Are you looking for a quality fish finder? In that case, you’ve come to the right place. In here, I will present the top 5 Humminbird Fish Finders which will take your fishing experience to maximum! Using one of the top-quality, professional Hummingbird fish finders, you will get a hold of a wide range of fishfinding options. You will get crystal-clear imaging, laser-targeted tracking results, even in the murkiest waters, or where the bottom of the sea, lake or river has the most irregularities. With a super tracker like a Humminbird Fish Finder 1199ci HD SI Combo or the Humminbird ONIX10ci SI Combo, fish will literally have no place to hide! So, without wasting anymore of your time, here are the most effective Humminbird Fish Finders out there.
The Humminbird HELIX series brings a fresh line of fish finders at the beginning of 2015. They all feature a new layout, but the best part about these new units is their price. They all come for substantially lower prices than the HD ones in the 600 series.
This being said, the Humminbird HELIX 5 SI GPS, is the most affordable Side Imaging / Down Imaging fish finder that you can have. That’s why it currently occupies the 1st position in our classification. Although similar in features to the 698ci HD SI Combo, it has a different screen layout, with a pixel matrix of 480V x 800H, which gives much more space to the Side Imaging and Down Imaging views. This allows a better reading and interpretation of the underwater area you’re scanning. The screen is 256 Color TFT, 5-inch in diagonal, with backlight, for easy reading in the dark or in direct sunlight.
The HELIX 5 SI GPS fish finder comes with a standard Transom XNT 9 SI 180 T transducer. Its sonar technology is DualBeam Plus, with SwitchFire, Side Imaging and Down Imaging. It can be operated at 3 frequencies: 200 kHz / 20°, 83 kHz / 60° and 455 kHz for SI and DI. Its power output is 500 Watts (RMS) / 4000 Watts PTP, and has a depth capability of 1500 ft. for 2D views, and 100 ft. for Side Imaging. Does not support 360 Imaging, so if you would like the possibility of such an upgrade, you’ll have to opt for a 999ci HD SI Combo.
The navigational capabilities of this HELIX unit include Precision GPS, and the UniMap cartography pack, which covers the continental U.S. coastline, inland lakes and rivers at 30 meters per pixel resolution. It’s also Navionics Gold / HotMaps capable and Humminbird Mapping capable, so you can opt for one of these upgrades if you’d like. It can hold up to 2,500 waypoints, 45 routes and 50 tracks (20,000 points each).
Other features that you’ll get with this fish finder and chartplotter are: the Selective Fish ID+, Sonar Recording, Screen Snap Shot, Wide/Narrow Cone Split Screen, Upgradable Internal Software, Temperature Alarm, X-Press Menu System, 3D Chart View and many others.
A few new series of fish finders were released by Humminbird by the end of 2013, the Onix, ION and 600 series. And regarding the 600 series, it pretty much came to replace the 500 and 700 series which were discontinued.
These being said, one of the best (if not the best) Side Imaging fish finders from Humminbird at the moment, in terms of quality / price ratio, is the Humminbird 698ci HD SI Combo. What makes it so great? Let’s have a look at its features.
First of all, it has a big enough screen for both fish tracking and chartplotting, 5-inch in diagonal, with a pixel resolution of 480 x 640. Evidently, it has a brilliant 256 color TFT display, LCD backlit screen, making all the sonar returns much easier to interpret and understand.
The sonar capabilities of this unit are quite generous. As its name suggests, it has High-Definition Side Imaging and Down Imaging, the two options which take the sonar reading to a superior level, offering a crystal clear view of what’s directly under the boat, and side to side. The depth capability of the 698ci HD SI Combo is 100ft. for SI and DI, and up to 1500ft. for the down beam, traditional sonar view. The unit also features the Fish ID+ view.
This fish finder is equipped with Dual Beam Plus sonar, including SwitchFire. In other words, you will be able to scan the water under your boat in two modes: a 60° / 83 kHz view for a wider coverage, or a 20° / 200 kHz view, with a narrower, but more accurate coverage. Or, you can operate both views simultaneously, in split screen. The frequency of the sonar for SI and DI is 455 kHz with a total coverage of 180°. The power output of this unit is 500 Watts (RMS) and 4000 (PTP). The transducer of the 698ci HD SI Combo is the standard Transom XNT 9 SI 180 T.
Regarding the navigational capabilities of the Humminbird 698ci HD SI Combo, precision GPS, chartplotting and trackplotting are on the list, the unit being capable to store up to 2,500 waypoints, 45 routes and 50/20,000 tracks/points. It has built-in UniMap cartography package, and it’s also upgradable with an SD card for Navionics Gold / HotMaps, or Lakemaster. Unfortunately it does not support 360 Imaging.
In conclusion, the Humminbird 698ci HD SI Combo is number one in our top 5, because it basically has all the navigational and fish finding options required by any angler, recreational or pro, to take their fishing to a superior level, available for quite an excellent price, compared with other Hummingbird fish finders.
The 999ci HD SI Combo is one of the most complete fish finders from Humminbird, with an excellent price / quality ratio. However, it’s only on the 3rd place in this top 5 because it’s price still goes over $1,000. Other than that, it’s a great unit, and here’s what it can do.
The Humminbird 999ci HD SI Combo features an 8-inch diagonal screen, full color LCD, with backlight, and a pixel matrix of 800H x 480V. Its standard sonar covers HD Side Imaging, Down Imaging and Dual Beam Plus, having a standard coverage of 20° / 60° / 180°. Side Imaging and Down Imaging are reliable for depths up to 150 ft., while the standard 2D imaging, goes up to 1,500 ft. The Side Imaging covers a surface of 240 ft. on each side of the boat. Like most fish finders within the 900 series, it can support a QuadraBeam Plus sonar. Also, this unit is 360 Imaging capable.
The standard transducer of the 999ci HD SI Combo is a Transom XHS 9 HDSI 180 T. The standard power output of this unit is 500 Watts RMS / 4000 Watts PTP, but it has up to 1,000 Watts RMS / 8,000 Watts PTP capability, if equipped with a deep water transducer.
The navigational capabilities of this unit include Precision GPS antenna, and the ContourXD cartography pack, which covers over 3,000 U.S. lake maps, featuring depth contour lines of each one of them, so you’ll be able to know exactly how the bottom of your lake looks like. This unit can store up to 2,750 waypoints, 45 routes and 50 tracks (20,000 points each track). Regarding the optional upgrades and improvements that can be brought to this fishfinder, Navionics Platinum, Gold and HotMaps, as well as Lakemaster map package, NMEA2000, Radar2 and iPilotLink.
Other features that you will benefit from with the 999ci HD SI Combo are: Ethernet, Selective Fish ID+, Temperature Graph and Alarm, Sonar Recording, Split Screen Zoom and Snap Shot, Instant Image Update, Triplog, 3D Chart View and many others.
The Humminbird ONIX10ci SI Combo is one of the Humminbird models released last year. It features new TouchScreen Multi-Touch technology which, along with a very wide array of other options, places it above most other fish finder models. It is currently the most complete fish finder and navigational tool from Humminbird. The reason it occupies only the 4th position in our classification, is that its price simply doesn’t fit to just any pocket. Other than that, this fish finder and chartplotter is simply an outstanding piece of technology.
It has an outstanding range of sonar capabilities. It offers High Definition Side Imaging and Down Imaging, DualBeam Plus sonar and Digital Signal Processing, with a standard coverage of 20° (200 kHz), 60° (83kHz) for DualBeam Plus standard. Side Imaging beams can be operated at two frequencies: 455 kHz for a coverage of 86° (x2), or 800 kHz for a coverage of 55° (x2) and a much sharper image. Down Imaging can also use two frequencies: 455 kHz / 75°, or 800 kHz / 45°.
Standard mode is reliable for depths up to 1,500 ft, Side Imaging – 150 ft. and Down Imaging – 350 ft. If you opt for a deep water transducer, this unit can increase in power up to 1000 Watts (RMS), and become capable of scanning depths of 5,000 ft. Its standard power is 500 Watts (RMS) / 4,000 Watts (PTP). Also, this unit is 360 Imaging and CHIRP technology capable, but these options are not included.
This unit has a 10.4-inch diagonal screen, backlit, full color, with a pixel resolution of 1024H x 768V. The screen features Cross Touch technology and can be operated via direct touch like most smartphones, which simplifies the navigation through the menus by a lot.
In terms of GPS and navigational capabilities, the ONIX10ci SI Combo also offers a consistent palette of features. GPS Speed, and Precision GPS built in, chartplotting and trackplotting are on the list. The data storage goes up to 3,000 waypoints, 200 routes, and 50 / 20,000 tracks / points. Comes with the built in TriFuel cartography pack – which provides a database of maps from LakeMaster, Navionics and C-Map. There’s also a 3D chart view option included. However, the unit does not come with full Navionics Platinum, Navionics Gold HotMaps or Lakemaster, these being only optional. Last but not least, this unit has NMEA2000, an excellent communications standard option, used to connect marine sensors and display units within ships and boats.
Along with the capabilities of this fish finder presented here, there’s quite a bunch remaining, including: Temperature Graph and Alarm, Selective Fish ID+, Custom View, Digital Readout, Sonar Recording, Freeze Frame, Ethernet and many others.
At the moment the ION 12 is the most advanced navigational and fish finding tool provided by Humminbird. The only reason it’s not number one in this top 5, is that its price is quite a little bit high, and many of its features are optional, and you’ll have to pay extra for them. Anyway, let’s see what this fish finder can do.
Maybe the most important feature to be mentioned about the Humminbird ION 12 is the TouchScreen (Cross-Touch) technology, and can easily be operated like a tablet or smartphone, undrestanding commands like tapping or swiping the screen. Needless to say, this adds a lot of ease to its use. The unit comes with a huge, 12.1-inch diagonal screen, with a 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, brilliant color (TFT, 16.7 mm colors), with backlight.
When it comes to it’s sonar capabilities, it’s very important to know that the unit does not come with a sonar module and a transducer. But it can be equipped with an SM1000, SM2000, or SM3000 sonar module and various types of transducers. The ION 12 supports Side Imaging, Down Imaging and 360 Imaging, but they depend on the transducer you equip it with, along with other options such as CHIRP technology, 3D Chart View, Selective Fish ID+, SwitchFire, Real Time Sonar RTS Window. The unit has a power output of 2000 Watts (RMS) / 16000 Watts (PTP).
The ION 12 has a GPS receiver, but other GPS and navigational features, such as trackplotting, chartplotting, GPS speed and precision GPS are all optional as well. It supports all the cartography packages though, so you can equip it with a Lakemaster, Navionics Platinum+, Gold or HotMaps card, or TriFuel Cartography. Its memory can store up to 3,000 waypoints, 50 tracks (20,000 points each) and up to 200 routes, like the majority of the Hummingbird fish finders.
So, basically the Hummingbird ION 12 is just an advanced fish finder head unit, but in order to turn it into an advanced fish finding, radar and navigational tool, you will have to make quite some additions to it.
The Hummingbird Fish Finders presented here are the most complete of each series. They are all indeed elite fish finding tools. They all come with various System Network options like CannonLink, but only the 800,900, 1100, ONIX and ION series are Ethernet compatible.
Ethernet is a connectivity solution to other Humminbird units, allowing your to share waypoints, routes, tracks, GPS position and even Sonar information. However, you won’t be able to get SI Sonar information on a Humminbird unit that’s not compatible with SI.
All in all these are all top-shelf Hummingbird fish finders and which will maximize your fishing experience. They all have 1 year warranty. As far as it concerns me, I don’t think you’ll ever regret of purchasing any of the Hummingbird Fish Finders reviewed here.