Fish finders, side scan worth the extra money? - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Fish finders, side scan worth the extra money?

Posted: 5/21/2018 3:25:05 AM EDT

Fell over this morning and landed on a 500 dollar Farm and Fleet gift card.

My old fish finder took a dump last year and I've been wanting to replace it but couldn't justify the cost. Now I can.

Old model was a Lowrance Elite 4 with DI. The DI was really nice but I never really got a chance to try it out on a proper boat so my experience is limited.

I don't want to buy anything I'm going to be looking to replace in a year or two so I don't want to short dick myself on something I'll regret later. I'll be fishing local lakes in depths ranging from less than 10' to around 60'.

For those of you that have used them, do you see side scan as a big advantage? Do you find yourself using it a lot? What situations does it excel in and where does it come up short?

Posted: 5/21/2018 3:48:51 AM EDT

[#1]

Yes, side scan rocks!.

Posted: 5/21/2018 4:58:31 AM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
Yes, side scan rocks!.

View Quote

I'm leaning towards spending the extra coin on it from what I've read. I have no experience using a "fish finder" beyond using it to find drop offs or just figure out what depth I'm at.

Posted: 5/21/2018 5:25:33 AM EDT

[#3]

I will have side scan and 3d rendering on my next boat

Posted: 5/21/2018 5:40:03 AM EDT

[#4]

Completely worth it if you learn how to use it.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:15:12 AM EDT

[#5]

Found a lot of dead bodies with it. And all the guys who fish that I work with say it works just as good at finding the fish.

We got Hummingbird units.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:15:58 AM EDT

[#6]

Yes. Although the one I used was $15k-$20k. Commercial Ocean equipment. No idea who makes what on small boats.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:25:24 AM EDT

[#7]

Quote History

Quoted:
Completely worth it if you learn how to use it.

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This.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:36:00 AM EDT

[#8]

It's definitely worth it. But you have to spend a decent amount of time learning how to use it and understand it. Watch a bunch of YouTube videos and then just drive around the lake looking at different things.
Once you get a hang of it you can really start to understand the lakes better. What kind of bottom it is, structure, weeds, rocks, drop offs, and see where fish are clearly.
You also need a pretty decent sized screen. Not sure it would be worth it if it's going to be on a small finder.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:48:06 AM EDT

[#9]

They're awesome. Found a couple Confederate blockade runner wrecks with one.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:49:49 AM EDT

[#10]

Yes. I have 2 lowrance hds gen 3 units in my bass boat. They are awesome.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:51:12 AM EDT

[#11]

To learn how to use them buy the DVD called Ben Parkers breaking bass.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:51:34 AM EDT

[#12]

Get that, and a trolling motor with sitelock and can follow the contour lines/direction you wish to troll.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:57:40 AM EDT

[#13]

I had one on my bass boat 25 years ago or more. Caught one of the two biggest bass (only 6.5 lbs., but I've never caught a bigger one) I've ever caught because of it. We were fishing a river not known for big bass and as we moved along I saw a "big" fish symbol off to the left. I tossed a broken back rebel over there and began to twitch it. That big sucker rolled up, sucked it down and the fight was on.

If I was buying another fish finder today I'd buy one with side scanning capability.

Posted: 5/21/2018 9:02:17 AM EDT

[#14]

Side Scan Sonar ?
Go Big or Go Home !!

Stuff I do at Work

I'm always amazed by the stuff I find.

Posted: 5/21/2018 9:46:09 AM EDT

[#15]

I had a Helix 5DI/GPS and a Raymarine Dragonfly 5 with similar specs on my two kayaks. I've recently upgraded my primary fishing Hobie to a Hummingbird Helix 9 MEGA (SI+DI+GPS). It's amazing.

Posted: 5/21/2018 10:36:37 AM EDT

[#16]

Picked up a Helix 10 SI a few months ago, using it in brackish and saltwater. Not much terrain features on the bottom in my area so I'm kinda hohum about the SI part for now.

But what I do see amazes me.

Word of advice, if you get a unit, when learning to use it, do it away from docks/obstructions that will grab your boat. You'll have your nose pressed to the screen and not watching where your heading.

Posted: 5/21/2018 4:10:30 PM EDT

[#17]

Shit... I accidently fixed my Lowrance Elite 4 just fiddling around with it and the wife saw me get it to turn on.

Guess the new fishfinder is going to have to wait till next year...

Posted: 5/21/2018 4:20:29 PM EDT

[#18]

My B.A.S.S. fishing buddies say it is, so I believe them.

Posted: 5/21/2018 5:58:31 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
Side Scan Sonar ?
Go Big or Go Home !!

http://www.bosargediving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SSS%20Equip.jpg

http://www.bosargediving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/USCG-Anchor.jpg

http://www.bosargediving.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Mud-Mat-Sonar.jpg

Stuff I do at Work

I'm always amazed by the stuff I find.

View Quote

Is that a full time gig?

That has to be quite interesting work at times. When it's not getting paid to float around ain't a bad gig either.

Posted: 5/21/2018 6:10:48 PM EDT

[#20]

The water tends to be very shallow in my bassing areas. Most of my fishing is done in 2 to 3 feet of water. I mainly use my finders only to keep me from running aground, to tell me the water temp and to monitor cranking battery voltage.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Fish finders, side scan worth the extra money?

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