Choosing a fishfinder ???

Get the biggest screen size you can afford.  7 inch is not too big.  I own a Raymarine Dragonfly 7 and love it. What ever brand and model you get make sure it has GPS.  Here's a good example why its important.

  http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=68671.0

Good read. Seems like Lowrance is the known brand but you guys prefer the other brands. Is Lowrance still good as a fish finder/gps/transducer combo or the other brands way better?

Lowrance and Simrad are the same now, both owned by Navico and are excellent units.   There is no brand which is WAY better than the next.  It really comes down to personal preference.  Go to west marine or bass pro and get a feel for some units and how they interface.

The transducer is the most important part of your sonar fishfinder set up.  You can buy the best head unit there is, but if you have a crappy transducer you wont get the best picture.  Learn what CHIRP is, frequencies, power ratings, Q value, etc. www.hulltruth.com is a grrreat place to start learning. And most importantly install the transducer correctly. 

Thanks all for the wonderful tips on selecting a FF. Sounds like a unit with GPS is a must.