If you’ve decided to get a side imaging finder for your next fishing trip, first of all we commend you on your decision.
Fishing without a fish finder is mostly guesswork and hope, and using a fish finder gives you an unparalleled advantage, and will make your fishing trip significantly more productive.
And side imaging finders have a lot of advantages that down imaging fish finders lack. Side imaging fish finders effectively “look” in two different directions at the same time, so can cover twice as much area as their down imaging counterparts.
Side imaging fish finders can also come in particularly handy for scanning in shallower water, such as rivers or shallow creeks and bays, since their orientation provides a better image there than a down imaging fish finder would.
We’ve had a good scan at the best side imaging fish finders, and have whittled the numerous options down to a Top 5. We’ve also got a buying guide for you which should give you some direction for making your decision.
On Amazon, you will find fish finders for every budget, but reading our buying guide should help ensure you get value for money.
Bestselling Side Imaging Fish Finders – Reviews
- Easy-to-use 7” color fishfinder with new vivid scanning sonar color palettes to easily distinguish fish and structure; tilt/swivel bailmount bracket included
- Includes a GT20 transducer for built-in Garmin CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar
- High-sensitivity GPS to mark waypoints, create routes and view your boat’s speed
- Includes built-in Quickdraw Contours mapping
- Wi-Fi connectivity allows you to connect to the ActiveCaptain app with compatible smartphone to transfer waypoints, receive smart notifications (including software update notifications) and access the...
- Dual Beam Sonar: Choose from a narrow and a wide beam for great detail or a generous coverage area, helping you identify fish, structure and contours.
- Tilt and Swivel Mount: Quickly adjust your viewing area angle.
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
- Includes: PiranhaMAX 4 fish finder, Tilt and Swivel Mount , XNT 9 28 T transom-mount transducer
- ACTIVE IMAGING 3-IN-1: See structure and cover with a new level of refined detail with the included Active Imaging 3-in-1 sonar, featuring CHIRP, SideScan and DownScan with FishReveal. Active Imaging...
- ACTIVETARGET READY: See high-resolution images of fish swimming around structure and responding to your lure – as it happens – with support for ActiveTarget Live Sonar
- FULL NETWORKING: Build the complete Elite Fishing System with integrated wireless, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet connectivity – add Halo Dome Radar, Outboard Pilot or share sonar, charting, waypoints, and...
- 9-INCH MULTI TOUCH: The 9-inch, high-resolution, multi-touch screen is easy to use and install
- C-MAP CONTOURplus: From finding key fishing areas, like ledges, drop-offs and ditches to navigating with precision to fish-holding areas, you will have more success on the water with high-resolution...
- Easy-to-use 5” color fishfinder with new vivid scanning sonar color palettes to easily distinguish fish and structure
- Supports Garmin CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar (requires compatible transducer)
- High-sensitivity GPS to mark waypoints, create routes and view your boat’s speed
- Includes built-in Quickdraw Contours mapping
- 5" widescreen display
- Features DualBeam PLUS and SwitchFire
- SwitchFire Sonar: Take command of how your sonar returns appear. With two display modes, you can add or remove detail, account for water depth, temperature and turbulence, even watch lure...
- Dual Beam PLUS Sonar: Two beams combine for great detail and a generous coverage area, helping you identify fish, structure and contours. Use the narrow beam for high-accuracy returns of fish,...
- 1-Year Limited Warranty
- ✦ Fish Finder and Depth Finder : It is a portable fish finder that could display approximate fish location and water depth. The sonar transducer can be attached to the hull of kayak or boat in order...
- ✦ Helpful Data Display : Besides fish depth and water depth, the handheld fish finder will also display short & tall weeds, sand & rocks on the bottom. Meanwhile, the measurement unit of the depth...
- ✦ Handheld & Portable : The size of kayak fishfinder is designed for just one hand held. You will find a neck strap in the package which allows you to wear it around neck when you are busy on the...
- ✦ Fish & Fish Schools Alarm : Once the toss fish finder transducer into the water and turn on the display unit, you will get alarms when fish or fishing schools passing by. The portable fish finder...
- ✦ Ideal for Fishing & Fishing Gift : It is easy to use LUCKY depth finder in boat fishing, ice fishing, shore fishing no matter in freshwater or in saltwater. If you are looking for a gift for your...
- 【𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐬𝐞 】 Reelsonar portable fish finder is Easy to use, With a depth range of 135 feet and rechargeable battery life of 10+ hours, IOS and Android apps Bluetooth...
- 【𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 】 Sonar signals that are integrated find and reflect visual images of both static and moving objects beneath the water's surface. Depth-tagged...
- 【𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐦 】To be alerted when fish congregate under docks and piers, turn on the fish alarm when using iBobber's fishfinder feature. With the strike alert, iBobber can...
- 【𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 】 With a fish finder, you may go out anytime you choose to test the waters. Regardless of the weather,...
- 【𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 】Great Gift for Fishing Whether you're looking for a present for your husband, father, friends, or any angler, reelsonar fish detector...
- Easy-to-use 4-inch color fishfinder with new vivid scanning sonar color palettes to easily distinguish fish and structure; tilt/swivel bailmount bracket included
- Includes a GT20 transducer for built-in Garmin CHIRP traditional sonar and CHIRP ClearVü scanning sonar
- High-sensitivity GPS to mark waypoints, create routes and view your boat’s speed
- Includes built-in Quickdraw Contours mapping
Best Side Imaging Fish Finders – Buyers Guide
There are few things to think about before making your final decision, we’ll walk you through each in turn.
Transducer
It is the transducer that sends the sonar beam into the water, so it’s an absolutely essential piece of kit. However not all fish finders come with transducers, so remember to always check if the transducer is included.
You can buy the transducers on Amazon if need be, but it’s nice to receive all of your equipment in one go, if you intend to head out sooner rather than later.
Screen size
If you can, go for a big screen. When it comes to screen size, as a general rule, bigger is better. Wide screens tend to have a higher resolution and improved color contrast, so they’re particularly handy for giving you accurate readings.
Backlight
A backlight on your fish finder is once again absolutely essential. Without a backlight you won’t be able to see the screen when you’re in sunlight. Not the best when you’re in the middle of a lake and there’s no foliage to provide shade! We strongly recommend that your fish finder has a backlight.
Battery Life and Power
Where power is concerned, it’s simply a case of the greater the wattage the better. And fishing is usually an all day job, so look out for a fish finder who’s battery is rechargeable or easily replaceable.
Sonar Frequency
When it comes to frequency, it kind of depends on the depth of the water you’re fishing in. A 50 kHz unit would be ideal in deep waters, whereas in shallower water a 200 kHz unit would be much better.
IP Water Rating
An IP Water Rating is a measure of how water resistant or how waterproof an item is – pretty important for a fish finder!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do fish finders work in shallow water?
If you want to fish in shallow waters, your first port of call should be a fish finder that gives you side imaging, as this will be more useful to you than down imaging. That said, there are a lot of models out there that will give you both side imaging scanning and down imaging scanning, so you get a lot more data, and a better picture on the screen.
Some of our Top 5 fish finders have both side imaging and down imaging functionality, specifically our Number 1, our Number 2, and our Number 3.
Is side imaging worth the extra money?
Side imaging fish finders are absolutely worth the extra money – once you tune it in and learn what to look for, the fish are in trouble! Side imaging will let you ride down a bank and see which docks have fish under them, all the while showing where all the brush piles and stumps and drop offs are and whatever else may be down there.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.
How does a sonar fish finder work?
Sonar communication is based on echolocation, whereby what you see on your display are the contours and shapes that reflect some amount of the sound released by the transducer.
Inanimate objects like stones or large underwater rocks at the bottom of the river will completely reflect the sound, sending it straight back to the receiver, and this is represented on the screen as clear flat lines.
Fish and other living things like underwater algae and seaweed on the other hand don’t fully reflect the sound. Due to their movement and unique shape, any fish in the vicinity will obstruct the sound wave path, and change the direction of the sound wave.
Any underwater activity will show itself as small curved lines on the screen.
