How are you staying sane?

[rlconverse]

Sorry

Edited February 24, 2015 by rlconverse

[Tim Bromund]

Thiers 2 large mouth bass in that picture..... Not in season

That depends on where they were fishing.  Some bodies of water have special regs.

[Rich s]

The way I look at it the Elite 7HDI is better than my previous Lowrance unit in terms of giving me information and basically the CHIRP just clears up things a bit with a little better target separation and definition (resolution). For years I used paper graphs and flashers so having the color (to discriminate better the bottom hardness etc.), GPS integrated, and the ability to discriminate structure more clearly is light years from before and I've been looking at bait and fish and structure long enough in these different lakes to be able to assess things pretty good so having the newest latest greatest thing isn't an absolute necessity anyway. The most important aspect of these units is learning to use them properly and fully and being able to see your downriggers etc....they are just one tool in the box anyhow. You can have the newest fanciest unit with the largest screen and if you don't adequately understand how to use it and interpret what the data is telling you you're no further ahead than being without one.

I am passing the winter blues on the hard water every week but dreaming about my sophomore season with my islander 221 everyday.

One of the things that's driving me crazy is looking at an upgrade to the seriously old outdated fish finder .

I have been eying the heck outta the elite hdi-7 basically from a price point.

For those of you that have them are they worthwhile and a good unit at a sale price of $429.00 ?

It says they are no longer in production and I read somewhere that the downscan requires a different transducer ?

Any help , pros- cons would be greatly appreciated to keep my sanity .

Thanks :

Rich

[GAMBLER]

You have to be sane in the first place to stay sane! 

[Sk8man]

rlconverse - you may want to consult the DEC syllabus with respect to Finger Lakes regulations. They ARE in season on these lakes.

[Sk8man]

Rich s - The reason the Elite 7 HDI units are no longer in production is because Lowrance (and others) have gone to CHIRP technology which basically offers better target separation and better (more definition) ability to distinguish between individual fish and clumps of bait and the bottom structure etc. If you order from places like Cabela's the standard transducer for the unit is the 83/200 khz and 455/800 khz (combined transducer) which does give you down imaging and the unit also gives the ability to run that screen or a combined screen of DI data and the regular sonar image.

 

The decision is basically one of economics and whether you feel that the additional enhancement of the pixels on screen is worth the extra money. The potential obsolescence issue is really a non issue since the technology is always ahead of the marketplace so all of it is basically obsolete when it hits the marketplace. The Elite 7 HDI suits my needs and for the money it is a good unit. I have also had a lot of experience separating out bait from fish from bottom on the screen too so having CHIRP isn't an absolute "necessity" at this point for me either.   I do think having a decent sized screen (e.g. 7 vs. 5 inch) is important though whatever you do or can afford because it is much easier to see from the back of the boat etc. The screen on this unit is very bright (Solar Max screen) with different levels of brightness so that helps too.

Edited February 23, 2015 by Sk8man

[Rich s]

Thank you for the response. I am basically clueless and in awe at the different models out there so price point is a big factor but also don't like wasting money as well.

We currently have a super old lowrance of which model I couldn't say but it kept us off the ground so it served purpose. We used a cheap handheld gps which again worked . I actually had to take the fish finder apart and found a wire that became disconnected somehow. It's got me worried about failure so its time to upgrade.

Seems the elite -hdi 7 should be a good purchase for me then.

Thank You:

Rich

[Rich s]

One question, the unit I'm looking at for that price has a 50/200- 455/800transducer as opposed to the 83/200. Is this better or should I get the 83/200 possibly why I read about the down scan needing a different transducer then the 50/200..

Thanks

Edited February 23, 2015 by Rich s

[Has Been]

Sat got to go to the Carrier Dome & watch  Louie & Bouie get their Jersys retired. I went to school w/ RB from 1-6 grades & his Uncle is one of my best Freinds . He got us tickets & we spent time w/ them in their box & went to a private party after the game at the 44 club where all their former teamates  were. ONE OF THE BEST DAYS EVER!!!

 

Cant wait to take Rosie fishing this spring.

[Sk8man]

Rich s I think we sort of hijacked this post so I'll send you a PM

[chasdc1]

I'm anal retentive and disarray can drive me nuts so I keep sane by micromanaging the snow in the driveway-- keeping the edges crisp-- you know the drill.

[chowder]

Rich s I think we sort of hijacked this post so I'll send you a PM

I don't see how anybody could hijack this post. It's the different things we're all doing that are keeping us all going.

Respooling my browns/ eyes rods w/ 8lb Maxigreen tomorrow.YeHaa!!

[rlconverse]

Yes im sorry sk8man i looked up the regulations and to clarify for my ignorance large mouth bass season is open on the finger lakes from the 3rd saturday in june - march 15th Im sorry for my ignorance

[Sk8man]

No need to apologize...I sure didn't take any offense    it is a common thing because most of the rest of the state  follows the statewide regs. As a side note we don't usually keep largemouth bass when the water warms up as the flesh seems "mushy" to us but when caught through the ice they are good. I'm sure glad we can fish them because there are a lot of them out there and big ones at that. and they are fun through the ice. Les

Edited February 24, 2015 by Sk8man

[rlconverse]

For sure they are thru the ice we catch some rather large ones out of sandy pond and big bay on onieda some of them you need to shimmy up thru the hole

[momay4000]

I'm anal retentive and disarray can drive me nuts so I keep sane by micromanaging the snow in the driveway-- keeping the edges crisp-- you know the drill.

 

Hilarious!! I have a 400' driveway and I'll drive my plow back and forth, back and forth 20- times just to get that last little bit of snow that falls from the high banks! I thought I was the only one that also kept the edges crisp!!

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

Edited February 24, 2015 by momay4000

[Rich s]

My bad and yes I'm going pretty stir crazy. Last year spent 21 weeks straight on ice before I bought new to me starcraft islander 221 hard top in may.

Now I've spent 12 weeks on ice and its driving me insane thinking about open water. Striped bass in my back yard will be here soon, the big lake of Ontario will draw me back .

Thanks for all the help and great info here .

I pulled the trigger on the elite -7 tonight

[chowder]

I invite all you driveway fanatics to my farm to plow snow. You will have the chance to run a big powerfull 863 Bobcat and push through mountains of drifted snow to your hearts content. I'll sit by the wood stove and re spool for the upcoming season

[momay4000]

I invite all you driveway fanatics to my farm to plow snow. You will have the chance to run a big powerfull 863 Bobcat and push through mountains of drifted snow to your hearts content. I'll sit by the wood stove and re spool for the upcoming season

 

LOL....I use my JD 3520 with a full size plow for my driveway and our International dozer to plow our camp. Took me three hours just to clean out from the road to our cabin this past weekend using the dozer......You're right though, it's better to sit by the fire although that bobcat sure is a nice machine, too!!

 

Cheers,

 

Chris

[woody 184]

I haven't been sane this year, it's groundhogs day every day.... But on a high note for me as I was reading this thread my phone rang and my Harley was at the garage door getting dropped off from getting inspected. Now that will get you thinking about summer fast... I'm already imagining a ride down around the finger lakes stop at bass pro on the way home, doesn't get any better than that.... Woody

[Guppy35]

Just ordered new trolling rods and reels.  Spring had better come quick or else i'm going to be broke!

[johny d]

I just made a pair of sweet planer boards and a mast for my 16 ft.boat.I count the days to my spring trip. Its all down hill now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     MY WIFE IS SO SICK OF ME TALKING ABOUT FISHING ! ! !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hang In There Guys and Gals.

[lineman49]

Putting together worm harnesses for Erie walleye & picking out the best spoons( that I think will work) for spring browns. Waiting for snow to melt!

[vetting]

Organized some gear, bought some new leadcore rods, sold some gear on here.  Thats about all i've had time for and going crazier by the moment.  Best part is, with the work load coming up I'll be lucky if I can even enjoy the open water.  Gotta love salary jobs that they take as an excuse to dump as much as possible on you - what does 40 hours mean again?

[scobar]

went to Buffalo State Park (small boat harbor on  L Erie) this morning. Caught about 60 perch in 2.5 hours. It was a lot of fun even though the biggest one was maybe and I say maybe 6"...all still swimming