fish finders

[kato811]

looking for a new fish finder what the best one to get i want to spend about $300 or so

[Jimmy]

This spring I bought a lowrance x87 and so far I'm very pleased with it. It is has a higher resolution (380x380 I believe) and is sensitive enough to pick up your jig. You should be able to pick one up for about $300.

[sami0115]

i vote for Lowrance also. great finder for the money!

[JP Z]

Their New "icemachine" is a very nice unit and you can get a mounting kit for in a boat which is very slick. We have the X68 Model but the X67 is also a good model, it just doesn't have the GPS capabilities.

[jimh874]

you didnt state if your looking for something for summer use, or winter or both.

if you want something to use all year round i would sugest a flasher. fl-8 and marcum are good flashers.

i love my fl-8 in the summer also, but this last year i picked up a lcd just for something else to look at.

in compairing a few units i ended up with the eagle fish mark 480. 5" screen, 480x480 pixel count, optional sensor for speed and distance log, 16 line gray scale, built in temp sensor, has zoom, and zoom in bottom tracking.

for $199 and the features i like it so far.

jim

[andy j]

Kato,

I would recomend getting a Lowrance x125 it replaced the x87 which they don't make anymore, It runs for $299 and is the best unit out there for this price range. Performance in comparable to a X15 for at least half the price. You might want to wait and see if they replace the x125 this spring, if they do the x125 will go on sale and the replacement will probably run for $299 and have updated features. Good luck

[AaronM]

Post deleted by Paul Waldowski

[andy j]

The eagles are nice units for the $ but the connectors are not a durable and won't last as long as the lowrances, especially if you take them on and off a lot.

[Northlander]

AndyJ hit the nail on the head. My Eagles were good units when working but the conections would go to heck with the abuse running in waves can give out. I agree on Lowrance and the x125 is in your price range. Its not as good at everything as my X15 or the X18 I just got but in that $300 its your best bet. I really like my LMS320 wich isnt made anymore but if you can find one used you should look into that. Some guys didnt like theirs but mine is great so far knock on wood.

1 other thing. Put your new graph on a Ram mount if you have room. They take a lot of shock away from the unit and you can move it where you want it. Like out of the sun glare.

[Surface Tension]

You didn't say for ice fishing or open water.

You can't go wrong with MarCum or Vex for ice but for $300 you'll have to find a used LX3 or fl 18.

You could step down to the MarCum LX1 or Vex SE.

I don't like flashers for open water. For under 200 bucks the Eagle 480 FishMark is a great sounder. I agree the power connection looks flimsy. I've got the Eagle 480 SeaFinder Dual Frequency which is the same as the Fishmark but without D/F on my lake Superior boat and it has worked out great.

[FullTilt]

I'll throw my hat in for the Lowrance x67. I used it all summer and I look forward to using it this winter. Great price and I love the color screen. One word of caution, if you're planning to use this unit for ice fishing be sure to get the Ice Machine Model and then buy the skimmer ducer for your boat. The Ice Machine model has better software for the flasher mode. I bought mine for my boat last year and I just bought the ice package to use it in the winter. I was dissapointed to find mine didn't have the latest software. I emailed Lowrance and they had me send it in with $9.95 to get the new software loaded. I was thrilled Lowrance gave me this option and stood behind their product but it would have been nice to know this on the front end, I would have bought the Ice Machine.

[TackleBoxMike]

The Ice Machine X68 or X67 have you guys had any problems with the units like interference?

Lets keep are Hooks Sharp.

TackleBoxMike

[kato811]

surface tension thanks for the info i have a vexilar fl-8 but dont like it in open water my old fish finder went to heck this fall want to get wa new one i like the fl-8 for up on the trolling motor though