Owasco Posted January 4, 2011 Posted January 4, 2011 I'm trying to choose a "budget" fishfinder. With all the options, bells and whistles out there I am completely overwhelmed. I just don't know what I should choose. I really like the idea of down imaging and would be willing to pay for it but, do I really need it? I was initially trying to keep it under $200 since I have never used one before. I found what I think is a quality unit at a great price with the Eagle Fish Elite 480 Sonar/GPS Mapping combo from BPS for $229. It's gray scale not color. No down imaging either. Does have GPS. Does the GPS work right out of the box? Ugh. Any recommendations? I figured if anyone can help me it would be the guys at Bass Resource. If it helps, it will be going on a 16' 1974 Crestliner fiberglass trihull that I just picked up for $300. Thanks. Quote
Super User fishfordollars Posted January 4, 2011 Super User Posted January 4, 2011 It's a good unit for the budget minded angler. Yep, the GPS will work as soon as you hook it up. It will do a decent job if you just plug it in and run it on the factory settings. i had one on my boat for a long time. No problem with it being the monochrome instead of the color. Yep, color is nice, but remember we all fished years without it. You'll really enjoy the gps feature. Quote
Owasco Posted January 4, 2011 Author Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks for your input. I appreciate it! Humminbird has one model with down imaging and single beam sonar for $299. It does not have GPS. The down imaging is quite appealing. What is your take on that feature? Is it worth $70 to upgrade to DI but lose GPS and Dual Beam. A 60 degree cone also seams important for bass fishing. Thanks again. Quote
Super User fishfordollars Posted January 4, 2011 Super User Posted January 4, 2011 Thanks for your input. I appreciate it!Humminbird has one model with down imaging and single beam sonar for $299. It does not have GPS. The down imaging is quite appealing. What is your take on that feature? Is it worth $70 to upgrade to DI but lose GPS and Dual Beam. A 60 degree cone also seams important for bass fishing. Thanks again. GPS allows me to mark spots and run trails. Can't do that without it. I'll take the GPs any day, but i am fishing large bodies of water. If you are fishing smaller lakes it may not matter to you. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 4, 2011 Super User Posted January 4, 2011 Once I am 30 yards off shore, GPS becomes crucial. Quote
Super User fishfordollars Posted January 4, 2011 Super User Posted January 4, 2011 If you purchase a unit with GPS...Know what is between you and the waypoint, and know how to read it. The first time i had one on my boat I ran through the top of an oak in the dark and then hit my waypoint at 60 mph. Ended up thirty or forty yards behind it in the weeds. Don't do like me, know what the marks are telling you. Good luck. Quote
Owasco Posted January 4, 2011 Author Posted January 4, 2011 Once I am 30 yards off shore, GPS becomes crucial. Thats what I thought J. You know the lakes I'll be fishing. I grew up on Owasco and fish the fingerlakes, Oneida Sandy Pond, and some smaller reservoirs like Whitney Point and as you have already directed me....Deruyter. I am leaning toward the Eagle fish elite 480 with the GPS and dual beam but that down immaging is sweet. I really don't want to spend $500 on one when I only spent $300 on the boat motor and trailer. Thanks for the response Quote
Super User Fishing Rhino Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 Once I am 30 yards off shore, GPS becomes crucial. Thats what I thought J. You know the lakes I'll be fishing. I grew up on Owasco and fish the fingerlakes, Oneida Sandy Pond, and some smaller reservoirs like Whitney Point and as you have already directed me....Deruyter. I am leaning toward the Eagle fish elite 480 with the GPS and dual beam but that down immaging is sweet. I really don't want to spend $500 on one when I only spent $300 on the boat motor and trailer. Thanks for the response The price of the boat has no bearing on the importance of electronics. The sounders don't know, and don't care if they are on a 50 dollar boat or a 50,000 dollar boat. It's all the same to them, but all the difference in the world to you. I'm fond of saying this. A boat is nothing but a movable platform on the water to get you to the fish. The sonar/fishfinder/sounder, or whatever you might call it will show you what is going on beneath the surface of the water. Ain't a boat in the world at any price that will do that for you. Quote
Super User Long Mike Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 Owasco, just a little war story for you to think about. A GPS unit automatically shows a trail on the screen showing the path you have traveled. One morning, while fishing a new lake we were hit with a freak, very heavy snow fall. The cold snow hitting the warm water caused a very dense fog. I couldn't see ten feet. To my good fortune, I was able to turn the boat around and follow my GPS trail directly back to the boat dock; a distance of about three miles. GPS, if used without a good understanding of its capabilities, can take your life. Used properly, GPS can save your life. SI can do neither. Quote
Super User eyedabassman Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 Good stuff guys! I too am looking GPS/Sonar/plotter.I don't want to open a can of worms,but what is the best GPS/sonar out there? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 Once I am 30 yards off shore, GPS becomes crucial. Thats what I thought J. You know the lakes I'll be fishing. I grew up on Owasco and fish the fingerlakes, Oneida Sandy Pond, and some smaller reservoirs like Whitney Point and as you have already directed me....Deruyter. I am leaning toward the Eagle fish elite 480 with the GPS and dual beam but that down immaging is sweet. I really don't want to spend $500 on one when I only spent $300 on the boat motor and trailer. Thanks for the response I have a HB 383 combo and a Fish Elite 502 combo. They are both fine units in that $$$ range. Quote
Super User fishfordollars Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 I run the following: 798 SI Humminbird (Console) LMS520C Lowrance (Bow) LCX17M Lowrance (Console) Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted January 5, 2011 Super User Posted January 5, 2011 eyedabassman, "the best one out there" for you is the one you can afford that does what you want. The absolutely best one is probably on a US Navy ship and cost as much as a house. Quote
farmpond1 Posted January 5, 2011 Posted January 5, 2011 Unless prices have gone waaaay down or unless your concept of the phrase is different than mine, I don't think you can use "down imaging" and "budget" in the same sentence. Quote
Owasco Posted January 5, 2011 Author Posted January 5, 2011 Unless prices have gone waaaay down or unless your concept of the phrase is different than mine, I don't think you can use "down imaging" and "budget" in the same sentence. Ha! I know what you mean. I found a humminbird grayscale with DI for $399. I'm considering the Eagle fishelite 480 which is $229 @ BPS. I guess what I mean is I don't want to spend $1500 on on. That is not in my "budget". Quote
Owasco Posted January 6, 2011 Author Posted January 6, 2011 Thank you all for the responses. I decided to go ahead and buy the Eagle FishElite 480 because it can do most of what I am looking for. All the places that I checked had it listed at anywhere from $339 all the way up to $399. BPS had it on sale for $229+Tax . I also got free shipping on the unit. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who participated in this thread. Marc Quote
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