Back in March anglers finally found out what Garmin, the world’s largest and most innovative marine electronics manufacturer, had been working on for the 2026 fishing season – a new 360-degree scanning sonar that lets anglers see a birds-eye view of fish and structure in every direction around the boat in 2D and 3D views—then fish that area without having to constantly rescan. This advanced sonar system includes the game-changing motorized Spy™ Pole and unlocks new underwater perspectives with unmatched integration and control.
“Garmin’s new 360 sonar solution will revolutionize how anglers fish once again. The added situational awareness of 360-degree imaging – coupled with the increased precision and convenience of the Spy Pole – makes it easier than ever to search for and target fish. Layer in LiveScope™ live sonar and you have an enhanced sonar system that’s second-to-none,” noted Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing.
Anglers can now see underwater imagery in every direction with Garmin’s 360-degree sonar using the with OneVü™ sonar – that gives crisp, clear 360-degree imagery of what’s below the boat in 2D and 3D views – with the GT360UHD transducer mounted to Spy Pole.
Garmin’s built-in True Motion technology seamlessly integrates with GPS to maintain the sonar’s true position so anglers can move around structure without losing track of where the fish are.
Users can even scan and store up to a football-field size of sonar imagery with a continuously updated buffer, plus customize the colors, dial in the settings and engage auto, manual or constant scans with on-screen chartplotter controls on compatible Garmin chartplotters.
Add LiveScope live sonar to unlock an all-new 3D view on a single display, as well as a beam overlay to see where LiveScope is pointed in 2D mode.
Thanks to Spy Pole, anglers can take full command of their 360-degree sonar—completely independent of the trolling motor. What that means is that your FFS stays pointed at your target regardless of the trolling motor. Anglers can wirelessly executes smooth, fast and quiet control with Spy Pole’s included low-profile wireless foot control, rod-mountable gesture remote or through a dedicated control bar on a compatible Garmin chartplotter.
The GT360UHD transducer comes bundled with a 42” Spy Pole or a 49” Spy Pole for a suggested retail price of $2,999.98 and $3,199.98 respectively.
With Spy Pole, anglers can steer a LiveScope transducer with unmatched accuracy and initiate scans with ease; lock LiveScope sonar on any point with SpyLock™ technology or automatically sweep back and forth to find fish in SpyScan™ mode.
Anglers just route transducer cables through the pole shaft for ultimate cable protection.
Users can easily mount and dismount Spy Pole from a Garmin Force® or Force Pro trolling motor or gunnel mount (sold separately) with the quick-release system.
Synchronize the speed and direction of a Force Pro trolling motor and control the Spy Pole from the foot pedal of the trolling motor through SpyLink™ technology—and maintain control even when the trolling motor is in anchor lock.
Spy Pole is available with a 42” or 49” length for a suggested retail price of $1,999.99 and $2,199.99 respectively and works with any LiveScope transducer.
So let’s review. The 360 sonar requires the GT360UHD transducer and it fits on the Spy Pole.
You can also strap on your LiveScope to the Spy Pole and use Spy Lock to keep the FFS on your target independent of the trolling motor (something Humminbird debuted last season with MEGA Live 2.
There’s also a puck that clips to a rod or a lanyard that permits the angler to turn the Spy Pole with the press of a button to make sure the beam is right on a lure or use the Gesture Remote feature and have the beam point where the rod is tilted without button pushing!
Once again Garmin has reset the standard of FFS. If you want this new technology it’s time to pull some overtime or close some deals and place your order.
Go to https://youtu.be/AY1k7Vt2DRc to watch a video on using the new Garmin Spy Pole.
