Fish Finder Help!!!!

[silentnswift]

I am looking to update the units on my boat. It currently has a hummingbird 100sx up front and the taker branded at the console. It's a 18' nitro. I primarily bass and crappie fish. Right now both my monitors are running off a single hull mount transducer. I'd like to have a TM and transom transducer. I think I want side scan but looking at the options is mind boggling. I'd like to stay around the 1000$ mark. Any help or advice is much appreciated

 

[Charlie Gibson]

If you have never used a side scan before you need to go somewhere and put your hands on one.. I found them very difficult to identify fish.. Structure wasn't bad.. It's a different animal.. I spent more time trying to figure it out then fishing.. I sold mine and bought a good DI with GPS.. Maybe it's just me but I didn't like the side scan and couldn't figure it out..

 

[silentnswift]

I've only looked at the display/ demos set up in store. That's why I ask, I want something to help get more fish in the boat, not distract

 

[Kirby Wilson]

Side imaging is difficult to see because the fish show up like little white dots. If you work with it you can learn how to use it and yes you will lose some fishing time.
For side scan you will need a 7 inch screen or bigger.
Down imaging is easer to use I usually run sonar and down image side by side when fishing.it's like having two different pictured of the same area.

 

[silentnswift]

I was thinking of getting a helix 7 di for the trolling motor, and later on getting the 7 with si. For the console/ cockpit area with a transom transducer. I read ealier you can't network the 7s. Not sure that would matter to me much anyways. Does this choice make sense?

 

[Charlie Gibson]

The helix 7 DI with GPS is what I ended up with.. Easy to use and now I can find fish and my way back home..

 

[v10e]

I am looking to update the units on my boat. It currently has a hummingbird 100sx up front and the taker branded at the console. It's a 18' nitro. I primarily bass and crappie fish. Right now both my monitors are running off a single hull mount transducer. I'd like to have a TM and transom transducer. I think I want side scan but looking at the options is mind boggling. I'd like to stay around the 1000$ mark. Any help or advice is much appreciated

silentnswift, I have an 18 ft Nitro with the same thru hull transducer. I replaced the original sonar (near the driver's seat) with an inexpensive humminbird unit so that I could still read depth while on plane, then I added a Lowrance sonar/GPS (at the driver's seat) that runs off a transducer mounted underneath the rear step. There was no room on my Nitro to mount the transducer as a skimmer, so I mounted it in the center under the first step. This way the transducer is submerged only when I am trolling at slow speeds. Then I have a third Lowrance sonar/GPS mounted up front with the transducer mounted on the trolling motor. The entire arrangement cost only about $1,000 and it works great. I don't really need GPS on the front unit but it was on sale so what the heck. Anyway, my strongest suggestion is to keep one unit connected to the thru-hull tranducer. This gives a great on-plane reading. Then second is to mount a transducer under the step. This gives a great reading of the bottom. I would not pay for side scan as a lot of my buddies have it and never use it. v10e