Fish finder
 

I have never used a fish finder on my boat. But I often wonder while fishing what the bottom looks like or why I'm catching fish in a certain area. I mostly fish sabine river with an occasional saltwater trip. What kind of fish finder s are y'all running in small 16' aluminum boats or are they worth it?

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Humminbird Helix 9 DI.
It's a little larger of a screen than I need. You'd probably be content with a 7" screen. (I was content with a 5" Lowrance that was 10 years old but had to see what Down Imaging was all about).
I also bought the Lakemaster South map card but it doesn't have Sabine River on it. The Navionics does (come to find out...)
I use mine on the trolling motor.



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I have a Lowrance Elite 5 hdi (downscan and sonar) on my trolling motor. I like it but the 5" screen is too small. I really want to try out the Humminbird Helix but money is tight right now.

I don't know how much it really helps on the river but I have found things with the downscan like stumps and logs.


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I haven't read much, but one article I read said side scan is better for shallower water. What do they consider shallow. I'll do some reading on the ones y'all have. Thanks!

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I have and use the Raymarine Dragonfly Series (5" or 7") units. The sonar and downscan paired with my Nav charts and sonar charts is the ticket. I can get dialed in on the sonar charts (1ft contours) then pin point using the sonar and downscan. Pretty awesome setup.
https://s20.postimg.org/toejnoqsd/Fi...9_42_43_PM.jpg

Do you buy charts for different bodies of water?

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Both Lakemaster and Navionics make different cards (which you insert into your unit) for different regions of the country/world. You just buy the one you need.
I don't have Navionics, but I think you can buy a map for a specific body of water if you need it.
Navionics has the Sabine River; Lakemaster doesn't.
Depending on which brand/ model you get, you can graph your own maps (Humminbird= AutoChart Live).
That being said, I'm still early in the learning process as far as how to get the most out of a depth finder.



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Thanks for the info

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I have the Navionics+ card which gives me navigational charts and sonar charts (1ft contours fishing charts) (you do have to go online and download whichever areas you want the sonar charts for - Free) for all the US and Canada both inland and coastal. Navionics now has the Navionics+ Regions cards which are the same as Navionics+ except they are region specific, cheaper in cost and they do come PRE LOADED with all the sonar charts (NO need to go online and download). I have been more than happy with my Nav cards over the years. They offer a lot of options and I'm sure one will suite your needs. Let me know if you need any more info and I will help you out the best I can. Tight lines!