Brands & Ecosystems Lowrance

Lowrance is one of the founding brands in consumer fish finding, having introduced the first transistorized sportfishing sonar in 1957. The company is now part of the Navico group alongside Simrad and B&G, and remains one of the three dominant fish finder manufacturers serving recreational and tournament anglers worldwide.

The current Lowrance lineup spans several tiers. The HDS PRO series represents the flagship, offering large touchscreen displays, full networking capability, and compatibility with ActiveTarget live sonar. The HDS LIVE series remains widely used and highly capable. The Elite FS series delivers mid-range performance with touchscreen operation and Active Imaging transducers at a more accessible price. The Hook Reveal series targets budget-conscious anglers with solid CHIRP and DownScan capability.

Lowrance's ActiveTarget 2 is their forward-facing live sonar system, competing directly with Garmin's LiveScope and Humminbird's MEGA Live. ActiveTarget 2 is praised for its crisp image quality, smooth refresh rate, and the ability to pair two transducers for a 180-degree Scout Wide view. It requires a compatible HDS or Elite FS display to operate.

The Lowrance ecosystem integrates with MotorGuide trolling motors for GPS-linked boat control and uses C-MAP and Navionics mapping platforms. Lowrance has historically been strong in the bass fishing community, with extensive tournament sponsorships and a user base that values the brand's sonar performance and customizability. Their units tend to offer more granular manual control over sonar settings compared to competitors.