# opinions on inexpensive fishfinders



## Fisherdad1 (Oct 4, 2007)

I need to replace the fishfinder on my 16 ft johnboat. I use it inshore from the back bay to the pass. I am looking at the Lowrance x-4 pro, the Hummingbird 180, and the Garmin 150. All run about $99. My current dying FF is a Garmin 160. I could never get a signal on it when running more than about 5-7 MPH. The lowrance claims to give a signal at speeds up to 70 MPH - that is very hard to believe. Anyone have any experience or recomendations with these?

One big issue I had with the Garmin 160 was severe and rapid electrolysis / disintegration of the thin copper female connectors in the power / transducer cable plug (only on the one connector that provided power). I replaced the cable, tried to protect it with dielectric grease, and turn power off when the boat was stored and fishfinder disconnected, but it disintegrated again in less than a year. (there were many times when I was fishing flats and the power to the cable was energized, but the FF was not plugged in).

Any feedback on a good, lowend FF? Online review on all of them seem VERY mixed.
Thanks,
Fisherdad1


----------



## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

What's the word? Humminbird...
I have 3 of them, low cost for the results.


----------



## Hot Dog (Dec 14, 2007)

I have the Lowrance X-4 Pro. It is a pretty good machine but I am having trouble with my cable before I learned to disconnect the wire from the battery. I never had that problem with my Hummingbirds. I am going to get a bigger machine and move the X-4 to my trolling motor. But I am going to put a switch on both of them.


----------



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

I would look at similar priced units then check the resolution (pixels) of each, then pick the one with the highest resolutions. I know in some cases Humminbird has higher resolutions than Lowrance for almost identical featured units.


----------



## Fisherdad1 (Oct 4, 2007)

Appreciate the feedback guys.


----------



## blue75966 (Sep 9, 2011)

the humminbird LCR400 Id LIES!!!!!!! just put a used one on my boat the other day took it out this morning it was showing fish every where but i didnt even get a bite LMFAO maybe i was having bad luck today are something LOL


----------



## FishWalton (Jul 22, 2010)

That's funny........... same thing happened to me this morning on my nice color machine. Big bait pods with big fish all around them. Never got a bite. Pure frustration, but then again who knows what kind of fish they were. May have been mullet. Anyway, nice to 'look' at them until I fell out of the boat and that ended my morning fishing trip.


----------



## blue75966 (Sep 9, 2011)

OMG is was cold this morning for sure. i was at 3 mile riding the waves on the 14ft boat watching the fish on the ID i didnt last but 3 hrs


----------



## Randall2point0 (Feb 11, 2011)

Wirelessly posted

I have an old Humming bird and I have the same problem while in plane. It starts readying 900 foot in Blackwater Bay. I would t mind getting one of those side shot GPS fish finders.


----------



## h12 (Dec 15, 2012)

*Garmin 300c*

I have a Garmin Echo 300c with the transponder sitting in my garage. PM me if you are interested. It came with the boat when I bought it (supposedly fairly new), but I replaced it with a Humminbird 798ci HD SI for the imaging and gps capabilities. No sense in it just sitting there.


----------



## BigSlick (Jun 13, 2010)

I just got the x-4 pro. Im pleasently surprised by its performance. Even at high speed.


----------



## AndyS (Nov 22, 2011)

blue75966 said:


> the humminbird LCR400 Id LIES!!!!!!! just put a used one on my boat the other day took it out this morning it was showing fish every where but i didnt even get a bite LMFAO maybe i was having bad luck today are something LOL


Took my mother-in-law out fishing once on the lake on a pontoon boat I had. She insisted on fishing on the side of the boat the fish symbols on the fishfinder were pointed toward. Thought they were all going that-a-way.


----------



## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

I have the same problem with my hummingbird, loss of signal at speed. the cause (I think) is placement of the transducer. as boat goes faster, cavitation causes it to lose signal. I just live with it. mine loses it around 8 mph. Used a Buddy type fishfinder. one you hang off the side and rotate in any direction for bass fishing sometime back. It was kind of neat in that you could see fish sitting 5-10 yds to either side


----------

