The Best Fish Finders
Nothing adds to the enjoyment of a day fishing more than actually catching a fish, an accurate fish finder can help you do that the best. And owning one has never been easier for the average weekend fisherman. Best yet, new fish finders are capable of giving you more data than ever before and can even transmit data straight to your cell phone. Packed with useful features, the fish finders we've selected are sure to give you hours of enjoyment on the lake, the river, or even in deep water.
What to Look For
When choosing our favorite fish finders, we looked for ones that are easy to use, provide you with accurate and detailed information, and are a fantastic value for their price. Lucky’s handheld fish finder is a wonderful option for any run-of-the-mill fisherman, offering you the detail you need without added confusion and complication. If you’re looking to hunt the deep ocean, consider Garmin’s Striker 4. It gives you some of the best detail at lower depths so you have a better shot at catching a prize fish. Keep on reading to learn more about all the finders we love.
Lucky Handheld Fish Finder
Get lucky
Lucky simplified the fish finder, making it perfect for small-craft fishermen. The unit detects and displays water depth, approximate fish location, short & tall weeds, and even sand and rocks. All of these are displayed as icons on the screen, making them easy to read. The fish finder can see everything in a 45-degree cone around the bottom of your boat to a depth of 328 feet. It even has 5 separate modes in which it can function, including alarm settings for a single fish or a school of fish. You can also adjust the sensitivity to help prevent it from mistaking rocks or seaweed for fish.
Pros:
- Can be hung around your neck
- Displays in standard and metric measurements
- Lasts up to 5 hours with new batteries
Cons:
- Transducer replacements not available
- Shows objects but not the contour of the sea bottom
Garmin Striker 4
Search the depths
When it’s time for serious deep-sea fishing, go Garmin. The Striker 4 fish finder uses CHIRP technology to create crisp detail on the screen and greater target separation. And since it’s from Garmin, the Striker includes a high-sensitivity GPS, so you can see your boat’s position in relation to the waypoints you mark on the screen. Use the waypoint map to easily view, mark, and navigate to locations such as brush piles, stumps, and docks — or even back to the boat ramp. The Striker will even produce an accurate display while the boat’s in motion, something that many smaller or handheld devices can’t do.
Pros:
- Comes with 6 different mounting and battery options
- Option to upgrade to even more sensitive transducers
- Clear 3.5″ color display monitor
Cons:
- Not waterproof
- Not as accurate in very shallow water
Deeper Start Smart Fish Finder
There's an app for that
Of course someone was bound to figure out how to turn your mobile device into a fish finder. Deeper Start took a castable transducer, integrated it with WiFi technology, and paired it with a downloadable app to create a powerful, detailed fish finder on your phone. Cast the Deeper Start unit out to 165 feet away, connect to it via WiFi, and see a detailed display of fish location, depth, and size. You can also see the ocean’s bottom, contour, and vegetation. And don’t worry about a lack of connectivity out on the lake: the Deeper Start fish finder generates its own WiFi signal that’s compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Pros:
- Night fishing mode
- Lightweight for comfortable casting
- 6-hour battery life with 2.5-hour recharge
Cons:
- No water temperature gauge
- Not as functional in choppy or shallow water
Eyoyo Portable LCD Monitor Fish Finder
There are fish finders, and then there are underwater video fishing cameras. Eyoyo’s features a 7″ LCD color monitor with 800 x 480 pixels and a removable sun-visor for bright environments. No interpreting colors and lines here, and no little icons, either; rather, you’ll see fish live and in living color. Equipped with LED lights to see in dark environments, the camera also features a 12-piece infrared light for added flexibility. On either light mode, the camera is crystal clear up to 10 feet away, making it ideal for ice fishing.
Pros:
- Comes in a waterproof carrying case
- Battery lasts up to 8 hours
- High-definition camera
Cons:
- No DVR function
- Difficult to see screen in direct daylight
Deeper Pro+ Smart Sonar
Behind enemy lines
Now this is some serious mobile technology. Hook the Deeper Pro+ to your pole and cast it out to as far as 330 feet, then connect it to your cell phone via the integrated WiFi. To do that, simply turn off your cellular data and connect directly to the Deeper Pro+. You’ll get readings like water depth and temperature readings, as well as contour features like humps, depressions, and marginal shelves. You’ll also see the greenery and its thickness, along with lake bed composition like gravel or silt. You can even save your data on the cloud using “Lakebook,” which allows you to build up a detailed record of every location you fish.
Pros:
- Scans down to 260′
- Perfect for ice fishing
- Does not require wire transducers
Cons:
- Internal battery is difficult to find
- Not highly visible
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a fish finder work?
A fish finder has a head and transducer. The head has the software that translates the data obtained by the transducer. The transducer sends sound waves down into the water. When the sound wave hits something, it sends size and depth information back to the head, which then translates the data to images on the tracker screen.
The screen on my fish finder just looks like a bunch of yellow and blue blobs. What’s going on?
Fish finders that feature color display monitors use different shades to visually represent information. Dense and hard objects will return a strong echo, creating a darker color on the display. The lake bed, or the bottom of the sea, is often shown as the darkest object. Some tools will be able to show you an icon of the fish, while others simply convert this information to a lighter color. There are a lot of great tutorials on the internet on how to read fish finders, and we advise you check them out.
Do castable fish detectors stay out on the water while you fish?
They certainly can. One technique is to cast out the fish finder with one rod, then use another to do the actual fishing when you find a school with the first rod. Another technique is to get a good visual bearing of the fish’s location on your mobile device, reel the finder back in, and then cast your bait out to the spot.
Why Trust Us
With the constantly shifting landscape in the world of technology, GameRevolution seeks to provide gamers and tech-enthusiasts with the information they need to select the right products for their needs. Since 1996, our experts have used their knowledge on all the latest gadgets – everything from headphones to standing desks – to help millions of people navigate specs and answer common questions.