Fish Finders

[Hulio]

My brother has a 17.5' center console boat he takes out fishing on lake Erie, weather permitting. We are wanting to buy him a new fish finder as a gift. He currently has a 20 year old Lowrance, which works very well, however (2) issues with this fish finder are: 1) It is difficult to see screen on bright days, and 2) there is no GPS capability. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[KnotGuilty]

The hummingbird helix 10 GPS G3N. Is very nice inexpensive loaded with features. Easy to use. Has direct down imaging, dual chirp sonar, GPS. I also have a Lawrence hook 2 big screen, but it is a little harder to use and more expensive. My advice is humminbird.

[verno]

You won't go wrong with the hummingbird or the Lawrence units. Both have a wide price range and both have great features. If I was you just go to each web site and see what features you will use and start eliminating. no sense in paying for features you won't use. I love the touch screen and at least a 9 in. screen.

[KnotGuilty]

I agree with verno. Definitely the bigger screen the better. Big screens make fishing alot easier. I stare at the screen almost if not more than my pole.

[LEfriend]

Don't forget Garmin. Love my Touch Screen. I suggest you go to Bass Pro or Cabellas or other retailer where they have a large display and look at all three makes and the different sizes. Have them show you the pro's and cons of each. There is no one size fits all. Bigger the screen the better, but there are trade offs between price you should/can spend and options including: space to put it on boat, how much you will use it and what for, how hard core fisherman you are. They can help you find the sweet spot. Anything new in any size will be far superior to what he has I imagine.

I would also consider a gift certificate where he could pick his own out that best meets his needs. Or at a minimum, someplace that would allow him to exchange it for a different model or even add some cash and upgrade if he wanted. A gift certificate that can be redeemed this winter might allow him to watch for the early season or end of model year sales.

[LEfriend]

Additional consideration and VERY important - If you want it for Erie make sure you get model with built in Great Lakes Navigation chart or the extra chip (Coastal/Great Lakes map). That is often different than standard maps that come with models for inland lakes use. Different brands do it different ways. That is where a good salesperson can help you.

[Southern OH Percid angler]

My vote would be a garmin with GPS , I have a lowrance and on bright days it is hard to read, I bought a garman I intended to put on the bow, but when I seen how easy it was to read and run it got moved to the console.

[TonyC10]

I've been having trouble with my finder. I've got a lowrance hook2 4x I believe. It came with the boat. Transducer is on bottom of boat about 16 inches from the prop. If I'm moving even at 2mph the sonar wont read. It will give me speed and water temp but depth and sonar wont read. I was thinking about getting a thru hull transducer. Any advice pr suggestions?

[PDS]

I couldn’t agree more sir. Humminbird is the best imho. Very ready out of the box

The hummingbird helix 10 GPS G3N. Is very nice inexpensive loaded with features. Easy to use. Has direct down imaging, dual chirp sonar, GPS. I also have a Lawrence hook 2 big screen, but it is a little harder to use and more expensive. My advice is humminbird.

[captainshotgun]

Before you do that, move your transducer farther from the prop and deeper if you can. Also angle it forward