The Best GPS Fish Finder Combo

If you’re making the investment for a fish finder, it may be worthwhile to get yourself a good GPS system while you’re at it. There are some really nice fish finders that have GPS and chartplotting built right into them.

Some GPS are limited to just showing your location on a detailed map, and some Garmin models can help you plot a course, too.  The advantage of this is that you can have chartplotting capabilities and fish finding, all in one.

If you’re looking for a really nice fish finder with GPS built in that doesn’t break the bank than definitely take a look at the Garmin Striker 4 series. I’m a big fan of these units and I think you will be too if you decide to pick one up.

Garmin Striker 4cv with Transducer, 4inch GPS Fishfinder
  • Includes transducer for built in...
  • Built in Garmin Quickdraw Contours...
  • Built in GPS lets you mark...

There is one disadvantage to having everything in one unit though. If you are dependent on just one unit for fish finding and chartplotting, you don’t have any redundancy. If the unit goes bad, you’re out of a chartplotter and a fish finder until you get everything back up.

That being said, don’t expect these units to stop working anytime soon. I’ve seen units that have been going strong for over 5 years – so your investment is more than safe.

Here are some of our favorite fish finder gps combos:

 

Entry Level GPS Fishfinders

Fish finder technology is progressing so fast! It is truly amazing to see GPS integrated so well with these color screen fish finders at such a low price.  This price point was unthinkable not too many years ago.

Best GPS Fish Finder Under $200

These Striker 3.5 and 4 inch models finders may be inexpensive, but don’t let that fool you, they are some powerful little machines.  Let the reviews speak for themselves but this is probably the best value for the money that you can get, they are definitely worth taking a look at.

Garmin Striker 4 with Transducer 3.5″ GPS Fishfinder

Sale
Garmin Striker 4 with Transducer 3.5inch GPS Fishfinder
  • Clear Vu scanning Sonar shows you...
  • The power of simple offers a keyed...
  • Waypoint map: Use the way point map...

The main difference between these two models is the half inch screen size. Both are held in high regard as great quality entry level GPS fish finders.

Garmin Striker 4cv with Transducer, 4″ GPS Fishfinder

Garmin Striker 4cv with Transducer, 4inch GPS Fishfinder
  • Includes transducer for built in...
  • Built in Garmin Quickdraw Contours...
  • Built in GPS lets you mark...

There ae a few competitors in this price range but in terms of GPS technology integrated at such a low price point Garmin takes first place.

Middle Range GPS Fishfinders

This is where fishfinders start to get that larger size higher quality screen, In this price range our favorite has to be the Lowrance Hook Reveal 7. This 7 inch monster is a great buy at right around the $400 level.

Best GPS Fish Finder Under $400

Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 GPS Fish Finder 7″

Sale
Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 Fish Finder 7 Inch Screen with Transducer and C-MAP Preloaded Map Options
  • FISHREVEAL: Fish are easier to find...
  • GPS PLOTTER: Navigating to your...
  • SPLITSHOT TRANSDUCER: Perfect for...

There are a lot of competitors in this price range with great quality gear but the tech that lowrance has been putting out has been really setting itself apart.

Best GPS Fish Finder Under $500

Garmin Striker 7SV with Transducer, 7″ GPS Fishfinder

Garmin Striker 7SV with Transducer, 7inch GPS Fishfinder
  • Includes transducer for built-in...
  • Built-in Quickdraw Contours mapping...
  • Built-in Wi-Fi for access to...

The GPS in this unit is quite easy to use and even lets you mark waypoints, create routes and view your boat’s speed. It has a transducer that comes with it for built-in Garmin CHIRP traditional sonar plus CHIRP ClearVü and CHIRP SideVü scanning sonars.

One great feature of this unit is just how easy it is to read the crystal clear 7 inch screen in the bright sun.  Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to see your readings when you are out on the water.

Humminbird 959ci HD DI

Humminbird 959ci HD DI
  • Uses the most innovative and...
  • Get the most out of your day trips...
  • The leader in fish finders, depth...

The Humminbird 959ci HD DI has a brilliant 8 inch display which is easily viewable even in direct sunlight. The very roomy screen lets you see SONAR returns with excellent clarity, and if you decide to see SONAR and maps side-by-side, both displays will still be big enough for you to comfortably interpret.

The SONAR in the 959ci HD DI is traditional SONAR as well as high-resolution Down Imaging SONAR, which will show you a near 3D image of the bottom and structure. This fish finder/chartplotter also has ethernet capabilities so you can hook it up to external modules and receivers on your boat, too.

The charts that this unit comes loaded with are Humminbird ContourXD charts, which are highly detailed, contoured charts of over 3,000 US lakes. The biggest advantage of these contoured charts are they enable you to quickly find drops and channels, where many species of fish usually lurk around. Then it’s just a matter of getting there, seeing SONAR returns, and casting.

Garmin echoMAP 73cv

From Amazon

The Garmin echoMap 73cv is a reliable and powerful fish finding/gps unit. You’ll get dual SONAR – traditional and 3D SONAR, both of which you can view side-by-side. Garmin’s DownVu technology will let you see a photographic image of up to 750 feet in fresh water.

Garmin GPS is the best on the market – and the echoMAP 73cv is no less. It refreshes its position 5 times every second, and shows you where you are on highly detailed LakeVu HD maps.

These maps contain data for 17,000 US lakes, reservoirs, and water bodies, with over 6,000 that have contour details accurate to just one foot deep near the shore, as well as markers for major roads, marinas, and safety information.

You can also upgrade the EchoMap with BlueChart g2 maps for even more chartplotting power.

Raymarine Dragonfly 7 Sonar GPS

 

 

From Amazon

The Raymarine Dragonfly 7 makes this list because of it’s large 7 inch screen, super powerful CHIRP SONAR and it’s compatibility with Navionics+ charts. In the charts business, Navionics can’t be beaten – the only thing that can compete is perhaps Garmin.

The charts that come with the US version of the DragonFly have Hawaii, the Bahamas, the Canadian 2XG coast, all the Great Lakes, plus 18,000 US Inland lakes. Most of these water bodies have contour data up to even in areas as shallow as just 1 feet deep!

The GPS sensor has 50 channels for a highly accurate reading and fast acquisition of satellites to see your position.

The Dragonfly is also very easy to use, with an intuitive menu system and the SONAR returns are super clear – and it uses just a single transducer to show regular SONAR as well as high-resolution DownVision SONAR.

The Lowrance Elite-7 Gold

From Amazon

The Lowrance Elite-7 Gold is an awesome fish finder for the price. You get a traditional SONAR/DownScan SONAR fish finder and a chartplotter with Navionics Gold maps built in. The Navionics Gold maps have over 3,000 lakes and rivers as well as coastal contours up to 1000 feet.

If the Navionics maps are insufficient for you, you can expand the chartplotting capabilities through the SD card reader – there are a number of other mapping packages available, such as Lake Insight and Nautic Insight HD and PRO cartography, Navionics HotMaps Premium, Fishing Hotspots® PRO and Jeppesen C-Map Max-N charts.

The coolest thing about Lowrance is the Insight Genesis software. Available for a yearly subscription, you can overlay your SONAR data onto charts and create your own custom charts with SONAR readings – so you can have the structure mapped out for any lake or water body one day, and just concentrate on fishing and going to targeted spots the next.

Conclusion

Well thanks for reading to the end of our writeup! Hopefully you have a better grasp on what some of the best GPS Fish Finders available on the market are, and maybe even which model you would like to get.

Still unsure what to buy? You’ll be happy with this Garmin Striker 4cv, It’s our favorite.

Our Pick For The Best GPS Fish Finder

  • Garmin Striker 4cv
Garmin Striker 4cv with Transducer, 4inch GPS Fishfinder
  • Includes transducer for built in...
  • Built in Garmin Quickdraw Contours...
  • Built in GPS lets you mark...

In conclusion our pick for the best fish finder that has gps built in that covers all the bases required of a GPS unit yet is still within a very affordable price range goes to the Garmin Striker 4cv.

 

 

 

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