Choosing the Best Global Positioning System (GPS) for Fishing

The success of any fishing trip rests on the ability of the "skipper" to find fish. That proposition used to rely on men that could read the water and the wind and the waves or were born with appended gills hidden somewhere amongst the glowing red, sunburned cells of their neck. That nebulous amalgam of traits, however, trained from years on the water, is fading with the advent of cheap, portable, and user friendly electronics that fit in the palm of your hand or inconspicuously on your boat's console. Now any skipper with a few punches of plastic molded buttons and a LCD screen can find fish as quick as a oilskin-wearing Ahab in search of his white whale.

So now that you're decked out with a new boat and now on to rigging her, keep these five criteria in mind when you hit the local electronics dealer.

Handheld or Mounted

Long gone are the days of LORAN, when rigging required a big antennae and monitor to plot your position. Marine GS units, like the waterproof Lowrance iFinder H20 ($249.99), are small enough to fit in your pocket, and not by depleting the size of your bankroll to do it. The diminutive size, moreover, allows the user multi-purpose use by operating as an in-car navigating device or allowing the user to transport the unit from boat to boat in multi-boat families.

Mounted units, alternatively, often have a greater range of user amenities and larger screens for nighttime and inclement weather uses. Mounted units, like the Garmin GPSMAP 3006C ($1499.99), offer a ton of creature comforts like XM weather and radio, VGA monitor output, and remote control options.

Look for a unit that does everything that you want it to, and if you are looking for multi-uses weigh your options carefully.

GPS/Fishfinder Combinations

You know where you're going, but once you're there: How do you find the fish?

If room on your console is at a premium, you may want to consider a GPS/Fishfinder combination. Every major GPS manufacturer makes one, and they even come in handheld variations. Once one gets into the rarified air of combination machines, however, the price ratchets up accordingly with increased technology. I will recommend, though, if you are primarily a wade-fisherman, it may behoove you to spend the extra cash you'll save foregoing on the combination and use the extra cash in your pocket to take the Mrs. out for dinner. This may payout for an extra kitchen pass during trophy fishing seasons, rather than a weekend cruising craft fairs.

Essential Components

Regardless if you choose a mounted or handheld or a combination or straight GPS, look for units with a manufacturer warranty of two years or greater. This is a delicate instrument placed in the harsh conditions of wind, water, and weather. I also always look for units that have XM weather capability; a big, fluid, and easy to read monitor; fish love temperature changes, so I look for a unit with a thermometer; big storage capacity to mark every spot with a waypoint; and the most important, features that are easy to learn and use, with built in solunar tables to time the best bite of the day.

Price

In today's economic times, price should be an important part of your decision process, unless your son is a six-foot-two lefty throwing 90+ mph heat. Handheld units can range from an EagleClaw $89 dollar special to a tricked-out, console mounted $11,995 RayMarine G190 with HD technology.

Research your options thoroughly and look for a dealer that will install your electronics for you. And make sure, to save you from headaches down the road, that whomever rigs your new electronics runs a free line through the rigging tube with your wiring, so the next time you have to change electronics you don't have to fish the wires through yourself.