New boat owner – Helix options?

I just bought my first fishing boat in many years. Was starting to look into the Helix units either the 7 or 9 for screen size. Was looking at standard unit w/ GPS / maybe SI as well. Just read that HB is coming out with the ICE HELIX® 7 G2N which according to the press release interested me being an occasional soft water guy and serious hard water guy currently using the Marcum LX7 (big fan) do I look at combining into one unit for both seasons or keep them separate?

Just thinking about cost with limited funds and options either way. Thoughts?

personally I would wait on purchasing a Humminbird Helix, they will likely come out with a Gen3 this spring…I would also buy as big of a screen as you can afford, it makes all the difference when interpreting SI images…

If you can afford to get MEGA imaging I would definitely not skimp on that. I’m totally sold on it after running it all summer. I am amazed at how many muskies I was able to see with it on my last trip out.

I would keep your ice and summer units separate and spring for a Helix 9 MEGA. A 9″ is awful nice in the boat but could be a little big to lug around with you on the ice. The 9″ unit is the exact same size as the 10″, the screen is just smaller

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Thanks for the input, I’ve been being told to go with biggest screen you can afford also. Love my LX-7 for winter but also thought the Helix 7 might be small for running in the boat. Wil research the Helix 9 MEGA more…

I would choose the 9, you can put 2 full size sd cards in it and that to me would be worth it. I have a 7 and it is a pain putting the tiny micro sd card in the side, it might not be a big deal to you but I hate how the card is in the 7.

I would save the extra $$ and get the 10″, it’s the same shell size as the 9, but with better resolution… I’m not sure if they still package the cheaper SI ducer in the 9 vs the HDSI in the 10? These are not small units, first make sure you have the dashboard space for one..

I agree with Joe, once you step up to the 9″ it’s only a couple hundred bucks to get the 10″. It never ends does it!!??

Pat, are you able to see muskies in shallow rocks or shallow weeds? Or, do you only tend to see them in open water with that unit? Just wondering what advantage I might gain by going from my older Onix to the mega imaging Helix unit.

Thanks guys – it appears this post got me the information I was looking for but ALSO cost me more money. $$$$! In the long run I will be happier I’m sure

BrianF wrote:

Pat, are you able to see <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>muskies in shallow rocks or shallow weeds? Or, do you only tend to see them in open water with that unit? Just wondering what advantage I might gain by going from my older Onix to the mega imaging Helix unit.

Here is a photo of muskies in the weeds. The first photo I posted was right on the edge of the weeds. I have problems with my high speed transducer double pinging, which is why the overlay data says 20ft. Both depths were less than 10′

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Reading sonar baffles me at times…why no marks for those fish shadows in the water column section?

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Holy schnieky…

Helix Mega 12 SI ordered. Plan to install Monday on the bow.

Thx Pat!

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Reading sonar baffles me at times…why no marks for those fish shadows in the water column section?

They are all there if you look closely. These particular fish are off to the side of the boat rather than below the boat so they do not show up in the water column. When the fish are in the weeds I look the hardest for the shadows. Mainly because the white lines or “return” of the fish are camouflaged by all the cabbage stocks and hard sand bottom. (they are the same color) You can see the actual fish by looking for a parallel line to the shadow.

Another reason why the fish returns aren’t in the water column is because it’s not very deep. If I were in 20-30′ and marked a big fish say half way down, it would cast a shadow much further away, and off to the side. There’s just a lot more distance between the fish and the bottom. These muskies are sitting 1-3 feet off the bottom so the shadows are very close to the actual fish.

Here is an example of a small muskie or big pike where it was close enough to the boat to show the fish in the water column. You can see the bigger muskies further out to the side of the boat and a giant tail at the top left lol

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BrianF wrote:

Holy schnieky…

Helix Mega 12 SI ordered. Plan to install Monday on the bow.

Thx Pat!

Good for you! It’s a pretty major upgrade from the regular SI. Not that you couldn’t mark fish and structure with it, but with MEGA you can actually tell fish species. Pretty crazy.

Pat, you proved that they can run, but they can’t hide. I just hope you caught some of these fish!