The 10 Best Fish Finders Under $200 in 2021
Photo: ReelSonar
Fishing doesn’t have to be difficult. Instead of working by trial and error, a fish finder can help you identify where fish are hiding in the lake or sea. This will help you eliminate those bad days where you catch little or no fish.
However, there are dozens of these electronic tools in the market and some can be very expensive. To help you get a high-quality, affordable unit, the article below looks at 10 of the best fish finders under $200 to consider buying.
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10 Best Fish Finders Under $200 – Review
- 1. Garmin 010-01806-00 – Best Overall
- 2. Venterior VT-FF001 – Best Budget
- 3. ReelSonar iBobber – Best Wireless
- 4. Lowrance 000-14012-001 – High-resolution
- 5. Humminbird 410160-1 – Down Imaging
- 6. Garmin 010-01870-00 – Dual Beam
- 7. Garmin 010-01871-00 – With Contour Mapping
- 8. Venterior VT-FF003 – With Auto Shut-Off
- 9. Garmin 010-01550-00 – With Waypoint Mapping
- 10. Lucky 5582692495 – With a Fish School Alarm
- How to Buy the Best Fish Finder Under $200
- Conclusion
10 Best Fish Finders Under $200 – Review
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1. Garmin 010-01806-00 (Best Overall) |
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2. Venterior VT-FF001 (Best Budget) |
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3. ReelSonar iBobber (Best Wireless) |
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4. Lowrance 000-14012-001 (High-Resolution) |
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5. Humminbird 410160-1 (Down Imaging) |
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6. Garmin 010-01870-00 (Dual Beam Fish Finder) |
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7. Garmin 010-01871-00 (Contour Mapping) |
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8. Venterior VT-FF003 (Auto Shut-Off) |
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9. Garmin 010-01550-00 (Has Waypoint Map) |
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10. Lucky 5582692495 (Has Fish School Alarm) |
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PRODUCT |
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1. Garmin 010-01806-00 (Best Overall) |
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2. Venterior VT-FF001 (Best Budget) |
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3. ReelSonar iBobber (Best Wireless) |
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4. Lowrance 000-14012-001 (High-Resolution) |
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5. Humminbird 410160-1 (Down Imaging) |
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6. Garmin 010-01870-00 (Dual Beam Fish Finder) |
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7. Garmin 010-01871-00 (Contour Mapping) |
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8. Venterior VT-FF003 (Auto Shut-Off) |
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9. Garmin 010-01550-00 (Has Waypoint Map) |
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10. Lucky 5582692495 (Has Fish School Alarm) |
1. Garmin 010-01806-00 – Best Overall
Photo: Garmin
- Display Size: 3.5”
- Transmit Power: 300 W (RMS)
- Maximum Depth: 1,750 ft. freshwater, 830 ft. saltwater
- Weight: 8.1 oz.
First on the list is Garmin’s 010-01806-00 and it takes the top spot due to several reasons. For starters, its transducer is equipped with CHIRP (77/200 kHz) and CHIRP ClearVü (455/800 kHz).
These result in high clarity with near-photographic images of the sea or lake bed plus whatever is swimming underneath your boat. They also give a maximum depth scan of 1,750 ft. and 830 ft. in fresh and saltwater respectively, which means you can spot fish in very deep waters.
Additionally, the finder has a built-in flasher that makes it easy to fish vertically on ice or when jigging for crappies. This flasher shows you whether the bed is solid or muddy, your weighted bait/jig and the movement of the fish if they come within range.
Other features include high-sensitivity GPS for showing your location and marking the good spots, a waypoint map for navigation and a speedometer for checking if you are trolling at the right speed for the lure in use and fish you are looking to catch.
The only issue is that the unit is quite costly as compared to the rest.
Morre Detailed : Garmin Striker 010-01806-00 Review
Pros:
Cons:
2. Venterior VT-FF001 – Best Budget
Photo: Venterior
- Battery: 4 AAA
- Maximum Depth: 328 ft.
- Weight: 15.2 oz.
If you don’t want to spend much, Venterior’s VT-FF001 is the most affordable fish finder to buy in this review. Despite this, it senses the fish’s depth/location, weeds, and rocks with high sensitivity for accurate displaying.
The finder has 5 operation modes with sensitivity being one of them. The others include a battery-save mode that reduces sensitivity to extend battery life, backlight mode for lighting up the screen in yellow when its dark, fish alarm and unit of measure (ft. or meters).
More features include a wide 45˚ sensor beam angle, an operating temperature of -4°F to 158°F, a round transducer with a long 25 ft. cable, a neck strap, side-scan adapter, and a stainless-steel bolt plus wing nut for easy installation.
However, no GPS or mapping software is built-in for spot marking or navigation.
More Detailed : Venterior VT-FF001 Review
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Cons:
3. ReelSonar iBobber – Best Wireless
Photo: ReelSonar
- Battery: Rechargeable
- Maximum Depth: 135 ft.
- Weight: 0.16 oz.
ReelSonar’s iBobber is very unique because it features Bluetooth connectivity. This provides smart synchronization to iOS or Android phones or tablets via a free app. It has a range of 100 ft., which is very practical and also gives the best battery life.
Apart from that, the finder is very compact and lightweight because it does not have a display. This makes it easily portable and it includes 2 snap swivel connections that allow you to use it a bobber or remote fish finder.
You also get depth tagging with color-coding of fish by size, raw sonar or fish tagging views options, contour mapping of the waterbed, GPS spot marking plus an interactive map for navigation, fish and strike alarms and social media sharing options.
On the downside, the fish finder’s sonar range is 135 ft., which is a relatively shallow depth. Therefore, it is not ideal for deep water fishing spotting.
Note: Requires Bluetooth 4.0 or newer and only synchronizes with iOS 10 or later and Android 4.3 or later.
Pros:
Cons:
4. Lowrance 000-14012-001 – High-resolution
Photo: Lowrance
- Display Size: 4”
- Weight: 35.2 oz.
This unit from Lowrance is fitted with a high resolution 4” Solarmax display, which delivers crisp images of the fish and a clear view of the waterbed, rocks, and weeds.
The fish finder is very easy to use because it has an autotuning sonar, phone-like menus for easy navigation and an optimized keypad with quick one-touch access to the commonly used features.
A bullet skimmer transducer is included to give 2D sonar views and it has a wide-angle CHIRP for wide sonar coverage. This enables you to see more fish in the water column.
The unit is also very easy to set up because its transducer can be installed in the hull, through the scupper hole, on the transom or the trolling motor.
However, you don’t get GPS built-in for marking spots of interest and the product is quite heavy. This limits portability.
Pros:
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5. Humminbird 410160-1 – Down Imaging
Photo: Humminbird
- Display Size: 4.3”
- Transmit Power: 300 W (RMS)
- Maximum Depth: 600 ft.
- Weight: 32 oz.
Thanks to its Down Imaging (DI) technology, Humminbird’s 410160-1 gives a clear view of the objects below your boat. This includes timber, rocks, weeds and, of course, fish.
Additionally, the fish finder has a dual beam sonar, with the option of selecting between a wide or narrow beam. This lets you choose between wide coverage or high detail respectively so that you can spot contours, fish and other structures on its large 4.3” display.
More features include simple-to-use keypad controls, a tilt and swivel mount for quickly adjusting your viewing area angle and target separation of 2.5”.
On the downside, this product is not fitted with a map or GPS for navigation and track/spot plotting.
Pros:
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6. Garmin 010-01870-00 – Dual Beam
Photo: Garmin
- Display Size: 4.3”
- Transmit Power: 200 W (RMS)
- Weight: 11.2 oz.
Just like Humminbird’s 410160-1 , this Garmin fish finder comes with a dual-beam transducer that has wide and narrow beam options. This enables you to view the underside of your boat either in wide coverage or high detail for easy spotting.
Other than that, this piece is equipped with the brand’s contours mapping software, which lets you create and store 1-ft contour maps for an area of up to 2 million acres in size.
This is further enhanced by GPS, which makes it possible to mark waypoint and routes for easy navigation. It also enables you to view the boat’s speed as an alternative to the boat’s speedometer.
More features include CHIRP sonar for enhanced clarity, a large and bright 4.3” display that is readable under sunlight, a split-screen view with zoom capability and a water temperature sensor.
However, the unit has a relatively low transmission power of 200W RMS, which limits the depth at which the sonar can be able to ping fish targets.
Pros:
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7. Garmin 010-01871-00 – With Contour Mapping
Photo: Garmin
- Display Size: 4.3”
- Transmit Power: 300 W (RMS)
- Weight: 11.2 oz.
Garmin’s 010-01871-00 is quite similar to the 010-01870-00 model because it features the brand’s own quickdraw contours mapping software. This system allows you to create and store maps with 1-ft contours for an area covering 2 million acres.
That said, the product is also equipped with GPS, which lets you create routes and waypoints for easy navigation, as well as mark hot spots where there’s plenty of fish and view the boat’s speed.
You also get CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar, which join forces to give you near-photographic images of the waterbed, fish and other objects under your boat.
Other features include a large 4.3” display that is bright enough to read under sunlight, a durable rugged design and a high transmission power of 300W RMS for pinging at maximum depth.
The only problem is that the finder is quite expensive to buy.
Pros:
Cons:
8. Venterior VT-FF003 – With Auto Shut-Off
Photo: Venterior
- Battery: 4 AAA
- Maximum Depth: 328 ft.
- Weight: 19 oz.
Venterior’s VT-FF003 is designed to automatically shut-off if it detects no depth reading for 5 continuous minutes. On top of this, it has 5 running modes with one of them being battery-save mode. These two features prolong the battery life for extended use.
The remaining 4 modes enhance the fish finder’s practicality and they include sensitivity for powerful scanning, backlight mode for screen visibility in the dark, fish alarm and unit of measure.
This last one switches the unit of measure for the depth and temperature from meters to feet and ˚C to ˚K respectively.
Other features include an anti-UV LCD, a maximum depth range of 328 ft., a separate sonar sensor with a 25-ft cable, a neck strap and a stainless-steel bolt strap plus wing nut for easy installation.
On the downside, the display is in black-and-white and this makes it impossible to display extra information such as fish size color-coding. It also lacks GPS and mapping software.
Pros:
Cons:
9. Garmin 010-01550-00 – With Waypoint Mapping
Photo: Garmin
- Battery: 12 Volt 7 Amp
- Display Size: 3.5”
- Transmit Power: 200 W (RMS)
- Maximum Depth: 1,600 ft. freshwater, 750 ft. saltwater
- Weight: 8.1 oz.
As opposed to having a contour map, Garmin’s 010-01550-00 features a waypoint map, which is ideal for navigation. It enables you to view locations such as docks and stumps so that you can mark them and find your way easily back to shore after fishing.
Apart from that, the unit is equipped with traditional CHIRP sonar and CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar, which work in tandem to provide you with crisp, clear images of the waterbed and whatever is swimming under your vessel.
You also get a built-in flasher for vertical fishing on ice or when jigging. Other features include very sensitive GPS, intuitive keypad controls and a 3.5” color display.
More Detailed: Garmin 010-01550-00 Review
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10. Lucky 5582692495 – With a Fish School Alarm
Photo: Lucky
- Battery: 4 AAA
- Display Size: 2”
- Maximum Depth: 328 ft.
- Weight: 17.6 oz.
Lucky’s fish finder features a fish school alarm mode, which notifies you when a group of fish has been detected by the sonar. This is part of the unit’s 5 operation modes, which include sensitivity, battery-save, backlight and unit of measure for switching between meters and feet.
A separate transducer is included in the set and it comes with a long 25-ft cable for connecting to the display. You also get a neck strap and a stainless-steel bolt plus wing nut for easy mounting.
Other features include blue LED backlighting for night time fishing, a 45˚ beam angle and a maximum depth reach of 328 ft.
On the downside, you don’t get a temperature reading on the unit and it has a very small 2” display.
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How to Buy the Best Fish Finder Under $200
Photo: NaNa Fish Finder
1. Display
The most noticeable thing about a fish finder is its display and there are two main factors to consider.
First is the color. Colored displays are recommended over their black and white counterparts because they are easier to see in low light conditions. They can also be used to display extra information such as the fish’s size in a color-coded format.
Second is the size. A bigger screen is always better because it displays more information at once. This makes the 4.3” size in Humminbird’s 410160-1 , Garmin’s 010-01870-00 and 010-01871-00 stand out from the rest.
2. Easy to Use
A fish finder’s ease of use is determined by a few factors such as intuitive keypad buttons, easy navigation of menus in its user interface and easy installation.
Lowrance’s 000-14012-001 takes it up a notch by including autotuning sonar, which gives it a plug-and-play design in which no configuration is required before use. Such a design is recommended for beginners.
3. Transducer
A transducer is the heart of any fishfinder system. It sends out sound waves down to the water at a certain angle then receives the echo to translate it to an image.
There are different types of transducers such as the dual-beam and bullet skimmer types, which perform very well.
However, the new CHIRP sonar technology is better and far more advanced because it transmits longer sweeps of sound waves across different frequencies.
This creates a clearer image with better target separation and can go to great depths. For this, be sure to check out Garmin’s 010-01806-00 , 010-01871-00 and 010-01550-00 .
4. Scanning
Fishfinders usually scan in two ways: sideways or downwards. Side scanning allows you to view through lots of water horizontally but not vertically. On the other hand, down scanning/imaging lets you view deep in water but along a narrow stretch.
Therefore, for the best results, we recommend a unit that scans in both directions so that you can get both benefits.
5. Built-in GPS
GPS is important because it allows you to mark hotspots where you get plenty of fish so that you can return there easily next time.
It also enables you to mark tracking points on the map for navigation purposes. This will make it easier to find your way back to shore once you are done fishing.
That said, if you want a fish finder with GPS, be sure to check out Garmin’s 010-01806-00 , 010-01550-00 and ReelSonar’s iBobber , just to name a few.
6. Portability
Lastly, portability is highly recommended because you might be required to switch to a new boat. If permanently fixed to the vessel, unmounting it can be very cumbersome.
However, with units like ReelSonar’s iBobber , moving it is very easy because its lightweight handheld design makes it easy to carry.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all the fish finders reviewed above are high-quality units that cost less than $200. However, Garmin’s 010-01806-00 takes the top spot due to its high clarity CHIRP transducer, built-in flasher, GPS and navigation map.
If you prefer a lightweight, wireless kit, ReelSonar’s iBobber is the best solution. It has Bluetooth connectivity, compatibility with multiple iOS and Android devices, and lightweight design.
However, if you are on a tight budget, we recommend Venterior’s VT-FF001 as the best fish finder under $200.