Side & down imaging usage

How much do you folks with side and down imaging units use those functions? I’m mostly a panfish / walleye guy that fishes lakes, and am considering moving up from my HDS 5 and Terrova I Pilot. Once you have the technology do you really use it on a regular basis?

Thanks for your input.

I’ve got the humminbird SI/DI. I do use it a lot rather than the 2d. For me it shows me what I’m not catching and it helps find structure plus learning the layout of it. The last unfamiliar lake I was on was winnibigoshish and fishing was tough so I scanned around till I seen piles of fish and casted into them which rewarded me with perch so it works.

You will have a learning curve so be patient

Still learning mine but love it. Finding structure and fish i never know were there. Getting them to hit is another story.

I use mine all the time! Side imaging is great for finding weed lines and drop offs. My new boat will have the 360 simply cause when muskie fishing you should be able to see the fish and cast right to it

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How much do you folks with side and down imaging units use those functions? I’m mostly a panfish / walleye guy that fishes lakes, and am considering moving up from my HDS 5 and Terrova I Pilot. Once you have the technology do you really use it on a regular basis?

Thanks for your input. [/quote

I used SI the most, 2D second and DI third. But that was because I didn’t fully understand how to use DI. SI is almost a MUST HAVE.

John, I can not express enough how much much I use them for so many different reasons. But to answer your question simply, its much more often than the 2D.

Now, like any other technology, it is really a matter of what is YOUR expectations are, and if YOU will actually use it.

Just an example – You follow a contour line around a rock bar that is in a river. The turbulence that will normally garbage up your screen in 2D is much more clear in the DI. In addition, you can clearly see the rocks that protrude out like fingers that create the spot-on-spot locations.

I’m sure that most can guess what the pic is. But anyways, at the end of a short wall, the turbulence was too much for my 2D and I wanted to see more specifically where walleyes were hanging at as we made a couple drifts down. I motor’d up with the SI and was able to pin-point a few square foot area that was holding fish. Technology is there and performs to nearly any level in which someone is going to use it.

Side imaging user since 08. Wont fish without it. My screen stays on SI all the time. Theres nothing that DI can show me that I cant see in SI, once you learn how to read the water column. (open water) I was always a shallow water fisherman anyway, but SI excels in skinny water..

Thanks for the input guys. I have a tiller with a side console would a 5 inch screen work for side imaging? How about I Link vs my current I Pilot is it worth the money for the upgrade?

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Thanks for the input guys. I have a tiller with a side console would a 5 inch screen work for side imaging? How about I Link vs my current I Pilot is it worth the money for the upgrade?

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IMHO the HB 898c SI is the smallest I would ever consider for SI in a wheel boat. The 998c SI is the smallest I would ever consider (with a double swing arm) in a tiller. Go with the 1198c SI is my advice.

First year with a 998 Bird DI/SI and Lakemaster chip for the river. I had a Lowrance 334iGPS (since 2007) with Lakemaster and Navionics map chips before so I was familiar with the advantage of having GPS and a map.

I would say the difference between no GPS / map chip and GPS / map chip would be almost the same as SI and no SI after running it this summer. As noted in the previous posts the ability to really ‘see’ what is down there and holding fish is a great tool. That said if I had to make a choice I would probably opt for GPS / map chip ahead of SI/DI.

It does take a little time to get used to it and then you find yourself watching the screen to see what you were missing out on but well worth it!!

The videos that Doug Vahrenburg and Jason Halfen have on u-tube are well worth the time to take a look at when you are a newbie – from getting the transducer mounted on the transom correct to interpreting what you are seeing.
barc

I’d get a 8,9, or 11 series for the reason of the better SI transducer. 998 HD SI is a good all around size, 1198 would be nice if in the budget. 898 screen isn’t as big as it appears. I use the SI more than DI, still trying to find the best settings for DI.
X2 on the Lakemaster chip if you fish in MN.
If you look around there are some really good deals on SI’s like: 898, 998, 1198 and HDS7 bundle right now.
I running a 798.

I upgraded my 798 to the HDSI transducer.
I get better images with the longer transducer.
NOTE: this does not allow any additional frequencies
that are available with that transducer
as this is controlled by the 798 itself.

Thank you for the input guys.