Advice choosing my first fish finder

[thorto]

Hi everyone,

I am about to purchase my first fish finder, and I need some advice. I’ve got a choice between a Lowrance Elite 7 fs OR Humminbird Helix 7 si.

I've never had a fish finder before...so no idea what I should be looking for. Mainly for lake fishing for trout and using in the rivers saltwater estuary/rivers up and down the coast from Merimbula NSW. 

I have a Quintrex 390 Explorer. 
 

I would like something that won’t take too long to learn how to use, but am willing to take time to learn if it means better image quality and a better fishing experience. 
 

Any and all advice/opinions appreciated.

 

[mangajack]

Do you need chart mapping?

Both selections are good choices.

If you do not need navigation mapping and a simple chartplotter with up to 5000 waypoint storage I would opt for the Garmin Striker Vivid 9SV for the bigger screen size and very good imaging....downside is it does not hook up to LiveScope for the 360 degree live imaging....you would need to be in the EchoMap or GPSMap range for that.

For rivers and estuaries without the livescope or nav charts I would definitely entertain the Striker 9SV....they are a very good imaging sounder for the price.

[Huxstang]

I would be looking at what transducer comes with what you buy.  I would be wanting as good a transducer as I could afford for the purpose that the sounder will drive - I am assuming lake fishing you would use side scan.  I use Garmin so no idea what the others come with.  If Garmin look at GT54 or GT56 for ultra high definition side scan.  GT56 is latest and best SI out of the two.  (I have no idea if the cheaper Garmins drive GT56 or not).

 

[Junky]

Another garmin man here. Although I get no commission I can vouch that they are extremely reliable and easy to use and understand. 

 

I had a quick glance at the units you're looking at and the echomap 74 is comparable imo.

If it were me, that's the unit I'd go for. 

 

Chirp sonar is a must. 

Sidescan and down view will be a bonus. 

 

All brands have their menu structure relatively the same so it won't take long to work out what makes what work. 

 

Good luck. 

[Old Scaley]

+1 for Garmin. Easy to use and reliable. Pro Tip: they all work best in demo mode

[GregOug]

6 hours ago, Old Scaley said:

Pro Tip: they all work best in demo mode

Yeah. That’s the only time you see any fish on them!