Humminbird Solix 10 Fish Finder Review

Humminbird has been in the running for the best fish finder models year in and year out since the company was founded in 1971. Their products include some of the more advanced fish finders that are commonly used by fishing charters and guides, as well as professional anglers looking to get a leg up on their competition. 

The Humminbird Solix 10 is a new breed of fish finder with plenty of impressive features and capabilities that anglers of all skill levels can appreciate. It features an easy-to-use touch-screen interface and things like HD Radar that help open up an entirely new way to look at navigation and what’s beneath your boat. 

In this article, I’ll take a closer look at the features offered in the Humminbird Solix 10 from my field testing and detail how each can benefit you as an angler in freshwater and saltwater fishing scenarios. 

Overview 

The Humminbird Solix 10 was first released in 2017, it redefined what it meant to incorporate solar technology into fish finders. I found the device incredibly easy to use and features a litany of impressive components and capabilities that far exceed what most other fish finders can do on the water. 

While this is one of the more affordable options among fish finders that offer a touch-screen interface, it’s still well outside the price range for many anglers. However, for serious fishing enthusiasts who want to step up their game considerably when it comes to finding and locating fish, the Solix 10 is an outstanding choice that won’t disappoint. 

This device uses features like Broadband CHIRP Sonar technology, HD radar, and many other things that piqued my interest while looking to get the most out of their electronic devices. 

To test it properly, I installed the Solix 10 on my offshore boat and went out to fish some of my favorite spots to compare against my old fish finders.

HD Radar 

Knowing what’s beneath my boat is critical for me to help locate and target the kind of fish you’re after on any given day on the water. Until recently, anglers could only look downward directly beneath their boat with their electronics. The innovative use of SideScan sonar has helped anglers expand their area of visibility to see what’s to their left and right. 

Now, The Humminbird Solix 10 has unveiled HD Radar technology that also allows you to detect what’s in the water in front of your boat and the other areas that are typically scanned. This is a major breakthrough that brings an entirely new facet to anglers who commonly spend a certain amount of time each fishing trip motoring around, searching for a school of fish, or specific types of structure underwater. 

HD Radar is also a significant upgrade in terms of safety as I found I could detect what’s in front of your boat on the surface. This will let you have some ability to understand your whereabouts and be able to avoid dangerous objects in the water or on shore, especially on mornings or evenings when the water can be extremely foggy. 

Broadband CHIRP Sonar 

Implementing Broadband CHIRP Sonar is another of the Solix’s new technological advancements I was impressed with over previous models. Most fish finders today are using CHIRP sonar technology, which is basically designed to send out multiple signals at a time instead of just one. This multitude of signals helped provide a clearer image on the screen and showed me whether I was looking at a brush pile or a tightly packed school of fish. 

The Broadband CHIRP Sonar sweeps across many more frequencies than your usual CHIRP technologies. This broader sweep across more frequencies allows the CHIRP system to develop a more comprehensive image of what’s below your boat. I also found I can adjust the sensitivity of this feature to pick up different levels of image quality. 

Display 

The screen is a 10.1-inch display that offers a wide range of color depth and incredibly sharp images thanks to its 1280H x 800V pixel resolution. The LED backlight screen can be adjusted to several different settings, allowing me to get the right brightness for exceptionally sunny days and dark nights when I might want to decrease the overall brightness of the system. 

SwitchFire 

The Solix 10’s SwitchFire feature is an all-new concept that truly makes a difference for anglers who fish in a competitive setting and might spend many days at a time on the water. You can adjust the device to operate under CLEAR or MAX modes using this feature. 

One thing I noticed from CLEAR mode is that it helps eliminate extra noise and other outside factors caused by your boat sitting in extra choppy water on windy days. The MAX function allows your detection systems to work at their maximum capacity on very calm, clear days. Using MAX function, I could maximize my device’s sensitivity and detect even the smallest differences in what was below my boat. 

GPS 

Like any good fish finder, the Humminbird Solix uses a highly sensitive GPS location system. This GPS module is much more sensitive and can detect your exact location down to just a couple feet on any waterway in most of North America. This function allowed me to view my boat’s speed and navigate easily. 

Bluetooth Connectivity 

One of the most pivotal factors of the Humminbird Solix 10 compared to other fish finders is the ability to connect to your smartphone, tablet, or any other Bluetooth-enabled device. Using this capability, I could quickly glance at your phone’s screen to check your location or take a quick peek at what’s underneath your boat to ensure you’re still hovering over the specific structure or school of fish you aim for. 

Xtreme Depth Technology 

Freshwater anglers can typically get by with any fish finder that can read down to 1,000 feet. However, the Solix 10 utilizes Xtreme Depth Technology to read well past that mark down to 5,000 feet with exceptional clarity. This was extremely useful for offshore fishing guides and competitive anglers, like me, who rely on their electronics to locate fish before spending time and energy trying to catch them at significant depths. 

Pros

• Full of cutting-edge technologies that give almost photographic images at extraordinary depths and distances. This premium fish finder will give you so much information that you won’t have any more excuses for not catching more fish.
• It has a highly customizable user interface so you can adjust the display to show any combination of maps and sounder imagery simultaneously.

Cons

• The price tag – this is an expensive device that is built for pro anglers and larger vessels.
• There aren’t really any other cons – this is a top-of-the-line fish finder full of features that you will probably never use. If you want the best of the best and are willing to pay for it, then the Humminbird Solix is the pick.

Final Verdict 

The Humminbird Solix 10 is a solid option for anglers who are looking to step up their performance on the water by using an upgraded device. I view this fish finder to be mid-level, but for anyone who has been using an outdated device for a number of years, the new technology and capabilities are sure to surprise you.