Fish finder advice

[Gonzo]

Looking for a new fish finder without breaking the bank.

Fishing Willy, CR and occasionally bays. Would like the option to be able to Kokanee fish with it.

5" screen is big enough.

Few questions -
Chirp?
Down imaging?
GPS/Chart plotter or is a Navionics app on my phone good enough?

Anyone have any experience/thoughts on a Hummingbird Helix 5 DI? (Seems like great package for $300)

Any other brands/model suggestion would be much appreciated. (Around $500 budget)

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[rogerdodger]

I have two Lowrance that I am very pleased with: Elite 7x-hdi (no gps/charting, $499) and Elite 4chirp (has gps/charting, $329).

7 screen allows side-by-side display of 2 things; 4 screen allows one tall display or over-under display of two things (I often put 200khz sonar top (better for fish) and hdi image bottom (better for structure/logs/weeds).

gps/charting for me basically gets me MPH over ground data which helps with trolling, I don't actually use the charting much but I wanted it on the 4chirp unit for when I take my kayak into the ocean plus the 4 uses about half the power that the 7 uses...

both these units are great for kokanee and tidewater salmon fishing...based on my experience with the elite-7 and elite-4, I think you would be very happy with the Elite-5chirp with gps/charting ($499) if that fit your budget..

 

[tbrinks]

I would say 5" is a great size for what you will be doing with it.

As far as Chirp, Down Imaging...these are great technologies, but in my opinion not near as important as GPS/Chartplotter. I would add all three if budget allows, but without the first two you will do just fine for what you will be doing.

The Navionics app is a great tool. I would also look at several of the models that come bundled/included with a Navionics+ card. The value is amazing. Here is a link to some of the models. I didn't see the Helix on there though.