Humminbird Fishfinder & GPS Combos for Every Budget

The Humminbird Fishfinder GPS units are great for fishing in the shallow coastal waters to the deep waters of the gulf. They will tell you where you are going, where you have been, where the fish are, how big the fish are, what the bottom looks like and often charts a new course for you. They do everything they advertise; but some fishfinder GPS combos do more than others. It all depends on what you want and what you can afford.

This article picked several great Humminbird Fishfinders and GPS at every budget level. Each one will be reviewed briefly. 7 important considerations of buying any fishfinder will be presented.

Humminbird Fishfinder GPS Combos at Every Budget Level

$200 - $300 Humminbird 161 Combo 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter
The 161 combo has a 20 degree, 200 kHz beam sonar that is accurate up to 600 feet of depth. It has a 4 inch screen with 320 x 240 pixels. 16 channel WAAS GPS receiver. Waterproof construction with a one year warranty. First Available: July, 2004. Currently unavailable.

$300 - $400 Humminbird 365i 4-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter
This 365 fishfinder boasts that it has top of the line technology for those interested in the small package. It has a 4 inch, monochrome display with SwitchFire technology and 320 x 240 pixels. The DualBeam Sonar gives wide coverage, picture of the bottom and reliable view up to 1000 ft. First available: August, 2009

$400 - $500 Humminbird 778c 5-Inch Waterproof Fishfinder
This is part of the 700 Humminbird series. Comes with a 5 inch color screen and boasts 640 x 640 pixels for crystal clear underwater images. It has a DualBeam Sonar with reliable 1500 depth capability. Can be mounted both in hull or transom mount. Has Tilt and Swivel Quick Disconnect Mounting System. Waterproof construction. First Available: November, 2008

$500 - $600 Humminbird 407920-1 Fishfinder 597ci HD GPS Combo
This 597 combo has a full color, 5 inch screen with 640 x 640 pixels. DualBeam Sonar with Humminbird's SwitchFire technology. 4000 Watts of power. Transducers transmit 83/200 kHz.50 channel GPS. Available for in dash mount or transom mount with Tilt and Swivel Mounting System. First Available: September, 2010

$600 - $700 Humminbird 788ci 5-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter with Sounder
This is part of the 700 Humminbird series. Comes with a 5 inch, color screen and boasts 640 x 640 pixels for crystal clear under water images. It has a DualBeam sonar with reliable 1500 depth capability. This combo includes GPS. Can be mounted both in hull or transom mount. Has Tilt and Swivel Quick Disconnect Mounting System. First available: November, 2008

$900+ Humminbird 798c SI Combo 5-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter with Sounder
This is part of the 700 Humminbird series. Comes with a 5 inch, color screen and boasts 640 x 640 pixels for crystal clear under water images. It has a DualBeam sonar with reliable 1500 depth capability. This combo includes GPS. Can be mounted both in hull or transom mount. Has Tilt and Swivel Quick Disconnect Mounting System. What stands out with this 798 SI combo is the GPS, Side-Imaging, and DualBeam sonar in one transducer. The side imaging feature has 480 feet coverage from side to side that you can scan in minutes. Crystal clear images of fish, bottom and structure. Built in Unimap. First Available: November, 2008

$900+ Humminbird 858c Combo 7-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter with Sounder
This Humminbird 858 has a 7 inch color screen with 480 x 800 pixels. Features a 16:9 aspect ration for clear picture quality. Transducer (DualBeam Plus Sonar) with SwitchFire Sonar included. 1500 feet and 2000 feet capability. 50 channel GPS/WASS. Preloaded with contour XD maps (cartography). First Available: January, 2010

1400+ Humminbird 898c SI Combo 7-Inch Waterproof Marine GPS and Chartplotter with Sounder
This Humminbird GPS, Chartplotter and Fishfinder has a 7 inch diagonal color screen with 480 x 800 pixels. Features a 16:9 aspect ration for clear picture quality. This has side imaging (150 ft. depth), down imaging and Switchfire DualBeam Sonar. It has 1500 ft. and 3000ft. capability. Preloaded with contour (XD maps) cartography. First Available: January, 2010

Fishfinder Considerations and Recommendations

There are many things to consider in any fishfinder GPS combination units. Here are my top 7:

1. Power is measured in watts. The higher the wattage, the more power you will have in your fishfinder. If your wattage is low, the readouts will be slow and late as far as the areas you travel over. It is difficult to find the wattage of many fishfinders from their product description. Minimum power recommended is 800 watts for shallow lakes and rivers; 3000 watts for deeper waters.

2. A color screen is easier to view than a monochrome display, especially in the bright sun. Get the biggest screen you can afford. The higher the resolution or pixels, the better. Minimum resolution would be 320 x 240.

3. Transducers transmit in frequencies (kHz). Transducers have cone angles from narrow 9 degrees to wide of over 60 degrees. Single transducers and higher frequencies are often used in lakes and shallow waters; and dual transducers and lower frequencies are for deep water fishing.

4. Fishfinders can be installed permanently in the hull or be removable with transom mounts. Hull installations will provide better performance and clarity. They are often suggested for deep water fishing. Removable transom mounts are less expensive to install and offer flexibility in use from one boat to another.

5. Salt water and murky water can compromise the depth ratings that products advertise. Depth ratings cited are with clear water readings. So depth ratings claims can be considered best case scenario.

6. Water temperature, distance and speed guages should come standard with today's fishfinders.

7. Work at keeping your fishfinder GPS combo unit water tight. Corrosion at contact points will disable any fishfinder no matter how much it costs initially.

If you would like more information on the above Humminbird Fishfinder & GPS Combo units, just click on the Amazon advertisements to your right. This article selected only those Amazon fishfinders that were presented in this article.

I hope this article met your needs. I appreciate your input if you want to leave comments.