LOWRANCE’S latest “mid-range” fishfinder/ chartplotter is the feature-packed Elite FS. This new model evolves from previous Elite models and is the perfect solution for owners of trailer boats or high end kayaks.
One of the great things about the Elite series of fishfinders is the ease of set up and ease of use. Not everyone has the skills or patience to set up a complicated marine electronics system on their boat. If you do, there’s no doubt you will be rewarded with a superior set-up, but for others, especially trailer boat owners, a mid-range, mid-price point system is more than enough.
The good news is the Elite FS fills this description perfectly, yet it still feature most of the latest features familiar to Lowrance’s high end products.
I’ve been lucky enough to fit a 9-inch Elite FS to a project boat. The boat is a Tarpon 3.7, an old composite boat I picked up for $800 of Facebook marketplace.
The intention was to restore the old boat and turn it into the ultimate skinny water craft for small creeks and estuaries. Thankfully, the extra time at home during the Covid lockdown has given me more time and the priority was to install the fishfinder.
The Elite FS comes as a package with transducer included. It takes the guesswork out of installation. The transducer is the same Active Imaging 3-in-1 sonar model as I have on my Bar Crusher linked up to the Lowrance HDS Live.
With live sonar being such a big part of light tackle sport fishing these days, it’s worth highlighting the compatibility with Lowrance’s ActiveTarget Live Sonar. You will need the ActiveTarget transducer and module however. ActiveTarget is a real game changer, allowing you to track movements of fish under the boat in real time. It’s a fantastic way of seeing how fish respond to lures and how fish live around structure.
The Elite FS also features extreme high-resolution Active Imaging with Lowrance CHIRP Sonar and SideScan and DownScan Imaging. The resolution and processing speed is excellent and the full suite of Lowrance features create an ideal fishing solution.
Another great feature is FishReveal, creating a clear separation of fish among structure. It makes identifying fish on DownScan so much easier.
The Elite FS can also be networked with integrated wireless, NMEA 2000 and Ethernet connectivity, which allows you to create the complete system. You can add Halo Dome Radar, Outboard Pilot or share user data between multiple display.
For more information: www.lowrance.com
