?'s about fishfinders

[spoon2610]

I need help on finding the right fishfinder for myself. I have a stock fishfinder on my boat but im looking for a nicer unit for my bow because thats where i will be fishing most. There 2 brands that i've been looking at Lowrance and Humming bird. Im jus fishing DVL in So. Cal. im just targeting LMB's and Strippers(the fish) My budget is about $500. Do I need a structure scan or side imaging? If im fishing 10 to 15 feet in front of me is there a specific type of fishfinder for that application? If the fish finder is pointing down how will it tell me if theres fish in front of me? Does color graph make a difference? Im also looking at a bigger LCD because i have a bad eye sight. What about GPS, I notice that some unit comes with GPS, do I need it? If anyone can help I know it will be in here with all you TT'ers. Thanks in advance.

[jeb]

I have 3 finders in my boat. The stock Lowrance that came in the dash (which I almost never use), and 2 Humminbird's (note there is no "g" in the brand name), a 798CI SI and 997C SI. Both have GPS's built in, side imaging and down imaging. I know for a fact that having side imaging puts more fish in the boat. I can see way off the sides of my boat when exploring areas and find trees, channels, rocks, etc that you'd never see with a traditional 2d or even DI model. I would not buy a unit that did not have SI, personally.

GPS is also VERY useful, even on smaller bodies of water. It allows you to go back to same EXACT location on the water every time. No searching around, drive right to it. Makes fishing way, way more effective and efficient. If all you do is dock or shore fish, maybe it's not as useful. But I fish a fair amount of offshore structure, so a GPS is mandatory for me.

I also have "bad vision". Comes from getting old. I have the smaller 798 on the bow on a ram mount and the 997 on the console. As odd as it seems, the 798 is actually easier to see. It has a much more direct sunlight viewable screen. It also has the highest pixel count per inch of any finder on the market, allowing it to show great detail. The 800, 900 and 1197 series of HB finders are much harder to see in direct sun. I had to buy a hood for my 997. The larger screen is nice for searching, but I'm glad it's not up front.

You may be able to find the 798 used for around $500 online. HB just came out with a slightly newer version, so it could be the old ones are selling a little cheaper, but I don't really know that for a fact. You'd have to check. The only difference is the new model supports ethernet connections to other HB units. Otherwise, they are identical.

None of the units I know of look forward. You could do that by mounting the transducer on the trolling motor and then turnning the TM sideways. I'll sometimes do that to see under a dock.

[Eric Walsh]

Wow Jeb, nice information - you brought to light things I've never even thought about. The very idea
that we don't have the option of a forward facing SI unit sounds pretty crazy right now. How does SI
work on the units that are out in the market right now? Are they strapped to the trolling motor or hull
mounted?

[spoon2610]

Thanks Jeb

[wnyBob]

When I got a new boat last Spring, I had the little BW cheapie Lowrance that comes with it and moved it to the bow fishing deck and got a Lowrance HDS7 with GPS for the helm. Late last year I stumbled on to a decent deal on an HDS5 without the gps for the bow to just use as a sonar and fish finder. I got it almost too late to bother with it. But it's swapping out the little BW on the bow as we speak. So can't really give it a testimony yet. But it's just a smaller version of the HDS7 and it's a decent sonar. I think you can definitely get the HDS5 without GPS for less than $500.00. I like one on the bow to use as much for a depth finder when using the trolling motor and fishing off the bow as anything. When you start fishing in close and crowding the shore line or where there are areas of bars that sneak up on you, a depth finder comes in mighty handy to keep you out of trouble. The bow unit has the transducer as someone else mentioned mounted on the trollling motor. that's the easiest way to do it but having them hooked up in a series from the stern transducer is nice though. The problem with the transducer on the trolling motor is it's a weed catcher, so it can be made inneffective by the weeds too.