Hi guys, I just bought my first boat (pics to come in another thread), but i just have a few questions about fish finders.

I have one off the front of the boat, but not one at the console so I am looking for a second.

I was just wondering what the difference was between a $80-90 fish finder and a ~$150 model?  

Is it just larger and different displays or do the more expensive ones actually work better??

Im looking at the humminbird matrix 12 fishing system for $150 right now.

Are there any other recommendations you guys can offer before I buy?

Thanks

Matt

you get what you pay for!

The # of pixels top to bottom will give you how much detail the unit has.

Then you need grayline for bottom hardness.

Garnet

Pixels are everything

Humminbird® Fishfinder 535 $138.63 at Academy

320 vertical pixel x 320H ultra high contrast 5" LCD with 12 level grayscale. Precision 20 degree single beam sonar delivers better bottom detail. 2000 watt peak-to-peak power output.

I would love to say that pixels are the be all and end all...but they are not. THEY ARE IMPORTANT to be sure. What good is a fish finder you cannot read because of its crappy resolution?

In the $80 to $150 dollar range, the guys are right, about the only difference in graphs in that range is the resolution. Get the best resolution you can afford.

Though if you are asking in general about all fish finders...

The first thing you have to know is how you plan on using it. Some guys rely heavily on their finders, others not so much. Some guys want one that will work while the boat is up on plane...other guys not so much.

My father in laws fishing partner who spent almost $1000 for a fancy graph and really only uses the thing to know what the depth and temperature is...He wasted alot of money in my book. A $100 graph would have done what he uses his expensive one for. My father in law on the other hand does alot with his graph...he really USES it...follows structure, changes in water temp, really reads the bottom and the details of the lake...so the GPS and chart plotting and such of his graph was worth the money.

SO my point is that you need to know a little of how you will use it.

As you get into different price ranges there is a good deal difference in some of the graphs. Resolution being one...refresh rate of the screen ( important if you plan to use it with the boat under power) , width of the sonar beam, number of sonar beams, displayed-stored information, whether is does charting, gps, yadda yadda yadda...

but for a first time boater...I would buy what you can afford and then as you learn to use it and get some experience with it...you will know what you would like your graph to do that it does not, or what it does that you never use...which ever the case may be.

at some point you will go..."gee I wish this darn graph did this"...or ..."what a waste who ever actually uses that function?!?"...and then you will know what graph you really need.

Expensive is not always better if you never use the things that made it expensive is my point here...