I've been spending some time lately messing around with the lowrance m68 I found in my old gear box, and honestly, it's been a bit of a trip down memory lane. It's easy to get caught up in the hype of massive 12-inch touchscreens and live-scanning sonar that costs more than my first truck, but there's something to be said for a unit that just does what it's supposed to do. The M68C S/Map was a powerhouse in its day, and if you've still got one or found one on the used market, it's surprisingly capable for a compact rig.
A Blast from the Past That Still Finds Fish
When the lowrance m68 first hit the scene, the "C" in the name was a big deal because it meant you were getting a full-color display in a footprint that didn't take up half your dashboard. For those of us running smaller boats or kayaks, that was a game-changer. Most small units back then were grainy, monochrome screens that looked like an old calculator.
The color screen isn't just for looks, though. Being able to distinguish between a hard bottom and a soft bottom by the color of the return is something you just can't do as well on a black-and-white screen. Even now, looking at the 256-color TFT display, it's sharp enough to tell the difference between a school of baitfish and a lone predator lurking near a brush pile. It might only be a 3.5-inch screen, but it packs a decent amount of detail into that space.
Why the Compact Design Rules
One of the main reasons I keep the lowrance m68 around is the size. If you're fishing out of a 10-foot pond hopper or a narrow kayak, you don't want a massive gimbal mount sticking up and getting in the way of your casting. The M68 has that classic "space-saver" design where the mounting bracket is sturdy but doesn't require a degree in engineering to install.
The portability factor is huge, too. I've known guys who rigged these up with a small 12V battery and a suction-cup transducer mount to use as a portable ice fishing rig or for rental boats. It's light, it's tough, and it doesn't draw a ton of power. You can run this thing all day on a small sealed lead-acid battery and still have plenty of juice left over for the ride home.
The Sonar Performance
Let's talk about the actual fish-finding part. The lowrance m68 runs a 200kHz transducer, which is pretty much the gold standard for shallow to medium-depth freshwater fishing. It's got 500 watts of RMS power, which sounds modest by today's standards, but it's plenty to get a clear reading down to a couple hundred feet.
In my experience, the target separation is actually quite good. If you've got the sensitivity dialed in correctly, you can see your jig dropping right through the water column. There's something very satisfying about watching a fish rise off the bottom to meet your lure on a screen that's over a decade old. It reminds you that fishing is more about understanding the "picture" than having the most expensive hardware.
The "S/Map" part of the name refers to the built-in GPS and mapping capabilities. Now, I'll be the first to admit that the base maps aren't going to show you every single rock or submerged stump with pinpoint accuracy. However, for marking waypoints and finding your way back to the boat ramp in the fog, it's perfectly reliable. It uses an internal antenna, which makes the whole unit much cleaner—no extra wires or pucks to mount on the hull.
Getting the Settings Right
If you're just starting out with a lowrance m68, or maybe you've inherited one, the biggest mistake you can make is leaving everything on "Auto." Sure, the Auto mode is fine for depth, but to really see the fish, you've got to play with the sensitivity.
I usually start by turning the sensitivity up until the screen gets a little "noisy" with clutter, then I back it off just a touch. This ensures you aren't missing those faint returns from smaller fish or subtle bottom transitions. Also, don't sleep on the colorline setting. Adjusting the colorline helps you determine the hardness of the bottom. A wide, bright band usually means a hard bottom (like rock or gravel), while a thin, darker line suggests mud or silt.
Another tip: if you're in shallow water, you might want to turn down the surface clarity filter. Sometimes that filter can be a bit too aggressive and hide fish that are sitting right under the boat.
Dealing with the "Vintage" Quirks
Look, I'm not going to pretend the lowrance m68 is perfect. It's an older unit, and that comes with some baggage. The screen resolution is 320x240 pixels. By today's smartphone standards, that's tiny. If your eyesight isn't what it used to be, you might find yourself leaning in pretty close to see the details.
The other thing is the connectors. Over time, the pins on the back of the unit or the power cable can get a bit of corrosion, especially if you're fishing in brackish or salt water. A little dab of dielectric grease on the pins goes a long way in preventing those "unit won't turn on" headaches.
Also, finding replacement parts like transducers or mounting brackets can be a bit of a hunt on eBay. But since so many of these units were sold back in the day, there's usually a decent supply of used parts floating around if something eventually snaps or burns out.
Is It Still Worth Using?
You might be wondering if it's even worth mounting a lowrance m68 in 2024. My answer is a resounding "it depends." If you're a professional tournament angler, then no, you probably need the latest tech to stay competitive. But for the rest of us? The guys who just want to find a drop-off, mark a brush pile, and see if there are fish holding there? It's more than enough.
There's a certain simplicity to it that I've started to appreciate. You don't have to navigate through fifty sub-menus just to change the zoom level. The buttons are physical—meaning they work even when your hands are wet or you're wearing gloves. You turn it on, it pings the bottom, and you start fishing.
I've seen plenty of people drop thousands of dollars on high-end electronics only to spend half their day staring at the screen and fiddling with settings instead of actually casting. With the lowrance m68, the learning curve is about five minutes long. It stays out of your way and lets you focus on the actual sport.
Final Thoughts on a Classic
At the end of the day, the lowrance m68 represents an era where fishfinders became accessible to everyone. It's a workhorse. It doesn't have Wi-Fi, it won't connect to your phone, and it won't tell you the weather forecast. But it will tell you how deep the water is, where the bait is hiding, and how to get back to the dock.
If you've got one sitting in a drawer or bolted to an old boat, give it a chance. Clean the contacts, check the transducer cable for nicks, and take it out for a spin. You might be surprised at how little you actually "need" all that fancy new tech when a reliable old friend like the M68 is still clicking away, ready to find the next honey hole. It's proof that good engineering doesn't really go out of style; it just gets a little more "classic."