Lowrance Elite-5 CHIRP Review

Elite-5-CHIRP-Gold-front_lg

Lowrance are well-known for producing some of the top fishfinders on the market, and the Elite-5 is certainly no exception.

With a number of fantastic options as standard, it will enhance the fishing experience for almost anyone in the USA, and its small size makes it perfect for use on everything from a large boat through to the smallest of kayaks.

Elite-5-CHIRP-Gold-front_lg

From Amazon

Find Fish in a Flash

The way in which this fishfinder is able to distinguish between bait and game fish is almost unparalleled, therefore allowing you to position yourself exactly where you need to be. This identification doesn’t just occur at shallower depths though, as those looking to fish at greater depths will also find that the Elite-5 works to a high standard. The inclusion of Advanced Signal Processing also means that there’s less need to make adjustments to the settings in order to accurately find fish beneath your vessel.

The important DownScan Imaging feature on this device is incredibly impressive, as it is able to provide picture-like images of structures beneath the vessel. The result? You’ll always be in the perfect place to land loads of fish, even if you aren’t too knowledgeable of the area. The Elite-5 is also able to easily identify other structures beneath the surface as well, including brush and roots.

Another great feature of the Elie-5 is the fish marking. While many other fishfinders have this feature as standard, the way in which it works on the Elite-5 exceeds many of them. This is because fish can be marked even when the boat is travelling at faster speeds, meaning that there’s no need to cruise around slowly any longer.

Top-Quality GPS

The GPS on the Elite-5 is also of an incredibly high standard, with the ability to pinpoint your location to within a matter of meters. This location will then be overlaid on one of the many highly accurate maps found on this device, which includes 3,000 lakes and rivers in the US alone, as well as coastal contours to a depth of 1,000 feet.

This means that you’ll never be at a loss over where to fish again. If you’re looking to get onto fish quickly, there’s also the optional Fishing Hotspots upgrade, and the Trackback feature will allow you to look through past trips to the area and identify places where you previously had success.

Clear Display and Perfect Usability

Fishfinders have come a long way since the pixelated images of the past. The Elite-5 comes with a high-resolution display and uses a 5-inch color monitor, ensuring that the picture quality is clear and crisp. It is possible to upgrade the screen size by ordering the Elite-7 model, while smaller screen sizes come with the Elite-3 and Elite-4 models.

Everything on the screen can be controlled via the touchscreen functionality, leading to easy access to all of this great gadget’s features. It also comes complete with a number of pre-set page layouts, so you don’t have to spend ages customizing the views to suit your needs.

It’s also really important to mention that this fishfinder doesn’t just come with English as the language – 29 other languages are included as well, including Spanish, German and French. When it comes to memory, it has the ability to accept a microSD card, allowing you to record and store any important data you might need in the future – before then accessing it incredibly quickly.

Backed by a Warranty

There’s no arguing with the fact that the Elite-5 isn’t cheap, with most expecting to pay around $350 in order to purchase it. This might put some people off, as they’ll be worried about spending money on something that could malfunction. The chances of this happening are slim though, as this is a fishfinder built with quality in mind.

To back up their claim of quality, Lowrance offer a one-year warranty with all Elite5- fishfinders, meaning that you are able to buy with confidence. This won’t cover accidental damage though, so make sure you keep this item carefully secured when out on the water. This should be easy to do, thanks to the attachments supplied with the product.

How Does It Compare to the Elite-5 HDI?

The Elite-5 HDI used to be one of the best fishfinders produced for Lowrance, however it has now certainly been replaced by the Chirp (and the Ti). While most of the features are the same, the HDI lacks one important aspect of the newer model – the Chirp technology.

This means that the HDI doesn’t have features such as improved target resolution, heightened noise rejection or greater sensitivity, thus meaning that the HDI can’t provide the same level of detail when it comes to targeting both bait and game fish. There’s still no doubting that the Elite-5 HDI is a good fishfinder, but the Chirp is, quite frankly, even better.

Conclusion

This is a fishfinder with everything you could possibly need, from advanced GPS settings through to fantastic target identification.

It is certainly aimed at the more advanced user, thanks to the many different features, however everyone should find that their fishing benefits to some level when they purchase the Lowrance Elite-5 Chirp.

From Amazon