Side Scan For Pan fish?

[FishingTheFL]

I was considering a side scan unit for pan fish during the summer. I heard they are not so great for trolling but are better for bass, and pike in 40ft and under? Will it work for perch and gills? My goal is to locate the school and drive past for a drift threw, hopefully saving some time locating fish, usually not that hard to find them but next year I'd like to start exploring other lakes besides Cayuga and Seneca. Thanks for any info.

Mike

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[baitballin]

Side scan will work upto 3 mph so you can locate fish as you drive by hot spots. Also it's good for finding structure.

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[Prov1]

I had a humminbird side scan bought it mainly for finding perch. I could never get it to show fish. I found myself using the traditional color fish finder alot more. The side scan and down imaginin is great for knowing what's on the bottom in regards to structure.

[FishingTheFL]

So useless for perch? Because they are on the bottom mostly?

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[Prov1]

Could have been operator error but I am pretty good with fish finders, based in my experience yes I would say useless. My color fish finders show them really good

[FishingTheFL]

Down scan. Finding structure helps but I'm fishing Seneca and seems the perch don't stay in one spot long. Haven't tried perch from a boat on Seneca that much but all the stories I hear about 3 years ago makes me want to go on the hunt... If I get bored... Ill move over to Cayuga. Just wondering if it was worth the money

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[Pequod1]

I have a raytheon dragonfly 5 with a down scan. All last year, I would switch back and forth between the traditional color sonar and the down scan.  I never saw a single fish on the down scan even while seeing and catching schools of them with the regular sonar. This includes fishing big schools of perch in Erie over 60'  I had a chance to complain to a raytheon rep at the Niagara show and he said I had to slow the chart speed down to the slowest setting and they would turn up. Even had some video loops of the difference between fast and slow chart speeds.  Don't get confused, not boat speed - chart speed.  Obviously, I

 have not tried this yet, but I will in the next couple of weeks. I will report back.

[Yankee Troller]

Side and down imaging are really better used for finding structure. If you want to really get good pictures you need to learn how to adjust the settings. It's more complicated than traditional sonar. If these panfish are schooled tight you can see that, but individual fish would be tough and require perfect settings and conditions.

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[SHADE OF GRAY]

I think a Garmin with down imaging and panoptix would be good for perch. Go on you tube and see panoptix. Just picked up a unit and haven't tried panoptix yet. Also panoptix requires a separate transducer

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[FishingTheFL]

Side and down imaging are really better used for finding structure. If you want to really get good pictures you need to learn how to adjust the settings. It's more complicated than traditional sonar. If these panfish are schooled tight you can see that, but individual fish would be tough and require perfect settings and conditions.

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I would be looking for schooling fish. Hard to find perch any other way. I haven't had one and just looking into as a option, and as you said mostly for structure to cast towards or drift over.

What is "Traditional" sonar? I know down scan and side scan. Just figured traditional was the same as down scan. Never put trust into them when I was a kid. Probably just didn't know how to use them right.

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[Prov1]

A traditional fish finder would be just your typical color screen or even Grey scale if you have an older or real basic model. And the side and down scan unit have a option to use the traditional screen. I'm sure there is a better name for that option though but I can't think of it.

[SHADE OF GRAY]

Left is traditional right is down scan

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