Locators

[Stoneman]

I know, asking about locators is like asking what line to use, but heck it's winter and this question should last till o-pening. I want to go with a new locator for smaller lakes....using a gray scale Eagle now, 1500 watts. Need a color (ooh) Gps split screen........about 500 bucks or less.

Lowrance really worth the extra over Eagle?

[Questor]

It's a personal decision, but here's my story.

I bought a Bottom Line depth finder a few years ago when I switched from a canoe to a 14 foot aluminum boat. It was awful and I literally ended up throwing it away -- $200+ worth of equipment! It was the freakiest piece of equipment I've ever owned. Adusting the transducer position was a nightmare.

I replaced it with an Eagle comparable model that cost about $200 or a bit more. Maybe $250. It was like a religious miracle! I love that thing. I just hooked it up and it worked. To adjust the transducer angle I just reached over the back of the boat, clicked it up a couple of notches, and was on my way. I don't know what your needs are, but if you just need a good graphid depth finder that's reliable and doesn't cost a lot, I can recommend the Eagle. I think my model is the the Fishmark. It has temperature and speed sensors. There is also simulator software you can download to your PC so you can learn the controls before you get on the water. It's a really nice touch.

[Questor]

By the way, I wanted to be able to remove the finder when I'm not using the boat. Johnny Ray company makes some really nice mounts that don't cost much money. You screw half the mount to your boat. The other half connects to your finder. You snap and unsnap the two halves together or apart. Very slick.

[Ray Esboldt]

The Lowrance units offer a bit better resolution and more power than their comparable Eagle couterpart unit. Also, I like the Lowrance connections a bit better than the Eagle. They seem like they would endure more connections and reconnections than the Eagle's. With that being said, I still bought an Eagle 500C last year. It was nearly the same unit as a Lowrance 332 for about $175 dollars less. I've been very pleased with it.

[Questor]

It seems I recall that Eagle was acquired by Lowrance a couple of years back and they now share a lot of components.

I agree with the connector observation. I did have a mishap at the ramp last year where one of the pins bent and I had to fool with it to straighten it out. I wish there was a better connection method. I could have prevented the bend by being more careful about lining the connector up straight.

[eyepatrol]

Lowrance M68c is a nice little unit. Sells for less than $500. Sonar & GPS capability.

[PerchJerker]

Ray has it right, Eagle is a great unit and you'll probably never even know it's not a Lowrance. I'm not sure but I thought that all (maybe most??) of the Eagle units had the same resolution (pixel count) as the Lowrance units, if so that should be enough to seal the deal for you. Good luck.