I’m pretty sure you have noticed that not all Hummingbird fish finders are cheap. In fact, the models in the 800+ series are rather expensive. These depth finders have many more other capabilities than the one of finding fish, though. Most of them can successfully be used as navigational tools due to the marine GPS they feature or the LakeMaster and Navionics maps packages.
Plus, some of advanced Hummingbird fish finders have Side Imaging and Down Imaging technology, which provides the angler with a more detailed underwater view. The sonar returns that are displayed on the screen of your head unit have the clarity similar to a photo.
However, there are quite many Hummingbird fish finder models that are focused only on detecting fish and providing the angler with an image of the bottom, without any navigational features. These fish finders are much cheaper, but still very effective for tracking fish. And they will still provide you with other important data apart from the positions of the fish in relation to your boat, like water temperature, the contour of the bottom or depth of the water.
So, if you want to buy a Hummingbird fish finder for a cheaper price, but very effective for finding fish, here are a few solutions for you.
Fishin’ Buddy 120
First of all, every fish finder in the Fishin’ Buddy series isn’t very expensive. They are all portable and the sonar is attached to a plastic pole, so you don’t have to fix it on your boat.
The Fishin’ Buddy 120 has a monochrome 4-inch screen, and it’s equipped with single beam, down looking sonar but also has a feature for SideLooking, with a side-scan beam of 10°, pretty useful for pointing out the direction of where to cast your line.
PiranhaMax 150
This is another monochrome fish finder, quite cheap, under $100. However it’s not portable, you will have to install the transducer on the hull of your boat. Has a single beam sonar, 200 kHz/ 20°, which does its job accurately locating fish directly under your boat.
PiranhaMax 230 Portable
This Hummingbird fish finder model is a bit more expensive than the second I mentioned here, but it’s portable. It has pretty much the same head unit, but with a dual beam sonar 20° and 60°, allowing a better area coverage. The transducer is attached to the hull of your boat via a suction cup.
Due to its portability, the PiranhaMax 230 Portable is excellent for kayac fishing or to take along on a fishing trip where you have to rent a boat.