Reply With QuoteI personally would go with the 7 inch garmin instead of the lowrance. I have the 9 inch on my pontoon. Side scan is best used for finding structure and can be used to find bream beds. The garmins come with excellent maps
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Help me pick out a fish finder
So the fish finder on my Pontoon boat is the one that came on the boat in 1998. Needless to say, it could use an upgrade. Plus its finally gotten so bad that you cant hardly see the scree. I've narrowed it down between the 7 inch Hook2 and the 7 inch Elite touch screen. Which one would be better? Also, is side scan really worth the extra cost? This is going on the console and I fish for crappie, catfish, and troll for stripers. What I really want in a fish finder is maps that show the contours so I know when i'm coming up on shallow water while trolling. having 6 rods hang up at the same time is no fun, and it would be nice to know the depth of water where i'm pointing the boat.Anything is better than what I have, i'm just looking for the best bang for the buck. I'm on a limited budget but I want something good.Thanks
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I personally would go with the 7 inch garmin instead of the lowrance. I have the 9 inch on my pontoon. Side scan is best used for finding structure and can be used to find bream beds. The garmins come with excellent maps
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Any brand of unit that has GPS will have map capability .... some come with a map card, others come with a base map & card slot for a map card, while others come with the ability to make your own maps. Their pricing will reflect what they have.
If you want Side Image ... be prepared to save some money & get the biggest screen you can afford.
Keep your eyes on the Personal Classifieds Forum & you may get a good deal on a used unit. They pop up on there from time to time. Or if you just aren't sure what you want, but you are sure of what you need it to do & how much you can afford .... you might want to contact Brian@BBGMarine (member's screen name) and talk to him. You can PM him, or look up his contact info in his signature line ... and you can find that in his post on the Member Sponsors Classifieds Forum.
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Trophy King II
hook 7
Crappie Wall Hanger II
7 elite touch screen with lake insight, or I'd look around HDS 7 Gen 3s are pretty cheap right now they are closing them out, lot more features for a little more money.
Go for 7 Elite but if you really are starting out which I assume then maybe have you considered Deeper smart sonar? I think its great for anyone starting out with a limited budget. Anyway, a fish finder marathon is great for beginners. You will find it a great learning experience especially if you are just starting out. Rest is up to you.
Crappie Wall Hanger II
IDK how fast the Hook2 is compared to the old Hook7 but I know the Elite 7 Ti is a lot faster than the older hook7.
You have to zoom out a lot at speed with the older Hook7, the E7Ti should handle maps much better as should the Hook-2 7.
Robert
Bringer of the 'Bird...
Crappie.com 3K Star General
THE ELITE 7 AND 9 DI WITH GPS ARE WAY TOO SLOW ON MAP EVEN WITH THE UPDATE ,LOOK AT HUMMINBIRD HELIX OR HDS LOWRANCE
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Whatever you choose, there will be a better model next year.
Member BS Pro-Staff and Billbob Pro-Staff
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Trophy King II
I have 2 hook 7's one hds 9 gen 3 and one hds 7 gen 3. The HDS's for sure are better units but for 300.00 bucks the hook 7's are hard to beat. IMHO
