Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 XL Live Sonar Transducer

The Lowrance ActiveTarget 2 XL is the clearest live sonar transducer Lowrance builds, and it does something the older setups couldn't. One transducer gives you all three live views, Forward, Down, and Scout, with a full 180 degree surface-to-surface picture. No swapping, no repositioning between looks. You mount it, you cast, and you watch fish react to your lure in real time.

Here's the part that saves you money. This is the transducer only. If you already run an ActiveTarget 2 sonar module, the XL is a straight upgrade. You keep the module you've got and just swap in the new transducer. That's a one and done move that gets you the widest, highest-resolution live views Lowrance offers without buying a whole new system. For anglers who've been running the original ActiveTarget 2, the jump in coverage and clarity is the reason to do it.

The three views each earn their keep. Forward is the one most anglers live in, showing fish and structure out ahead of the boat so you can cast to them before they know you're there. Down looks straight beneath you for vertical presentations and working brush piles. Scout gives you a wide, side-to-side sweep to cover water fast and find the areas worth slowing down on. Because all three come off a single transducer, you're not committing to one mount for one job.

What you actually see is the draw. The resolution is best-in-class for Lowrance, which means fish look like fish, not fuzzy blobs, and you can tell the difference between a bait ball, a single big one holding tight to cover, and a limb. Watching a fish ease up to your lure, follow it, and either commit or turn off is the kind of information that changes how you fish a spot. You stop guessing and start reacting.

Mounting is flexible. The XL ships with a shaft mount bracket in the box, so the common install is right on a trolling motor shaft where the view stays stable and points where the bow points. It's also transom mountable for boats without a trolling motor. One honest note from the water: on a planing hull, a transom mount can pick up prop wash and turbulence at speed, so a lot of folks who fish fast prefer the trolling motor shaft position for the cleanest picture. The included bracket fits common shaft sizes.

The cable is 10 feet (3 m). That's plenty on most bass and multispecies rigs, but if you're on a bigger center console with the module mounted back at the console, plan your routing before you drill. Measure the run from the mount to where the module lives. On longer boats you might want to think through the path so you're not fighting a cable that's just short of comfortable.

On the display side, the ActiveTarget 2 XL works with HDS Pro, HDS Live, HDS Carbon, and Elite FS units. Get your unit on the latest software before you head out so all the XL views show up and behave. If you're new to live sonar, give yourself a trip or two to get your eye trained. Reading a real-time return is a different skill than watching traditional 2D sonar scroll, and it clicks fast once you've watched a few fish chase a bait on screen.

Who's this for? Serious anglers who want the most complete live picture Lowrance makes, especially folks already in the ActiveTarget 2 family who want the full 180 degree coverage without starting over. If you're chasing suspended fish, picking apart brush, or trying to cover new water quickly, this is the transducer that shows you what's down there while there's still time to do something about it.