problems with them also.

should i just step up and look for something in the $500 range or can i find something worth a [PoorWordUsage] for $200 ish. ive also considered some gps units but i plan on just using my handheld and navionics card on the boat. any help would be appreciated

[Eric Wettschreck]

I'd go with the Bird.

Never had a problem with their customer service......ever.

[Ed Carlson]

The Hummer 190 C for $229 is a great unit...very bright and clear daylight friendly high quality display, simple operation...good size for bow or dash.

If you already own a Vexilar, you may also consider adding a Vexilar TK-Kit for $79.00, and use your Vex year around on the boat too. I use mine all year around and find it just as handy, if even not more so, on open water.

[Mike Stark]

i just bought a new bird this season. it is a nice unit. very easy to use. you should think about how much you are going to fish and how much you will use the unit. if you wont be out that much there is not reason to go about and spend a bunch of money. if you are going to be out multiple times a week all season long...i would(and i did) step it up and get a nice unit.

[Jim Uran]

Go with the Bird, you won't regret it. I've got a 565 that I bought a couple of years ago and the thing is as tough as nails. Great view, easy to use and I have confidence in it. I've marked fish in 30' of water and actually targeted them (fall crappies).

Right now they don't make it anymore but this is the comparible unit.

Humminbird 560

[mojogunter]

I have only had outstanding customer service from Humminbird. Lowrance on the other hand is a different story. I would go with HB.

[turbo5oh]

any opinions on the bird 728? itd discontinued but has some good options and high watts

[harvey lee]

From quality to CS, Humminbird for me was the way to go after many years with Lowrance.

[mojogunter]

any opinions on the bird 728? itd discontinued but has some good options and high watts

The only units I have first hand use of are a 788C, and a 1197. Both have been great. As to the 728 I'm sure it will serve you well, but if you can find a color unit I would go that route. I guess it depends what you fish for, but for me fishing walleyes the color makes it much easier to find bottom soil transition areas that hold fish. Nice but certianly not required. I'm sure you will be happy with either. Good Luck

[turbo5oh]

well thanks for the help everybody, ive always had lowrance but it always ends with a bad taste in my mouth, so im gonna try my luck with something different. i found a bird 728 on clearance. and it has some expandable options. i just dont see the value of color yet for the price diff. plus i dont want to double the value of my boat. plus if the screen looks the same maybe the old lady wont know i bought something new

[Go Gators]

I never would have believed what a difference color could make. Last year I broke down and bought a 997. OMG, I can't believe I ever fished without one. The ability to spot fish belly to the bottom is unbelievable and as was mentioned earlier being able to detect transition zones is down right easy. If I would have known before what I know now I would have purchased color the day they came out. I will never have a monochrome on my boat again after seeing the light of color. Nobody ever said they were cheap but for walleye fishing they are definitely worth it. Just my $.02.