What fishfinder do i buy

i know this is a mercruiser si

i know this is a mercruiser site but where else can you get good feedback for a fishfinder.i am wondering what you all have.i am looking to see if anybodys fishfinder picks up a downrigging ball and if so how deep.i do alot of downrigging and want a new finder - what do you all have or use or like. thank you all for any input

Hi Rich:

I think a simple f

Hi Rich:

I think a simple flasher will reflect a DR ball. Modern FFs can provide a plethora of info. Money talks--check with some of the high end manufacturers by email to find out what their models will display.

"well i dont do downrigging bu

"well i dont do downrigging but i have an eagle fishelite 502c igps. I like it. I also got the fishing hot spots card for in it for my area and man it really added alot of stuff; "hot spots","marinias", Dumping stations, gas stations. Its all in how much you want to spend and what you want. The sonar or this is nice but i use two finders on the boat. The only thing i have against this one is the small screen compared to the other one that is on the boat. The eagle i have about 600 in all together with the hot spots card. Do a search on Amazon thats where i found the best prices on this stuff."

I think any fishfinder will lo

I think any fishfinder will locate the downrigger ball as long as it is the sonar area. I had an early 1990s lowrance unit that would show the ball as a solid line on the screen because it never moved.

"Most fishfinders will see a D

"Most fishfinders will see a DR but for best results, as some mfg suggest, it must be in a narrow beam to see it. Multibeam transducers will only see the DR in the narrow beam.
I only use DR when trolling in fast current so if the DR starts to play out beyond the narrow beam, it might not be seen. The beam sensitivity can be cranked up to be seen in the wider beam setting but the hf can actually scare the fish away! I have better fishing success by using the sonar to find fish, mark the gps and shut it off and troll a grid around the gps waypoint.
Oh, I have been able to tack the DR to 80', that is the deepest in the Columbia R. In the ocean, it is rare I fish beyond that depth using DR.
My trawler has a $7000 fish rig with all the options but my sport fish boat has a $400 Hummingbird and I actually think the Hummingbird can find more fish in a smaller area."