Best Fish Finder GPS Combo

 Getting your hands on a good fish finder GPS combo can be really hard. Sure, there are tons of options out there, but not all of them are very good. Also, the high-end models tend to be ridiculously expensive, which is of course something that we would like to avoid.

Here we are reviewing the best fish finder GPS combos that won’t cost you a massive fortune. No, they are not the cheapest models out there, but they won’t ruin your budget either. Let’s get right to it and help you find the best fish finder GPS combos on the market today.

Lowrance ELITE-5 HDI Combo Plotter/Fish Finder

One of the things that really stands out about the Lowrance ELITE-5 HDI Combo Plotter/Fish Finder is that it has a really small footprint. It is a good fish finder GPS combo for small boats and kayaks where there is not much room for extra items. What is really impressive here is that this item does not take up very much room, yet still has pretty much all of the most important features that larger models have.

Another thing we like about the Lowrance ELITE-5 HDI Combo Plotter/Fish Finder is that it has a really nice screen. It has around 70% more pixels and 36% more usable screen space than the previous model. It is a 5-inch HD screen which allows you to see everything in great detail. This thing uses a combination of down scan imaging and broadband sounder to find our targets. The traditional sonar function helps you find fish deep down while the down scan displays the seabed topography with ultimate clarity.

We like how the screen allows you to look at multiple pre-set page layouts. The easy to use interface allows you to choose settings and viewing options with minimal effort, so you can focus on finding fish. What is also pretty neat here is that the Lowrance ELITE-5 HDI Combo Plotter/Fish finder has a very high waterproof rating, so much so that it can be fully submerged without any fear of breaking.

The Lowrance ELITE-5 HDI Combo Plotter/Fish Finder comes with over 3000 US lakes and rivers already mapped on it, plus there are optional chart upgrades too. You can even create your very own maps from sonar data which this finder has collected.

Pros

• High-quality screen
• Combination of location technologies
• Many lakes and rivers already mapped
• Allows you to make your own map
• Good for topography and fish finding
• Many advanced settings
• Easy to use UI
• Fully submersible
• Small footprint

Cons

• No installation instructions included
• Tends to turn off on its own

Humminbird 410210-1 HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2 Fish Finder

One of our favorite features here is the 800H x 480V, 5" 256 color display with backlighting. The 5-inch display is more than big enough so you can clearly see what is going on, which is true even when it is dark thanks to the backlighting. In terms of a good screen and awesome resolution, the Humminbird 410210-1 HELIX 5 CHIRP GPS G2 Fishfinder is definitely up there with the best of them.

What we really like about this particular fish finder is that it comes with an insane number of maps included; it comes with over 10,000 different US lakes, rivers, streams, and coastlines already loaded onto it. However, if the place where you are at is not included, you can always use the live auto-chart feature which creates real-time maps of wherever you are. It will find the bottom water, the contours, vegetation, fish, and everything in between. Real-time charting is a big bonus here.

Another impressive aspect of this GPS fish finder is that it comes with Chirp DualBeam and sonar with 4000 watts PTP power output. This allows you to find fish and create maps deep below you, in shallow waters, and all around you too. All in all, this is one of the best fish finder GPS combinations out there at this time. It even comes with a Micro-SD slot so you can save data for the next time.

Pros

• Good depth of sonar
• Great for mapping
• Good at creating your own maps
• Comes with tons of maps included
• Chirp DualBeam for optimal fish finding
• Really great screen
• Easy to use

Cons

• Low voltage problems
• Known to turn off on its own

Garmin 010-01797-01 Echomap

When it comes to finding fish, the CHIRP 2D sonar, Clearvu, and dual frequency sonar will definitely get the job done. In terms of accuracy of finding fish and charting bottom contours, the Garmin 010-01797-01 Echomap is one of the best fish finders that we have seen so far. This combo also comes with a fantastic transducer, which always helps.

The Garmin 010-01797-01 Echomap is very easy to install and even easier to use thanks to the simplified user interface. It does come with a flush mount so you can easily mount it on your boat or kayak. Another cool aspect here is that it comes with tons of maps and tide information loaded onto it, which means you don’t have to search elsewhere for the information you need.

The internal GPS on the Garmin 010-01797-01 Echomap is extremely fast and very accurate, which is necessary when doing this kind of thing. In terms of the sonar, what is neat is that you can rewind the images and even record them for future viewing. We also like the 4.3-inch screen, not because it is overly huge, but because it has a small footprint.

Pros

• Great variations of sonar
• Very quick and accurate GPS
• Everything about it is simple and easy
• Sonar rewind function
• Tide information
• Lots of included maps
• Good auto guidance
• Compatible with various chart types
• Nice screen
• Small footprint

Cons

• The included instruction manual is not specific to this model
• Transducer can have some problems

Conclusion

Finding the right spots to fish in, as well as actually finding the fish, can be really hard, but not when you have a good fish finder GPS combination tool. These combos definitely make life a lot easier when it comes to fishing with your best rod and locating fish, so we would recommend checking them out. In terms of the best fish finder GPS combo, all 3 of the above reviewed items are worth checking out.