I was thinking of getting the Garmin fishfinder 300c from BPS tomorrow, but then i started thinkin back to the crazy sale they had on the lowrance x135 fishfinder ($200 vs. $400 or so retail).

My question is should i be waiting for a special sale from BPS, cabelas, etc. that is coming up, or is there a better time to buy during this spring season?  Id love to be able to get a deal like they had on the lowrance x135...

Do yourself a favor.  Don't buy that Garmin.  I used one for about half an hour before I took it back.  It has a serious problem in shallower water where the screen will just go berserk and lock the unit up.

Hmm, thats odd - BPS is showing 5 reviews for the 300c and each of them gave a 5 star review.

Anyway - any advice on "best" times to buy?

Take the reviews on BPS with a grain of salt.  Almost every trolling motor on the site is horrible according to the reviews.     The X135 was a good deal at the time.  On the whole now, right now isn't a bad time to buy.  Mostly everything is cheap because of the economy.  That being said, I'm always willing to wait on a sale if I'm upgrading.  If you don't have any electronics I'd say go ahead and pick something up.  Just go to the store and play around with it first.  Luckily BPS' return policy is fairly decent.  If you don't like it, you can usually bring it back.

What i have found is is you want something but you dont absolutely need it now you  can wait till it goes on sale(I do this alot on rods and reels)you can save huge bucks the same goes for electronics.The difference is that most high end models rarely get reduced that much if at all and it seems fishfinders may be out for 2-3 years before they are reduced.But the mid to low end stuff maybe after 1 or 2 years.If the item is worth it to you at a certain price then buy it but if you're gonna beat yourself up in a month or so when they sale/clearance it maybe its best to wait on that.

If the baitmonkey lives with you though waiting is near impossible.

For real - waiting can be tough - and these units I have found take A WHILE to significantly reduce in price - I think a decent basic GPS depth sounder combo has remained in the 300-500 dollar range since I started fishing 2 years ago......

And the general rule of electronics is that no matter when you buy, it will at some point drop significantly in price no matter what - its rather annoying - but thats life  >

And the general rule of electronics is that no matter when you buy, it will at some point drop significantly in price no matter what....

Generally right after you buy it

All too true

I wasnt sure if BPS or Cabelas have a annual sale that comes around every year (like Memorial day weekend or something)...if you come across a good deal, but sure to PM me!