I'm about to buy a new fish finder after many many years. Is there anything out there that can look ahead and see rocks that I might hit with the boat? Like see a rock thats only a foot under the surface? I see some images online with screens that seem to look forward. Anything like this out there?

 

And a more general question, garmin vs hummingbird vs lowrance vs whoever, who does what the best and whats your personal favorite and why. I am a newbie with modern day tech but plan on learning. 

I watch my GPS with mapping contours as closely as I watch my sonar to determine if there may be a shallow water hazard. Most of the lakes I fish I am familiar with so I know where there are hazards. On an unknown body of water, I slow down and use more caution.

 

GPS mapping contours are generally pretty accurate but bear in mind that high water or drought can change depth and then they may not be as accurate at the time. Our lakes and rivers here are way down this season so everything is about 1.5 to 2 feet shallower.

The only bass boat sonar units that look forward are trolling motor or bow mounted scanning transducer units. I know of nothing transom mounted that can scan forward running the outboard engine.

As noted today’s sonar units are coupled with GPM mapping at 1’ elevation increments, very accurate and can add current lake water elevation to show everything at that lake level. You can put a color code for 1’ of water showing anything at that depth on the map to navigate around reefs or rocks.

Your budget drives what a sonar unit can or can not do and screen size to split into windows that have mapping GPS location with depth and traditional or scanning sonar data.

My choice may not be yours. I suggest going to a retailer and try out the various units.

Tom

Even the Garmin and Lowrance units with live view (Humminbird hasn’t released Mega Live yet) and can look forward aren’t designed to do that while you are motoring.  They are on a mount or the trolling motor which negates being able to move more than idle speed.  A good set of contour maps for you to study and a good mapping card in a gps/sonar is probably the best option for you.

Here’s a hot tip, if you don’t know the water, navigate with caution until you do. 

You didn’t mention which lake/lakes your concerned with but some lakes have boat lane maps either paper or usb cards that plug into your fish finder. I know I personally won’t run several lakes in Texas like lake fork without a map lane card plugged in.

as for FF everyone has there favorites. 

 

 

 

Forward scanning sonar would take all the fun out of finding rocks the old fashion way with your propeller.

54 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Forward scanning sonar would take all the fun out of finding rocks the old fashion way with your propeller.

Or keel for the really shallow ones.