Best Fish Finder Under $300

Humminbird HELIX 5 Fish Finder

The Humminbird Heklix 5 is one of the best fish finders out there for under $300. It’s perfect for both lake and sea fishing, it shows you a lot of detail and has all the features you need to really drill down and see the data you need.

The unit comes with SwitchFire mode which allows you to control exactly what and home much detail is shown on the screen. In Max Display mode you’ll be able to see every detail available from thermoclines, underwater structure, depth, and fish. The Clear Mode will show you the same but just in a lot less detail.

It comes with a dual-beam option, both wide and narrow, this allows you to go into wide beam mode to cover a larger area or a narrow beam to focus on a particular spot. You can also use DualBeam Plus to combine the two to get all the detail available down there.

The transducer includes uses CHIRP meaning it scans the water for fish like a radio would can the airwaves for stations. It, therefore, will cover a large range of frequencies giving you more accurate images of fish, structure, and the bottom.

The set-up comes with a 5-Inch Color WVGA display, internal GPS chart plotting, a micro SD card to save waypoints on and add maps as well as all the cabling and mounts for installation.

Venterior Handheld Fish Finder

The Venterior Handheld is very practical and comes in at a great value. It won’t show you a lot of detail but you’ll get all the key pieces of data like depth, structure, and fish. It reads in 1-100m of water but there are some complaints that it stops working in around 30m. It doesn’t read on a mud bottom as it needs a solid bottom to get the signal back, something to be aware of.

The transducer sits on a 25ft cable with a float, so you can use it anywhere or on any vessel and switch as you need to. It doesn’t need to be mounted so you can even use it from a pier.

The display is small and it isn’t waterproof so you’ll need to keep it in a dry bag to make sure it survives. It does come with 2 years warranty and is very simple to use.

Humminbird 410150-1 PiranhaMAX 4 Fish Finder

The 410150-1 PiranhaMAX 4 Fish Finder from Humminbird has been made for use from a small boat or kayak and is an awesome portable option from Hummingbird. The display gives you great detail and you’ll see all the fish, depth changes, and structure you need. It comes with a fish alarm to keep you informed and you can set it so it won’t go off when every tiny fish swims underneath you.

The transducer uses a dual beam, so you can choose to focus on a particular feature or simply check out a wider area. It uses a 4.3-inch color LCD display, the screen is crystal clear and it comes with a tilt and swivels mount so you can adjust it as needed in the glare.

The transducer comes in a wide range of frequencies and can read up to 600ft depending on what frequency you use. It has a suction cup mount which makes it very portable but it can fall of sometimes while you are cruising around.

It doesn’t include GPS, just sonar.

Lowrance HOOK2 5X

HOOK2 5X from Lowrance is made to be mounted and is not portable. It comes with an option of a 5 or 7-inch display which can then be split to show sonar and GPS or two sonar options.

It uses a wide-angle CHIRP transducer to give you a wider range of coverage over multiple frequencies and you can choose to use arc or straight down mode or both when in split-screen mode to give you the ultimate detail. The transducer auto-tunes so won’t have to spend time setting up and fish instead.

You can mount the transducer on the trolling motor, on the hull, or through a scupper hole. The unit does come with GPS but it’s very basic and has no maps. You can add waypoints, follow your old routes and navigate.

There are some complaints about this set-up. It suffers from power issues, it may not connect all time and can switch on and off.

Phiradar Color LCD Boat Fish Finder

The Phiradar Color LCD Boat Fish Finder comes at an amazing value, is easy to use, and shows you everything you need. It picks up every bottom type, including mud, will show you water temperature, fish size, depth, and contours. It works in any depth from 1.8-984 ft which is more than enough, even if you’re offshore.

The unit is pack with useful features. You can set fish and depth alarms, change your units, and use either auto or manual zoom. The most useful feature is an anti-interference mode which is super useful in grassy lakes or weedy areas.

The display is very small at 3.5 inches but it is in color. GPS is not included and you will have to wire it into your boat’s power source. It’s very small for not being portable and you might want a larger screen for a non-portable option.

Garmin Striker Plus 4

Garmin Striker Plus 4 comes with everything you’ll need, GPS, and all. It features a dual-beam CHIRP transducer that gives you crystal clear images that include target separation. You can see the contours on the bottom much more easily, even at speed. You can even adjust the signal noise at great depths to get a better view of what’s happening underneath you.

It comes with a built-in GPS that holds your position anywhere. You can mark waypoints, create routes and see your speed. You can map the contours, make your own maps of a given area, there isn’t much you can’t do with this unit.

The display made for use in the sun. It’s a tad small at 4.3 inches but it does offer a split-screen option.

Lowrance HOOK2 5

Lowrance HOOK2 5 is a great in-boat fish finder from Lowrance but it’s not portable and must be mounted. It’s easy to set up thanks to the auto-tuning feature. Simply connect it up, turn it on and you’re good to go. It’ll work everything out by itself and then you can easily navigate through the user-friendly display.

The transducer can be mounted in the usual places, comes with both split-shot and CHIRP so can use both the wide arc or straight down view. This is useful when you want to focus on a particular area or see a wide image.

It comes with GPS and maps that are upgradeable. Maps of 3000 US lakes at 1-foot contours are included and you get normal coverage of another 9000. You can also upgrade this you can use the handy SD card reader it comes with. If you’re a lake fisherman, this is certainly worth looking at seriously.

Lowrance HOOK2 4X

Lowrance Hook2 4X is the smaller less sophisticated version of the Hook2 5. It has fewer features, no GPS, but it’s perfect for small boats or kayaks and the price is very competitive.

It’s simple to set up thanks to the auto-tuning and you can only see arc sonar as it does not come with CHIRP or down view. It comes with a bullet transducer for small vessels which is easy to mount.

The display is 4 inches and easy to use. It gives great detail of the bottom, the fish beneath you and is easy to see in the sun.