Top 5 Best Fish Finders: GPS Fish Finder Reviews

A handy fish finder may just be next in line behind the dog as “man’s best friend.” The fact that we can leisurely take our time traversing the waterways, all the while with an electronic device that alerts us when large fish or schools of fish are nearby, truly proves that society has come a long way. Whether you are fishing merely for sport or fishing for a night’s meal or more, a fish finder can really be a great addition to your outdoor gear. It saves a great deal of time and can give you a major advantage over anyone who doesn’t have one.


Who Makes the Best Fish Finder?

If you aren’t exactly sure how a fish finder works, don’t worry, you are in good company. Not many people understand the intricacies of a fish finder, and they certainly couldn’t explain it to you if asked. But the great news is, you don’t have to know how it works to use it. Simply turn it on, follow the directions and start catching fish. Nothing could be easier.


Best Fish Finder Reviews

Since fish finders are such an amazing help to outdoorsmen everywhere, we have put together a list of the top rated fish finders on the market today.

While certain features may vary, there is sure to be one here that will work for you, exactly the way you need it to.


Humminbird 409620-1 Helix 5 DI Fish Finder Review

best gps fishfinder for the moneyOur first item is the Humminbird 409620-1 Helix 5 DI Fish Finder that has down imaging as well as a built in GPS unit and temperature gauge. This GPS fish finder has precision internal chart plotting as well as built in UniMap cartography, which will really allow you to get an edge up on your fishing experience.

Once you have found your fish and caught what you wanted, the GPS will then lead you safely back to your starting point with no wrong turns anywhere. A micro SD slot is built in to the unit for optional maps, saving waypoints along the way and more. The brilliant 256-color display is backlit and has a brilliant picture that makes it easy to see fish and other things on the brightly colored screen.

This fish finder is equipped with a Gimbal mounting system that makes it easy to set it in one place, giving you the peace of mind the it is secure, where ever you put it. It is incredibly easy to maximize your angling experience on any fishing trip with this fish finder, especially with all the perks. Go ahead and grab a Navionics card for your SD slot as well and you’ll out fish all the competition.


Garmin 010-01550-00 Striker 4 Bbuilt-in GPS Fish Finder

garmin fishfinder reviewsThis Garmin fish finder is another powerful fish finder that would well accompany you on any future fishing trip. Boasting the power of simplicity, this finder offers dedicated buttons that don’t require you to read large manuals to understand its use.

This is a followup to Garmin’s successful Striker Fish Finder that introduced its new ClearVü technology, which claims to be a high-frequency solar that gives new photographic images of objects, fish, and the surroundings of your boat.

This is a great little in between unit. It doesn’t have some of the more premium features of the Hummingbird, but it does have more than some of the more basic features seen on the cheaper fish finders below.


iBobber Wireless Bluetooth Smart Fish Finder Review

garmin fishfinderThe iBobber Wireless Bluetooth Smart Fish Finder is specifically designed for your iOS and Android devices and it is a whole lot different than your typical, run of the mill fish finder. This little device is pocket sized and probably one of the most portable fish finders on the market today. It is certainly the smallest and lightest. Castable and wireless, the iBobber syncs up with a free app, which can be downloaded onto your smart, phone or tablet and has a range of up to 100 feet away.

This fish finder is engineered with a sonar technology that is patented and gives you clear readings of contours along the bottom, accurate depths, structures as well as fish themselves.

Designed to be super portable and easy to use, the iBobber is perfect for fishing where ever you’re able to do it, especially when carrying light fear is a necessity. It features a high contrast design that makes it easier to see when the light outside is bright and the app itself has a great anti-glare setting which helps you see the screen better as well.


Deeper Smart Portable Fish Finder For Smart Phone or Tablet Review

fish locator reviewsAnother fish finder that is iOS and Andriod compatible is the Deeper Smart Portable Fish Finder For Smart Phone or Tablet. Complete with a rechargeable batter, this fish finder connects to smart phones and tablets via Bluetooth and is capable of finding places that other fish finders simply cannot reaching from places such as shores, bridges, embankments, docks, kayaks and radio controlled boats. It is even popular for ice fishing.

With a depth readability of up to 130 feet and a battery that lasts up to six hours, the downloadable free application for your smart phone includes a fish activity calendar, weather, a personal diary, maps and even sharing functions. So download the app and feel free to share everything with your friends and fishing buddies.

There is absolutely no need for a cabled connection with this fish finder and because of its compact design, you can take it with you with ease. Another great feature with the Deeper Smart fish finder is that you do not have to have WiFi or data on your phone to use it. The internal Bluetooth access point connects right up with your smart phone or table.


Lowrance 000-11448-001 Elite-3X Fish Finder with 83/200 Transducer Review

best fish finder gps comboOur next model is the Lowrance 000-11448-001 Elite-3X Fish Finder with 83/200 Transducer. The Lowrance features an LED display that is backlit and has a resolution of 320 x 240 so it is easy to see in the sun light and from a variety of angles, which is one of the most important features in a fish finder.

You will be able to easily identify fish, the contour of the bottom, details in structures under the water, bottom hardness, temperatures and more with the broadband sounder. Dual frequencies help to maximize the view beneath your fishing vessel and the sonar provides for up to 60-degrees of conical coverage, which works out great when you are searching large areas for fish.


Venterior Portable Fish Finder Review

best fish finder for the moneyNext on our list is the Venterior Portable Fish Finder with wired sonar sensing transducer and an LCD display. With the Venterior fish finder, you will be able to find fish as well as know what depth at which they are located. You can see weeds and how short or tall they are, sand and even rocks on the seabed.

With a round transducer and a 25-foot cable that both float, you can easily fish from a dock, a boat or through the ice with ease. The Venterior is great in just about any fishing environment, including lake, river or sea. With depth being measured from the sonar sensor, and not the float, this fish finder has a depth range from 1M to 100M.

This sonar fish finder has many features including selectable sensitivities, battery saving mode, backlight mode and a handy fish alarm. You can measure the water depth in either meters or feet and unit will turn off by itself if there is no reasonable reading for five minutes or so. While the transmitter on this fish finder is waterproof, the receiver portion, which has the screen on it, is not, so take special care not to allow it to be submerged.


My Vote for Best Fishfinder for the Money

All five of these are among the best fish finders on the market. You can’t really go wrong with choosing any of them. The fish finder ratings that I place on these aren’t necessarily set in stone, and if you like one feature over another, go ahead and pick that finder up accordingly. Another plus for all of these is that they are all relatively cheap fish finders.

That said, I do have a personal favorite, and there is one product that stands apart from the others in my mind.

My top pick has to be the Humminbird Helix 5 DI Fish Finder. If you have read any Hummingbird fish finder reviews online, you know that they are top of the line, and this specific model is no exception.

There are a lot of great features about this fish finder that make it considerably more desirable than a lot of the others including the internal GPS that features cartography and a micro SD slot for both reading and writing information. This is a great feature for someone who fishes often, either for sport or sustenance.

One of the other features I like so much about this finder is the vibrant color display that is easy to read, even in the bright sunlight. While it is, in fact, a portable fish finding device, the gimbal mounting system can also give you the peace of mind in knowing that you can set it up without worry that you will lose it to falling overboard, getting wet or simply getting lost. This is one unit that is built with the fisherman in mind.