Northwest Fishing Reports

Looking for some advice. I've fished Hood Canal all my life without electronics. My results have been "decent" but only because of how much time I invested scouting various locations. I now have more responsibility which means less time to fish, so I'm looking for my time on the water to be much more productive. Long story short...I'm in the market for a fish finder. For starters, it'll go in my 14.5' Gregor and eventually be moved when I purchase something larger this spring. I'll fish both salt(Puget Sound) and fresh water. I like to think that I'm fairly tech savvy, but I've never used a FF so something user friendly would be nice. I'm not trying to break the bank but I understand the importance of buying quality equipment. What can you guys suggest?

A popular question to ask, and there are several past forum threads that have quite a good deal of information in them.
Here are a couple to get you started.

http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/vi ... er#p174486
http://www.washingtonlakes.com/forum/vi ... er#p177194

As you mentioned that you plan to fish both fresh and saltwater, I'd suggest a 50/200 dual frequency unit. Also if possible get yourself a built in GPS, a great feature especially for crabbing/shrimping and when you are fishing in new waters. I prefer Lowrance products as they seem to hold up better for me than Garmin or Hummingbirds. I do believe that you get more bang for your buck, feature wise, with Hummingbird units. Get the largest screen with the highest resolution you can afford, I don't know of anyone who was upset that they purchased a unit with too large a screen. If you find model that interests you, check with the forum users as there is a good chance that someone here owns one or has used it in the past.

X2

I've got a Hummingbird 597 ci hd combo and like it real well. It has build in GPS, a color screen and dual frequencies. Just wish I spent a little more money and went up a model or two with a bigger screen. Still, not bad for $500.00.

http://fishfinders.factoryoutletstore.c ... &chid=4272

Color and GPS, big screen. I had a B&W one and traded it up for a color Humminbird straight away. Like they said, figure out how much you can afford and get that because you're going to want the good stuff.

Read all the reviews on the units you are interested in. And do not skimp on the screen size, that is the worst mistake most individuals will make. On my bass boat I have a HDS10 gen2 with structure scan and a HDS8 gen2 on the bow.At first I thought I went to big on the screen size. Now after using them I am glad I went with the bigger screens.

I have $60,000 invested in a boat, motor, gear and baits all to catch a fish with a brain the size of a pea. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yep It's insane. I hate to add up what I have invested in fishing when one considers the boat, the gear/tackle and the tow rig, not to mention the fuel costs. Oh well....I'm glad this is my only addiction to feed.