Humminbird 110 Fishin’ Buddy (Discontinued)

Humminbird 110 Fishin’ Buddy Review

Like Lowrance and Garmin, Humminbird (not hummingbird) is an extremely popular brand of fish finder that many people have grown to love over the years. What separates them apart from other brands isn’t so much cutting edge technology or uniqueness, or that they are durable. They are on the market primarily for one reason only, they are able to produce the most affordable tracking devices on the market, and nothing speaks for them as loudly in this regard, as the Humminbird 110 Fishin Buddy.

This has been discontinued by the manufacturer Humminbird.

The Fishin’ Buddy stands out for one reason only its extremely affordable price, which allows just about anybody with a motorized water vessel to track fish. The set up is very basic, and definitely isn’t going to blow away anybody with features, however another feature which can serve as both a perk and a detraction is that the transducer is part of the display and goes directly underneath the boat at a 180 degree angle, somewhat limiting where it can be placed, but also taking a lot of the setup out of the installation process.

The clamp can be adjusted and placed just about anywhere on the boat itself, however, keep in mind that just like a portable fish finder this means the unit is at risk of falling into the water.

Product Features

Display: The Fishin’ Buddy have a bare bones 4 inch monochrome display. You can get it in color or gray scale with no price difference. In terms of the quality of the display, its surprisingly good, and you should be able to make out clear pictures using either of the color modes.

Performance: The 24″ transducer can grab signals in as deep as 240 feet. It also includes a temperature reading, although the battery life is pretty short at only 30 hours of operative use. The power used is from AA batteries. Does not Come with a GPS. It is a Portable Model.

Positives About This Model

In a word, PRICE! A lot of people obsess over their fish finders like a movie connoisseur might obsess over the tiniest details of their product, and many an angler will get caught up in having the best products on the market. You don’t really need all of that though in most cases, for instance, if your just renting a boat, this works perfectly fine. Or if you can’t afford a 900 dollar unit, this works great, and should cost less than 150 bucks.

The performance is surprisingly good, all things being relative. You can make out the fish with the down imaging very clearly, and despite the short battery life, the signal rarely waivers. Aside from the performance, you can simply clasp or de-clasp this unit, very easily, not set up required. Fishing novices who don’t want to handle custom installation will love that feature.

A portable unit, yet very light and durable.

Negatives About This Model

This is a stand alone model, and does not include a GPS, which should go without saying with the insane price point. If for whatever reason you are going to need a GPS system to navigate waterways, you should probably try and find a combo for a bit more of an expensive price.

While the installation is simple and easy, you definitely run the risk of accidentally dropping this unit in the water, every time you take it off. The 180 degree transducer also severely limits where you can actually place this fish finder in your boat.

For example, if your a kayaker and like to have your tracker directly in front of you, your out of luck. Another issue with clasps, is if your using a trolling motor or something that causes a lot of vibration, the wobbling of the Fishin’ Buddy can cause damage to your vessel, or the unit itself.

Final Analysis

The Himminbird 110 Fishin’ Buddy fills a very specific niche, but a very popular niche, and that is for sporadic anglers on a thin budget. Its incredibly cheap for sonar technology, and it provides acceptable imaging that should allow you to find all types of fish, from trout to bass to catfish. It doesn’t come with the bells and whistles of the more expensive GPS units, and like all portable models, you have to weight the good(mobility), with the bad (lack of control).

Overall, if your new to angling or only do light fishing, this may be a winner. If you liked this review and wish to learn more about finders, check out our best fish finder’s main guide.

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