Good "budget" fishfinders?

Hey all,

Been thinking about a fishfinder for my tube and wondering what *budget* fishfinders are recommended. Preferably would like to spend less than $100. I think the only thing I've seen around that price point is the Garmin Striker 4.

I'm not looking for anything super fancy. Just something that is accurate, reliable and portable (can run on AA or AAAs). Would mostly want this to get readings on depth and structure and not as much the # of fish around but that obviously is a huge benefit lol.

Stumbled across these and curious if anyone has tried them:
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I have this one.

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It's okay I guess, but may be looking for something a bit more in the future. It shows the depth and potential fish and all but I really don't think it picks up as much as the fish or gives me a good idea where they are as I would want.

Pros for it though is that I use AAA rechargables and they last me all day though. Has it's own display and it's very simple to use

Cons as above.

I had the Fishtrax is works well my biggest issue is that the screen is a way to small not cool for my eyes. I think the Fishtrax is a good unit for the cost but there are a lot of other options out there. I am interested in knowing more about the Garmin Striker 4 that looks interesting to me. If you are looking just for water temp, depth and structure there are a lot of options out there cost and battery are the issue for you it looks like. Most upper-level fishfinders are going to require a 12v. battery for the most part. There are options for this as well as we had some discussion about making your own battery for your fishfinder. I will see if I can find these threads for you.

I saw a reviewer write about how he used an 8x AA battery pack to power his Garmin Striker 4 which seems like a good idea.

Here you go one thread with some info on building a battery pack.

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Look at the Deeper Pro+
It's what I use.

SP Dan <"))><

You can look on E Bay for some used stuff. I see FishingBuddys for $75 or so.

I use a Huminbird Fishing Buddy 120 in B&W and it tells me water temp, shows depth and structure, an it has fish emblems if you want them or you can turn them off and try to interpet the archs. It is most helpfull when a school of baitfish travels by underneath for me. It uses AA batteris and they last two months or better with weekly 5 hour trips.
Here is a link to my review.
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I hope this helps

Thanks all, the Humminbird line seems like it may have a number of offerings that are more 'budget' friendly, like the PiranhaMax...well, at least looking around on Ebay. This is a whole different world to get into...

Hey JP, can you keep me updated? I was curious about them myself but did not go very deep into the research.