TOPIC:

Looking into a new depth finder first full year fishing the big lake in my own boat need something simple and easy to use have noticed a plotter is a must any suggestions would be much appreciated. Fish mainly out of New Buffalo got out last Sunday fished all flat lines J-9 rapalas and thin fins caught one fish better than no fish lol.  

I have a Hummingbird Helix 10 it works great and very easy to operate. 

Thanks

I have a Garmin I really like. It’s a little older model so not sure which of the newer ones to recommend but worth a look. 

I had a Raymarine A78 on my old boat that I really liked.  Garmin 942xs came factory installed on my new boat.  Slowly warming up to it, but I think the Raymarine LightHouse operating system is more intuitive.  Their Axiom models with the RealVision sonar are pretty slick.  Not sure what your budget is.

I'm a big fan of Simrad, I think it has the best user interface on the market. Plus it integrates and uses all Lowrance transducers and equipment as they both fall under the Navico umbrella. 

I run an older Lowrance HDS 7 and a newer Raymarine Axiom (9-inch screen).  Both served me well. The newer Axiom is much better and now that I"m used to it it's terrific. One of the best features is the screen is more visible in all light conditions and with polarized sunglasses on. The Axiom has more features than I will ever need. If I were replacing it, I'd go to the Element - same sonar and charting - doesn't have all the unused features. I don't need it to connect to radar, my motor's functions, plot courses for using it with a sailboat, flying drones, watching Netflix, etc.

On Lake Michigan, the sideview and 3D sonars aren't much use. 

I have a Garmin 93sv with the great lakes and coastal maps. Been a Lowrance user for years but I'm sold on the Garmin. 

Long story short, in my opinion - there's not much difference between any brand. Use your favorite, shop by price, what ever.  You need a GPS feature and one that shows a map or chart is much easier to use than just one that shows numbers. You need one that will look down and see the bottom and mark fish between the top and bottom - $50 units will do that. A screen which will show both at once is nice, but not essential. I probably only use split screen about a third of the time.  Buy a screen easy for you to see. - both size and brightness. 

Most of the other stuff is just fluff. 

Garmin touch screen very user friendly.