Fish Finder Si vs. Di

[senecaMeatball]

I am not to familiar with newer fish finders. Is it worth to spend the extra money on a fish finder that comes with side imaging? Are the hummingbird helix series a good choice or should I be looking at some other brand, lowrance , gramin? Any information would be appreciated.

[rolmops]

It depends on what you fish for.As for side imaging, if you fish a lot close to structure like weed beds or walls then it's great. If you troll deep water in wide open spaces, you will find yourself turning it off

Edited March 29, 2016 by rolmops

[Chas0218]

Down imagining goes down and Side imagining goes out to the side. They are used to find bait and structure up to 600'. Other names for this type of sonar are CHIRP and Structure Scan. 

 

I have the Raymarine "CHIRP" that is considered down imagining and it works well for identifying bottom types and structure. When used as sonar it shows a lot of detail. For example I can pick up a 5/8oz. sinker clear as day while watching fish swim up to the bait (1.5" minnow). Pretty crazy the technology that is out there now.

[leadcore troller]

I troll and made the mistake of buying the Helix 5, it doesnt even make a good boat anchor, its the farthest thing from auto,i'd spend less time playing with a video game, I wanted simple and some bonehead at bass pro sold me on this unit, it's exactly what I didnt want, so much for listening to some pencile pusher and not a real fisherman.

[Skidplate]

I troll and made the mistake of buying the Helix 5, it doesnt even make a good boat anchor, its the farthest thing from auto,i'd spend less time playing with a video game, I wanted simple and some bonehead at bass pro sold me on this unit, it's exactly what I didnt want, so much for listening to some pencile pusher and not a real fisherman.

I had trouble with my hummingbird 898 till I watched some YouTube videos and now I love it

[alex1young]

I always liked my Humminbird units, made the switch the HDS series Lowrance and love it.  Very easy to use and great units!

Edited March 29, 2016 by alex1young

[goin hungry]

I have the hummingbird 899 with both down and side scan. The problem with using it for trolling is that there is a lot of water between you and the bottom, so you can't see a fish on it unless you're in shallow water or really zoom it in. I have the unit, but only use the old standard sonar function when trolling. If I'm fishing 30 ft anchored for perch, then I'll turn on a split screen so I can see sonar and scan images. If you're looking to just use for deep water trolling, stock with just a good sonar unit. If you have the cash and want to fish shallow and see high detail (like a picture of what's below the boat) then go ahead and spend the extra dough to get the down and or side scans. I'd recommend getting out with a couple guys that have these units so you can check em out before you fork out close to a grand, and don't just get wooed by the screen shots or simulated images on the web or in the store - you wanna see how they actually function in real life and fit to your type of fishing.

Edited March 29, 2016 by goin hungry

[Bait Bucket]

I'm waiting to hear some type of report on the new The Lowrance Elite-7Ti TotalScan models. Also on a less expensive note, they now have their new HOOK model.

[Pequod1]

Chas, I also just purchased a raymarine dragonfly pro. I am a perch, bass, walleye guy. I have used the unit now six times and love it. The biggest plus is that it is " idiot proof" The first unit I have ever had that you don't have to go through the manual to figure out how to use it. I am not too sure about the effectiveness of the down imaging though. On Erie the past two trips, the sonar mode was great for spotting those bottom hugging perch and the fly by lakers, but I can't seem to see the detail when I use the down imaging, I guess I should play with the sensitivity a little. The other great plus, is it didn't break the bank, about $350 on sale with rebates, and it included a Navionics North America chip that works great in Erie and the Fingerlakes.

[Chas0218]

Chas, I also just purchased a raymarine dragonfly pro. I am a perch, bass, walleye guy. I have used the unit now six times and love it. The biggest plus is that it is " idiot proof" The first unit I have ever had that you don't have to go through the manual to figure out how to use it. I am not too sure about the effectiveness of the down imaging though. On Erie the past two trips, the sonar mode was great for spotting those bottom hugging perch and the fly by lakers, but I can't seem to see the detail when I use the down imaging, I guess I should play with the sensitivity a little. The other great plus, is it didn't break the bank, about $350 on sale with rebates, and it included a Navionics North America chip that works great in Erie and the Fingerlakes.

Yeah you won't be disappointed. I also need to tweak my down imagining settings. Usually I am out on the water playing with it as I troll but I'm catching too many fish to get it just right. I guess that isn't a bad thing but makes it hard to really get the settings setup for what I want. 

[BSmaster]

I got a humming bird with side imaging this year.  I just hooked it up but haven't put it in the water yet.  I don't troll so I want to know where the under water structure is.  I watched the video that came with it but still have some questions about it.  I am not good with programming vcrs and microwave ovens so I am a little nervous about looking like an idiot trying to get it to do what I know it can do.  I am going to look for some youtube videos for some additional guidance.  My main issue is that I don't have a jack plate on my boat so I was worried about the motors being in the way.  I'll know soon enough...

[Chas0218]

I got a humming bird with side imaging this year.  I just hooked it up but haven't put it in the water yet.  I don't troll so I want to know where the under water structure is.  I watched the video that came with it but still have some questions about it.  I am not good with programming vcrs and microwave ovens so I am a little nervous about looking like an idiot trying to get it to do what I know it can do.  I am going to look for some youtube videos for some additional guidance.  My main issue is that I don't have a jack plate on my boat so I was worried about the motors being in the way.  I'll know soon enough...

Your best bet is to look at a thread by yankee troller he has a breakdown of the setup he uses and how different settings affect the sonar differently.

[goin hungry]

Anyone have the link to that thread?

[Iron Duke]

Not sure if this is the link you guys are looking for but if you click on his profile picture you can go and read all his hummingbird post if you look for them scrolling down through his posts... Hope this helps.. Rick is a great troller and very informative you could even p.m. him on hummingbird stuff and I'm sure he would reply to you

Mike

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php?/topic/52046-Humminbird-Sonar-Settings-for-models-->-7xx,-8xx,-9xx,-11xx

Humminbird Sonar Settings for models -> 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 11xx

Edited March 31, 2016 by Iron Duke

[Chas0218]

Not sure if this is the link you guys are looking for but if you click on his profile picture you can go and read all his hummingbird post if you look for him scrolling down through his posts... Hope this helps.. Rick is a great troller and very informative you could even p.m. him on hummingbird stuff and I'm sure he would reply to you

Mike

http://www.lakeontariounited.com/fishing-hunting/index.php?/topic/52046-Humminbird-Sonar-Settings-for-models-->-7xx,-8xx,-9xx,-11xx

Humminbird Sonar Settings for models -> 7xx, 8xx, 9xx, 11xx

Thanks, that is the one I was referring to.

[Skidplate]

That it I just bumped it to the first page

[goin hungry]

Thanks. For those that are looking for simple, I can tell you that when you start adding on the additional features, it can get confusing to navigate the different screens and get it set up to your particular type of fishing. With practice it gets easier, but it's not just "plug and play" for all conditions...

[fieromx3]

I troll and made the mistake of buying the Helix 5, it doesnt even make a good boat anchor, its the farthest thing from auto,i'd spend less time playing with a video game, I wanted simple and some bonehead at bass pro sold me on this unit, it's exactly what I didnt want, so much for listening to some pencile pusher and not a real fisherman.

what did you hate about it???? i just got a helix 5 a few months ago, have not used it and now you worry me lol

[Skidplate]

If you don't like it ill buy it

[TyeeTanic]

If you are trolling for salmon or trout, you don't need SI or DI. Yes, it will show you which side bait is on, but honestly, if your screen is bright red, the bait balls right under your transducer.

[Iron Duke]

One thing about Lowrance which I highly recommend to any one trolling is when you power them on for the first time it will walk you thru the set up and ask you about 10 yes or no questions about how you plan on using the unit and what kind of depth your gonna be fishing... It basically sets it all up for you, you don't have to touch adjust anything and if you do get playing around with the setting there is a reset to default you can press in the menu and takes you right back to when it was new out of the box and will walk you thru the process as many times as you need... I highly recommend the ELITE Series... Elite 7 or Elite 9 are both great unit and you can get it with chirp which is down scan imaging. .. I honestly never use the down scan just regular fish finder but if you want you can run all at once on your main screen... Lowrance makes some great units and the Elite Series will get the job done with out draining the bank account I can promise you that...

Mike

Edited March 31, 2016 by Iron Duke

[Sk8man]

Mike makes some very good points and I agree with him.

[Bait Bucket]

One thing about Lowrance which I highly recommend to any one trolling is when you power them on for the first time it will walk you thru the set up and ask you about 10 yes or no questions about how you plan on using the unit and what kind of depth your gonna be fishing... It basically sets it all up for you, you don't have to touch adjust anything and if you do get playing around with the setting there is a reset to default you can press in the menu and takes you right back to when it was new out of the box and will walk you thru the process as many times as you need... I highly recommend the ELITE Series... Elite 7 or Elite 9 are both great unit and you can get it with chirp which is down scan imaging. .. I honestly never use the down scan just regular fish finder but if you want you can run all at once on your main screen... Lowrance makes some great units and the Elite Series will get the job done with out draining the bank account I can promise you that...

Mike

I agree on the Elites. I have been looking for an Elite 7 Gold CHIRP, almost nonexistent anymore.

[Iron Duke]

Lowrance makes a hook Series now that are entry level and also a Elite 9 for not much more than the 7

Mike

Edited April 1, 2016 by Iron Duke

[justtracytrolling]

Anyone looking for a 798 hd si....my transducer cord needs repair or replacement, but im ready for an upgrade!