Garmin released something in March 2026 that not long ago still looked like science fiction: a motorized sonar pole that you steer from your foot pedal or with a wrist gesture, carrying a transducer that builds a complete 360-degree image of the bottom around your boat.

The combination is called Spy Pole and GT360UHD. Below is what it is, what it can do, and — more importantly — for whom it’s actually worthwhile on our waters.

What is the GT360UHD?

The GT360UHD is the transducer. You mount it on a Spy Pole and it builds a OneVü sonar image: a 360-degree bird’s-eye view around your boat, in both 2D and 3D, after which you can fish that area without having to scan it again each time.

That last part is the point most people miss. This is not live sonar. It builds a map of what’s underneath you, and that map stays put. Through True Motion technology, the sonar is linked to GPS, so the scans stay at their actual location while your boat moves. So you drift back over your own scan and the structure stays exactly where it should be.

The specs:

Garmin states those depth and range values as 500 feet of range and 100 feet of depth at 455 kHz, and 200 feet of range at 40 feet of depth at 1 MHz. Converted to metric above.

According to Garmin, you can scan and save an area the size of a football field in a single pass.

What is the Spy Pole?

The Spy Pole is the motorized pole the transducer sits on — and that’s actually the more interesting part of the story.

Until now, your live sonar was usually mounted on your trolling motor. If you wanted to aim the sonar somewhere else, you had to turn your motor — and thus give up your position or heading. The Spy Pole puts an end to that: you control your 360-degree sonar completely independently from your trolling motor.

The key features:

• SpyLock — you lock the sonar onto a fixed point, for example a piece of structure or a waypoint, and it stays aimed there.
• SpyScan — the pole automatically sweeps back and forth to search for fish.
• SpyLink — integration with a Force or Force Pro trolling motor, letting you operate the Spy Pole from your motor’s foot pedal. This keeps working even while your motor is in anchor lock.
• A gesture remote you mount on your rod, plus foot control for hands-free use.
• Cables run through the shaft of the pole, and the quick-release system lets you remove the pole in seconds.

You can also add your LiveScope transducer and overlay the live sonar onto the OneVü image, producing a 3D image with an overlay showing exactly where your LiveScope is looking. In practice, that’s the strongest argument for it: you see the static structure and the fish moving through it at the same time.

What does it cost?

Garmin lists a US suggested retail price of $2,999.98 for the GT360UHD with a 42-inch Spy Pole, and $3,199.98 with the 49-inch version.

Expect a different amount for the European market due to VAT and import costs. Check our shop for the current price.

The honest question: does this make sense on Belgian waters?

I need to be realistic here, because this is expensive gear and you deserve an honest answer.

What this system is really built for: big American lakes, bass boats, a Force trolling motor on the bow, deep water and lots of structure. In that context, the added value is enormous.

On our waters it’s more nuanced. On a canal three to four meters deep, regular side imaging already shows you almost everything there is to see. The added value of 360 degrees mainly comes from space and depth, and we have only a limited amount of both here.

Where it does get interesting for us:

• Large lakes, gravel pits and deep waters with a lot of bottom structure
• If you fish specifically for structure — sunken trees, riprap, bottom transitions — and want to keep finding them again
• If you already have a Garmin plotter and LiveScope and want to build out the combination

Where it’s not interesting for us:

• Bank fishing. Obvious, but rarely said out loud.
• Shallow canals and polder waters
• Bellyboats and small boats without a Force motor, where you won’t use a large part of the functionality

In short: this is gear for anglers who fish a lot on large, deep water and who have already seriously built out their electronics. For the average canal angler, that money is better spent on a good live sonar unit, or simply on more hours on the water.

Compatibility — check this before you buy

The system works with compatible Garmin chartplotters, and setup happens entirely through that screen. So before buying, check the following:

1. Which Garmin screen do you have, and is it on the compatibility list?
2. Do you have a Force or Force Pro trolling motor? Without that motor you’ll miss out on SpyLink integration.
3. Is your bow deck suitable for mounting, or do you need a gunnel mount?

Not sure? Send us your screen and motor type, and we’ll go over it together before you order anything.

Be sure to also check out our Youtube channel, we made a fun video about it!