Portable & ice fish finders

The reference castable finder: a ball you cast with your rod that shows the bottom in the phone app, no install needed. Downside: it depends on the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth signal and your phone battery. For whom: bank or dock anglers who want to see underwater without a boat.

The mapping version: adds GPS to build a depth map of the shoreline by casting from land. Downside: pricier than the base model and you have to cast methodically to map. For whom: bank anglers who want to remember the structure of their spots.

A true sonar-GPS combo that converts into an ice-fishing tool with the ice bundle (float and bag). Downside: the ice kit is often sold separately. For whom: anyone who wants one device for the boat in summer and the ice in winter.

The classic ice flasher, with a very responsive real-time circular display to follow your bite and the fish rising. Downside: no graphic screen or mapping, and reading it takes some practice. For whom: ice-fishing enthusiasts who want instant reaction.

A line dedicated to ice, offered as a flasher or as a combo with a graphic screen and built-in ice modes. Downside: less known in Quebec than Vexilar for a pure flasher. For whom: ice anglers who want to pick between a circular display and a classic screen.

Portable setups mounted in a bag with a floating transducer, usable on the ice or from the bank. Downside: it is a boat unit in portable form, less specialized than a pure flasher. For whom: those already in the Lowrance ecosystem who want to take it off the boat.