Fish finders have come along way since I started bass fishing. My first fish finder was a Tom Mann's flasher unit that wasn't easy to read or interpret. My next one was a four or five inch black and white screen which basically gave you depth and water temperature and a little glance at structure.

Twenty plus years later and several units later I now have a Garmin Ultra High Definition color screen with side imaging, GPS, sonar and down imaging.

If I were just starting out today I would try to get a unit with at least a five inch color screen with sonar and down imaging. They all come with water temperature these days.

Take a look at the video below. He gives a good explanation of the different units available and price ranges.