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which fish finder should I get

wishinfishin
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wishinfishin

wishinfishin

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Posted
which fish finder should I get

I know its been talked about but technology is always changing and looking for help on the purchase of a new fish finder. I like Humminbirds, and recently put on an ulterra and was hoping the two could talk . Just to give you an idea of what I do, Im from PA and fish walleye, perch, crappie, and occasionally striper, in lakes, rivers and the Chesapeake Bay,

I also do a lot on the St lawrence for walleye , and now I also been hitting Lake Ontario trolling around.

 I like the idea of the down and side imaging, and the ability to do my own mapping, Im willing to spend $1500 if thats what it takes (rather not).I fish year round and as i mentioned above the mutiple species I fish for are all very different and require diifferent tactics as we all know , I just want to be as prepared as possible with the right electronics for me .

Looking for any and all imput to help me mack the best purchase.

Thanks in advance ,

Chuck

Xxx

Xxx

Posted
Posted

That's going to be a tough decision with that type of per capita, the units are very close in what they have to offer. I have an elite 7hdi and I just got a elite 9 touch, hoping the learning curve is easier, but I were you I'd wait, till the guys with the upper end units chime in, with the Raymairine and simrad and other top notch units. Either way good luck with your purchase!! :yes:

Chowdaire

Chowdaire

Posted
Posted

Sounds like you're looking for a Helix to me. It has everything you want, you just have to make sure you get the model with SI and networking if you want it. Then just figure how big you want to go because screen size dives the price.

 

I've always gone with Lowrance but I'm putting Humminbird Solix on my new boat. That Autochart Live is just too cool.

wishinfishin

wishinfishin

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Posted
1 minute ago, Chowdaire said:

Sounds like you're looking for a Helix to me. It has everything you want, you just have to make sure you get the model with SI and networking if you want it. Then just figure how big you want to go because screen size dives the price.

 

I've always gone with Lowrance but I'm putting Humminbird Solix on my new boat. That Autochart Live is just too cool.

 I like the Helix, dare I ask how much for the solix???  Good luck with it to.

Todd in NY

Todd in NY

Posted
Posted

I use four different Humminbirds on my two boats. On my 16ft multi-species aluminum utility boat I have a Helix 5 DI and a 698 DI & SI. I fish for trout and salmon on deep inland lakes, as well as bass and perch with this boat. The SI is nice when looking for hidden structure but I think the screen needs to be bigger to be able the see finer detail. My Helix 5 and 698 service their intended purpose and I am real happy with how they perform.

 

On my Lake Ontario boat I run an 859 with DI and a 959 HD. Both are excellent and mark fish real well. In fact, all four of my Humminbirds mark fish with great hooks in the sonar mode. I use the Humminbird Lake Master cartography and it works great on Lake O and inland lakes. I haven't used it on the St Lawrence River yet because I don't fish the river.

 

I've had no issues with any of my fish finders and recommend Humminbird to anyone.

Chowdaire

Chowdaire

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, wishinfishin said:

 I like the Helix, dare I ask how much for the solix???  Good luck with it to.

Haha...Is "too much" a good answer? It's $2899 for the 12". And unfortunately they aren't making smaller screens yet so there's no cheaper way to try them out.

Todd in NY

Todd in NY

Posted
Posted

Check your PM's. I have no affiliation with that seller, but it gets you pointed in the right direction. I got my 959 on ebay for $600 last year with free shipping (different seller), and no other site could come close to that price.

rolmops

rolmops

Posted
Posted (edited)

If you are going to spend some serious money on a fish finder, you might as well spend it on a real good one with great service to boot. Go Furuno 628 or 588.Combined with a good transducer you will have the best! reading the comments again, I should mention that the Furuno is very userfriendly

Edited by rolmops
Todd in NY

Todd in NY

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, TrophySeeker said:

Ulterra doesn't necessarily "talk" to Helix. Motor needs ipilot link and cabling ($$). Ipilot alone is a standalone system.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Lake Ontario United mobile app
 

 

Thanks for clarifying that, it's way above my tech level.

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

In reading this thread  I have to chuckle a bit. As someone who can remember when all this technology was starting up for the sportfisherman it is a little humerous to see the change in focus from just being able to see marks representing fish and bait and the changing bottom features and being somewhat amazed by it to the current focus on having the latest greatest leading edge technology claiming to accurately measure a minnow's blowhole at 200 ft. as though it will solve everything if one has it.:lol: I guess carefully selecting a unit that will give you the basic information you need for the types of fishing you do in the least complex way (e.g. without having to go through a myriad of menu screens while fishing) is what to shoot for. The most important thing given the current quality of units is taking the time to fully learn to use the features of the unit selected and spending time refining the settings to do what you need it to do. If the adjustments are too complicated or hard to find quickly or the screen isn't fully visible in sunlight the unit will suck no matter which one is selected. By the way I had my first depth finder (a Vexilar portable flasher) before even having a boat. The reason or motivation for getting it was that when I went fishing on my buddy's boat (no depth finder) when we still fished I was the guy that had to keep throwing  the anchor out  which was marked off in 25 ft intervals to see how deep we were. After a few times of this I became real interested in getting a depth finder:lol:

Edited by Sk8man
wishinfishin

wishinfishin

Posted
  • Author
Posted

My old trolling motor i just replaced was almost twenty years old. My fish finder now is at least ten years old, cant remember exactly. And i fish alone a lot these days and the hands free operation of an ulterra is great and saves on cold hands in winter yanking in an anchor rope and the safety of not being up front trying to get anchor free if realy stuck.. And also acts as a cruise control hands frree situation enhanced by a fishfinder that can work in tandem.
My boys fish less with me everyone is busy so when you are trolling by yourself and you have a tiller handle outboard whether trolling or in a river situation

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G730A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hey Chuck I sure wasn't criticizing your approach but just kinda mentioning the "irony" for possible newbies reading the thread to give a little "perspective". I fully understand and agree with your reasoning.:)

Edited by Sk8man
Sk8man

Sk8man

Posted
Posted (edited)

:lol: When you are in the EDIT screen the eighth icon from the left top area has a little smiley face icon Click it and it pulls up a menu box with a bunch of them to choose from:thinking:

Edited by Sk8man
Todd in NY

Todd in NY

Posted
Posted

Les brings up a good point... Some of these new gadgets are too complex for some of us :thinking:. I find the Humminbirds that I own to be reasonably simple to adjust and use. Not being very tech savvy, I really like my 959ci HD :yes:

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