What is the BEST FISHFINDER for under $200.00 ??

[ksdog]

Going to buy a fish finder soon. What finder gives me the most value and reliability for under $200.00 ??

[Surface Tension]

Eagle FishMark 480

[bwtrout]

The Bottomline tournament 480 max sonar caught my eye. Less on the screen resolution but 500 extra watts. They are very simular. I've noticed A lot of companies have a simular model to the Eagle 480 this year, All around $200.

[Psychie]

The Hummin Bird Matrix 25 is a good one. Its GPS ready all you have to do is buy the reciever, plus you can get weather sense monitor, smartcast, hook it up to your computer and update it, and the list goes on. It runs about 159.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm going to have to agree with Surface Tension on this one.. if I only had about $200 to spend, I would get the Eagle 480...I have the Lowrance version of this unit on my boat.. and simply LOVE it...

[Bushwacker]

Has anyone ever used any of the Hummingbird Matrix units? They look like they are very well thought out. The GPS ready, the weather sensor, and they even have some that you can hook your Aqua-Vu camera into. The 3-D feature also looks pretty good. I have always been a little aprehensive about Hummingbird since my Dad bought a unit in the early 90's.

[Mark Christianson]

Eagle FM 480

[andy j]

I also would go with the Fish Mark 480. I have the Lowrance X125 which like Deitz said is the Lowrance version of the 480. Great units for the money, The only differece between the eagle 480 and the lowrance x125 is that the 125 has more power 2400 watts compared to 1500 watts on the F.M. 480. Also the Lowrance units are a little better when it comes to some of their components. Lowrance's grey plugs are locking plugs and are more durable and will last longer then the Eagles basic black plugs. If you are going to take your unit on and off your boat like I do then I would strongly recommend the Lowrances, their plugs last longer. I would stay away from Bottomline, I ran them on my boat for a couple seasons and both units didn't last more then 2 years. They have major quality issues and customer service issues in my opinion and there are a lot of others that feel the same. Hummingbirds are decent units and seem to be pretty durable but in my opinion are not the as good as Lowrance/Eagle at marking fish. I would also wait for this spring to purchase, I have seen some of the new Lowrance/Eagles coming out this year and they keep giving you more for the $ every year. Good Luck AJ

[76k20]

I stuck a matrix 27 on the dash of my boat last year. I have it interfaced with my handheld gps. I dont have the weather dealy yet but Im sure I will sooner or later.

I like the real time sonar (rts) window an the right. It works well I can pick up 1/4 ounce jigheads easily and as I raise the jig the It moves on the graph immidiatly. So it sees whats down there when its down there not delayed like some older graphs. High 640 x 640 resolution, bottom lock, zoom, dual beam transducer, decent sized screen, on screen temp, trolling grid and speed if gps connected, I believe the higher end of the matrix series has map ability, I think these are pretty nice units and priced pretty well

[Wayne Ek]

If I had to get just one finder and the budget dictated under 200... then I would look for a used FL-8 or rebuilt(motor clinic) I could use it on a bow mount trolling motor in the summer and convert it to winter use.

[Northlander]

Im with Dietz and AndyJ on this one. Lowrances plugs are better built and the unit will last you longer. I know people with the 480 and its a nice unit but after some long bumpy hauls they started to have problems with connections etc. It was all in those plugs.

[HoleHopper]

I saw this on another thread. I think the poster was Matt. A steal tape measure. You can detect what the bottom is like and all of the surounding bottom as well. Mud, sand, weeds, or rocks. I know I will be useing this piece of wisdom in my arsenal. And the price is right!