Best Fish Finder GPS Combo
With the advent of ever more and ever cheaper technology, fish finders are more common than ever before. Every year more products enter the market, ranging from easy-to-use beginner’s models to highly sophisticated commercial ones, as well as everything in between. As always, price point and purpose are the controlling factors. What is perfect for a small, country pond, might be absolutely useless for a fast-current river or the deep lake.
Here is a list of the Best Fish Finder GPS Combo
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Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder with Sonar Review
Today we review the Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder with Sonar, or more precisely, the Lowrance 000-12635-001 Hook-3X Sonar, W/ 83/200 XDCR Transducer. We purchased one model at our local Walmart and ordered one model on Amazon, for concurrent use on our family pond and a lazy river running through our town.
The attraction for us of reviewing this product was the price: though listed at $133.68, it was available on Amazon for the discounted price of $98.91, a decent savings of $34.77 that came with free shipping. Certainly a good start. With a low price like that, we first ascertained the likely market for this product before giving it a test.
After a short discussion, we determined that such a product, if it performed per specs and as hoped, would likely be an excellent fit for young adults, beginners and casual intermediates out for a relaxing time but hoping to bring home a nice catch coupled with a few good fish stories about the big one that got away.
Our prediction and hopes were right on the money. The Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder with Sonar offers an easy-to-install, easy-to-use fishfinder with a vibrant, back-lit screen that does a pretty good job in slow-moving and stationary fishing scenarios. Children, beginning and intermediate fisherman/women, and casual vacationers out for the experience will find this Lowrance product more than suitable for their limited purposes. More experienced fisherman navigating more challenging waterways and moving at higher speeds are likely to find this fishfinder inadequate for their needs. Which is why the low price is so predictive of the results, invoking the buying wisdom of “you get what you pay for” and “always buy something suited for your needs.”
That said, in the right waters like our country pond, the Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder does make use of an advanced bit of sonar technology that allows you to see below the surface and spot what appear to be fish. You get a decent visual of the landscape below, enabling you to drop your line or cast your lure to the spot the fish seem to be hanging out.
The GPS sonar employs high-performance broadband coverage combined what’s described as ASP or Advanced Signal Processing. This enables your little devise to separate out the fish from the fluff, so to speak, filtering out the irrelevant noise so as to up the odds of catching your dinner. The screen is very colorful, simple to see and read, and worked especially well on our cloudy day. The bracket for moving the screen also allowed ease of tilting and swiveling around, which was quite convenient.
In short, it’s a good product for anglers working with a tight budget who simply want catch a few fish in an easy fishing environment.
Features
Though targeted for adults, it’s our feeling that youngsters can also handle this product after a short demonstration and learning curve. Children today are so sophisticated with new technology that, honestly, our 12-year old would likely catch on as fast as we did. It comes new, of course, and assembly is required, though there is very little to do.
Here is a list of some of the features of the Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder:
- Backlit LED color screen with 320 x 240 resolution that works well in cloudy and sunny days
- Works equally well in fresh or saltwater
- 000-12635-01 is the Manufacturer Part Number
- Measured in inches, the dimensions after assembly are 10.75 (length) x 4.37 (width) x 8.98 (height)
- Fish, bottom landscape, temperatures, and structural variations display nicely from the broadband advantage
- Settings mostly adjust automatically via the sophisticated ASP, requiring only moderate manual adjustment
- Under-boat and underwater views benefit from the 83 or 200kHz dual-frequency equipment
- Large fish arches and wide area coverage result from the 83kHz sonar engaging as much as 60 degrees of conical coverage
- Fish are easily spotted as they are depicted by fish icons rather than simply fish arches
- Alarms settings signal when fish are spotted, and zoom lenses enhance the picture at four times standard view
- Backlight control works by simply thumbing the power button
- The patented Skimmer transducer tracks the bottom landscape at speeds up to 75 mph, including a sensor for water temperatures
- Product comes in 11 languages
- Voltage is 12 DC
Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder Features
Pros
For our purposes, we found the Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder sturdy, dependable, and fun. The product is made with recycled material, which we found to be a positive feature, though some may not. Being easy to use, easy to install, and easy to operate, it works well for a wide range of ages and levels of experience. Hassle time is at a minimum, we which always find important. The colorful screen makes below-water images bright and clear in all weather, whether cloudy or sunny. And we note that reviews have found it well-suited for kayaks and small rental boats, especially for the price, though we did not test it in these scenarios. At the incredibly low price, what you’re really getting is a vibrant color fishfinder at the black-and-white price, making it easier to find and catch fish than ever before for the casual fisherman.
Cons
Some users have found the wiring harness too short and the underwater readings far from optimum in deeper waters, in murky waters and when the boat or current was moving at higher than drift speeds. We did not encounter that, though we only trolled at lower speeds and both the pond and the river had mild currents.
Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder Video Review
Conclusion
Coming with a one-year warranty, and given the excellent price for the value delivered, we recommend the Lowrance Hook-3X Fishfinder for almost all ages looking for casual, fun fishing in a simple or moderate fishing environment.
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