The Garmin Fishfinder 90 with Dual-Beam Transducer
Despite its low, low price, the Fishfinder 90 model still features Garmin’s dual-beam transom-mount transducer. That lets the user select a narrow beam (15 degrees) or wide beam (45 degrees). The wider setting allows for a broad sweep to explore areas well to the sides of the boat. The narrower selection provides more detail at greater depths.
That depth range is both considerable and accurate, as well. The Fishfinder 90 will provide views down to 600 feet and measure depths as shallow as a foot or less. The unit can differentiate depths with high accuracy, too. Manual measurements made for comparison to the figure displayed by the Fishfinder 90 showed a difference of less than one inch, well within any measurement error.
The only real limitations of the Fishfinder 90 over Garmin’s more expensive units are the screen and the mount. Both are good on this model, but not quite as good as, say, the Fishfinder 140 or the Fishfinder 160C. For example, the mount lacks the quick-release mechanism of the 160C. On the upside, it’s equally easy to install. And, while it doesn’t offer the 360 degree swivel of the more expensive model, the tilt and swivel are pretty good. The other drawback – the display – is a little more serious. The screen on the Fishfinder 90 is certainly adequate. It clearly shows the difference between large fish and small fish, outlines the bottom well, and in general does the job it was designed for. But at only 64 x 128 pixel resolution, it’s decidedly on the low end of the scale. Even the Fishfinder 140′s 128 x 240 is modest (not to mention much less than contemporary smartphone or handheld GPS displays) and the Fishfinder 90 is much less than that. Still, the display is clear and bright in all lighting conditions thanks to overall good design and an anti-reflective coating.
Click here to read customer reviews of the Garmin Fishfinder 90.
The audible alarms could be louder, but the fact that Garmin chose to include them at all in such a low-price model is a good thing. You might have to strain a little to hear it when the engine speed is high, but other than that they’re clear and flexible. Users can adjust the alarm, for example, to beep when the depth reaches a threshold, great for avoiding problems in shallow water when you have to keep your eyes ‘on the road’.
The Fishfinder 90 offers one useful feature that differs from the higher end models. The case, at only 4.7″ wide x 4.9″ high x 2.4″ thick, is great for squeezing into small spaces. The 160C by comparison is 6.1″ wide x 4.9″ high x 2.9″ thick.
Yes, the Garmin Fishfinder 90 is a plain vanilla sonar unit. But even vanilla can taste really good when it’s this well made.
Click here to purchase the Garmin Fishfinder 90 on Amazon.
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