Sounder/fish Finder advice needed

[macsafreak]

Hey guys am new to fishing am looking to get a sounder what would be a good starting point budget is limited max $500

Thanks in advance to all your help
cheers

[Redrocks]

Hi there Macsafreak,

The question of which fishfinder depends on a lot of things like the type of fishing you do and the depth of water you fish in. Fishfinders vary a lot in power output, obviously it's generally a case of bigger output = bigger cost.

As a rule of thumb, go for colour wherever possible. The difference between colour and monochrome is night and day. Having said that, there are limited options for colour in your price range. Here are some near your budget - as a suggestion.

Garmin FF400C for $459 - http://www.chsmith.com.au/Fish-Finder1.html

Northstar Explorer 457 (formerly Navman) is a bit out of your budget at $599, not necessarliy better though depending on who you talk to - http://www.chsmith.com.au/Navman_Fish_Finder1.html

Eagle Fishmark 640C is also a bit over budget at $578.16 -
http://www.marinedirect.com.au/catal.../c2731/p288318 or the Fish easy 350C for $312.40 - http://www.marinedirect.com.au/catal.../c2731/p293144

You can also search online stores like bias - http://www.biasboating.com.au/c-72-fish-finders.aspx and whitworths - http://www.whitworths.com.au/main_su...ers%2FSounders

There's also the like of fleabay and such, but you run the risk of not knowing the buyer and the warranty issues also should things go wrong (I know this all too well).

If you find one you like, search Ausfish threads for opinions on it, I have found this invaluable.

Good luck!

Redrocks

[black runner]

I have the Garmin 400C and am very happy with it. Although not a big screen, the colour allows you to easily see the finder in daylight from a couple of meters away. I ended up with the dual frequency unit.

Cheers

[Mike Delisser]

If you want time to save for a better sounder or spend the extra $ on fishing gear, I have a 2 & 1/2 year old Eagle Fishmark 480 in perfect condition you can have for $200 if you want it and that includes one of those key locking anti theft knobs ($40).
Cheers
Mike