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I love to test new fishing gadgets and share my opinion.
If you’re hoping to go on a fishing trip with your pontoon boat, then you’re going to need a fish finder for pontoon boat to bring along for the journey.
In this article, we’ll help you find the best fish finder for pontoon boat that money can buy. From some of the best brands out there, with some incredible inclusions unique to them, we’re about to explore five amazing fish finders for pontoon boats!
Best Pontoon Boat Fish Finder Overall
Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv
- Down and side imaging
- Sharp imaging
- Great transducer
- Extremely customizable
Runner-Up
Garmin Striker Vivid 5CV
- Well priced
- Nice selection of mounts: transom, trolling, tilt, and swivel.
- Lightweight
Best Budget Fish Finder
Deeper Smart FishFinder Start
- Feature-packed app for iOS and Android
- Easy and quick to setup
- Uses your phone or table as the screen
Table of Contents
Top 5 Pontoon Boat Fish Finders in 2023
1. Garmin Striker Vivid 9SV
2. Garmin Striker Vivid 5CV
3. Deeper Smart Fishfinder Start – for Casual Fishing
4. Garmin Striker Cast, Castable Sonar with GPS – Best budget fish finder for pontoon boat
5. Lowrance Hook Reveal 5
Quick Overview – Best Fish Finders For Pontoon Boat
1. Garmin Striker Vivid 9SV Pontoon Boat Fish Finder
WHY WE LIKE IT: There are many reasons to like Garmin’s Striker Vivid 9SV. You’re getting both down and side imaging, a powerful GT52HW-TM transducer, and a healthy list of features. All this and more at a great price.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2020
- Dimensions: 11.1” x 6.5” x 2.4”
- Weight: 2.4 lbs
- Display Size: 9″
- Display Type: WVGA color
- Resolution: 800 x 480 pixels
- GPS: YES
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: YES
- Bluetooth: YES
- Compatibility: NO NMEA compatibility
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: NO
- Frequencies: 50/77/200 kHz (CHIRP) 260/455/800 kHz (ClearVu)
- Side Scanning: YES
- Down Imaging: YES
- Maximum Depth: 800 feet
- Transducer Angle: down/side
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: flush, tilt/swivel
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: NO
- Battery Life: Requires independent power supply
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: Make your own or collect from other anglers. None on the device already.
- Sonar Type: CHIRP & ClearVu
- Warranty: 2 year limited warranty
Pros
- Down and side imaging
- Sharp imaging
- Great transducer
- Feature dense
- Best color palettes available
- QuickDraw to create maps, ActiveCaptain to store and share them!
Cons
- No built in maps and no way to add maps at all
- Networking is so-so
- Not touchscreen
- No way to expand the onboard memory
Let’s talk about Garmin’s amazing Vivid 9SV starting with its vivid display. The screen is a great size at 9”, backlit, and perfect for large vessels like a pontoon. In addition, you get seven color palette options, a combination screen, and a customizable homepage.
The sonar on the Striker Vivid 9SV is great. The transducer is a powerful GT52HW-TM that range up to 800 feet deep. In addition, you get CHIRP sonar which helps with accuracy and target separation. Now, the way they’ve made this unit is that it has interference rejection, variable sensitivity, and Ultrascroll, which all means you can use the sonar at speed.
Weaker points of this unit include the lack of maps, the ability to increase space, and networking capabilities. Overall though, it’s a great fish finder for pontoon boat and is suitable for all kinds of fishing.
2. Garmin Striker Vivid 5CV
WHY WE LIKE IT: What we love about Garmin’s Striker 5CV is just how much you’re getting from one machine. Your pontoon boat will enjoy this high-quality fish finder with a GPS plotter, chirp sonar, and high resolution images of what’s in the water. It’s also got the best depth of any fish finder for pontoon boat on this list.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2021
- Dimensions: 7.4’’ x 4.5’’ x 2.1’’
- Weight: 1.0 lb
- Display Size: 5″
- Display Type: WVGA color
- Resolution: 800 x 480
- GPS: YES
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: YES
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility: NO
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: NO
- Frequencies: 50/77/200 kHz (CHIRP) 260/455/800 kHz (ClearVu)
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: YES
- Maximum Depth: 2300 feet
- Transducer Angle: down, cone
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: flush, tilt/swivel
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle: Portable Fishing Kit
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: Requires independent power supply
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: CHIRP & ClearVu
- Warranty: 2 year limited warranty
- Others Features:
- QuickDraw Contours
- Seven color options to better see fish
- AutoGain feature to minimize on-screen clutter.
Pros
- Split screen display
- Well priced
- Built in flasher
- Sharp imaging compact
- Lightweight
- Great display
- Nice selection of mounts: transom, trolling, tilt, and swivel.
- QuickDraw to create maps, ActiveCaptain to store and share them!
Cons
- No way to expand memory
- No way to add maps and no built-in maps
- Not touchscreen
With the Garmin Striker 5CV, you’re getting a compact fish finder for pontoon boat that’s easy to use and waterproof.
The display of this fish finder is a 5-inch screen that provides a WVGA display allowing for detailed images. You can see up 2,300 feet for freshwater fishing, while saltwater fishing can produce results up to 1,100 feet thanks to the GT20-TM transducer.
The built-in GPS is made by industry leaders and is of the highest quality, which shouldn’t come as a shock. You’ll be able to mark fishing hot spots, boat ramps, docks, etc., as waypoints. Overall, Garmin’s made another solid product in the form of the Striker 5CV, and it’s definitely earned its spot as a great fish finder for pontoon boat on this list.
3. Deeper Smart Fishfinder Start for Casual Fishing
WHY WE LIKE IT: Besides its stylish appearance, the Deeper Smart is overall a well-designed fish finder. It isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t claim to be, either. It offers impressive abilities for its low price and small portable size.
- Brand: Deeper Sonar
- Color: Black and orange
- Material: ABS
- Model Year: 2018
- Dimensions: 4.33 x 3.15 x 4.33 inches
- Weight: 0.14 lbs
- Display Size: Uses Cell Phone to display
- Display Type: N/A
- Resolution: N/A
- GPS: NO
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: YES
- Bluetooth: YES
- Compatibility: iOS 13.0, Android 7.0 Nougat and later
- Waterproof: YES
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 120 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: NO
- Maximum Depth: 50 m
- Transducer Angle: Beam cone
- Target Separation: 2“
- Mounting Options: Cast connection
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: NO
- Battery Life: 6 Hours
- Battery recharge time: 2.5 Hours
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: Single beam Frequency
- Warranty: 2 year limited warranty
Pros
- Feature-packed app for iOS and Android
- Easy and quick to setup
- Uses your phone or table as the screen
- Intuitive
Cons
- Pricey
- Sometime inaccurate
The Deeper Smart is the best fish finder for pontoon boat for casual fishing. When you take it to your favorite fishing spots you’re going to notice the difference in what you bring home. Cast off from your boat, the docks, the short, etc., and enjoy some of the functions included in this portable model. It’s great for both shallow water and slightly adequate for deep water.
It turns on automatically once it hits the water- which is nifty- and operates off your table or cell phone screen using an app. The sonar technology included is dual beam sonar frequencies.
You’re not going to be able to achieve great depth with the Deeper Smart, but it’s not bad at all for what it is.
4. Best beginners fish finder for pontoon boat - Garmin Striker Cast, Castable Sonar with GPS
WHY WE LIKE IT: There are many reasons to enjoy the Striker Cast from Garmin. It’s a compact device that’s easy to use and has a great app which only makes it that much better. You can achieve a lot with the small but powerful castable fish finder for pontoon boat.
- Brand: Garmin
- Color: Blue
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2020
- Dimensions: 3” x 2.97” x 2.28”
- Weight: 0.16 lbs
- Display Size: Uses Cell Phone to display
- Display Type: N/A
- Resolution: N/A
- GPS: YES
- Maps: NO
- Wifi: NO
- Bluetooth: YES
- Compatibility: iOS 13.0 and later, Android 7.0 Nougat and later
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 260/455 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: NO
- Maximum Depth: 150 ft
- Transducer Angle: cone
- Target Separation: NO
- Mounting Options: Castable
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle:
- Fishreveal: NO
- Autotuning sonar: NO
- Flasher: YES
- Battery Life: 10+ Hours
- Battery recharge time: Unknown
- Charts: NO
- Sonar Type: CHIRP
- Warranty: 2 year limited warranty
Pros
- Reliable
- Simple to use with Apple and Android devices
- Great app
- Powerful GPS
Cons
- Castable models are limited in what they can do
Garmin has very recently come out with its own castable fish finder for pontoon boat in the form of the Striker Cast. This is a compact machine that’s easy to set up and use. With it, not only can you get impressive sonar images on your phone, but also the ability to create your own maps for future use.
Everything about this unit is meant to make the concept of using a fish finder as straightforward as possible. It’s a rugged machine that utilizes two types of sonar technology, both 2D and ice fishing flasher modes.
Garmin’s internal GPS is, of course, brilliant, and you can even create custom maps with 0.3 contours to help you remember where the best fishing spots. Overall, Garmin might be late to the party, but they’ve made a great fish finder for pontoon boat alternative to help you catch all the fish.
5. Lowrance Hook Reveal 5
WHY WE LIKE IT: You’ve got a fish finder for pontoon boat that’s perfect for exploring your favorite fishing spots be it shallow water or slightly deeper water depth.
- Brand: Lowrance
- Color: Black
- Material: Plastic
- Model Year: 2022
- Dimensions: 7.31″ (185.7 mm) x 4.32″ (109.8 mm) x 4.53″ (115.0 mm)
- Weight: 0.90 lb. (0.41 kg)
- Display Size: 5″
- Display Type: SolarMAX™
- Resolution: 800 x 480
- GPS: 1 Hz GPS GLONASS WAAS EGNOS MSAS
- Maps: C-MAP, C-MAP Genesis, Navionics®
- Wifi: NO
- Bluetooth: NO
- Compatibility: YES
- Waterproof: IPX7 with card door closed
- Portable: YES
- Frequencies: 50/200 kHz
- Side Scanning: NO
- Down Imaging: YES
- Maximum Depth: 500 feet
- Transducer Angle: 80° top/bottom, 85° left/right
- Target Separation: YES
- Mounting Options: Easy front-dash or gimbal-bracket mount
- Touchscreen: NO
- Bundle: Can purchase US lake maps as an additional purchase
- Fishreveal: YES
- Autotuning sonar: YES
- Flasher: NO
- Battery Life: Ongoing as it needs to be connected to a power source
- Battery recharge time: N/A
- Charts: C-Map US Inland Charting
- Warranty: 1 Year + 4 additional years of upgrade options Totaling 5 years
Pros
- Large screen, perfect for a Jon boat.
- Night mode option.
- FishReveal technology is included.
Cons
- The number of features can be overwhelming and, at times, confusing.
- Lowrance tech support isn't great.
This might be the best fish finder for pontoon boat on the market. The first thing we need to discuss is the 5-inch SolarMAX screen, which provides crystal clear images that are backlit to view in any weather condition.
The transducer is a SplitShot which is not just powerful but also extremely versatile. It’s accurate and effective at target separation thanks to its CHIRP transducer qualities. Another reason why this might be your new favorite fishing tool is the fact that it has down and side scan capabilities, which are top of the range. The high frequency means you’ve got the ability to scan rather deep in the water at a max depth of 500 feet.
Overall, Lowrance has created a fantastic fish finders for pontoon boat at a great price with impressive features which include some of the Lowrance signature features unique to their fish finders.
How We Decided - Our Testing Process
If we’re looking for fish finders for any type of boat, pontoon boat, Jon boat, etc., we’ve got a few methods of ensuring the products we choose are the best of the best. Our first step is to evaluate all the available options out there from the best brands.
We evaluate every fish finder for pontoon boats the same way. By aiming to understand their capabilities, we can know it’s much easier to make accurate recommendations. Finally, our choices take into account quality, accuracy, technology, price, and more. We want you to not only save money but to spend it on the best possible fish finder for pontoon boats available.
Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
Brand
There are a lot of brands out there, but there are some brands that always come out on top. You want to focus on brands that either specialize in fishing gear, fish finders in general, or who are leaders in certain aspects of fish finder equipment and technology.
Frequency
Frequencies determine what you find and how far down you’re able to search. Most transducers now use dual frequencies to find fish in the water better. Shallow waters require high frequencies like 129 and 200 kHz. While for depth finder needs, you’ll be wanting 50 kHz. High frequencies mean more sonar waves are sent out by your transducer.
Screen Resolution
The better the screen resolution, the better the details are shown on the fish finder. They say you should aim for 240 x 160 pixels at the minimum. We’d argue it should be a bit more than that.
Color Screen
Color screens offer more opportunities for detail in the fish finder findings. It makes it easier to read, understand, and utilize.
Frequently asked questions about best fish finder for pontoon boat
The best from this already well matched selection is the Garmin Striker Vivid 9sv. It offers a wide array of features and options while also have side and down imaging. It’s a winner for us.
There are several factors to consider when looking for the best fish finder for a pontoon boat or any boat. You need to consider the brand, the transducer, and the various aspects of the screen. Additionally, features should be a priority consideration.