Side vue imaging in Biglake.

[juicegoose]

I was thinking of upgrading my old garmin 498 to a newer gps/fishfinder. I only fish Biglake and know that in shallow water like turners the sonar is useless except for depth on my unit. Those of you with side vue imaging do you notice it helps widen out what you see. I'm not so much looking for fish just be able to see more of the bottom contour as I troll or drift.

any pics?

[Pop N Cork]

My side and 2D imaging is useless in Big Lake and the Marshes. I only use my electronics for GPS waypoints and occasionally for checking water depths. Fresh water fishing (Bass & Sac A Lait) is just the opposite - I am constantly scanning the bottom for brush piles and schools of fish.

[juicegoose]

really wow i figured the side imaging would at least show you a wider swath of the bottom then a traditional downscan. I mean don't get me wrong I understand it'll have limits I just figured it was time to change out the ole garmin 498

["W"]

only useful in the channel

[BaseballFisherman]

Side imaging is definitely not as useful in a shallow water estuary, such as Big Lake, as it would be for a lake like Toledo Bend.

That being said, I almost exclusively fish Big Lake and have had side imaging units on my boats for the past 4 years. I don't find as much use for the side imaging feature in my usual outings as I do traditional sonar and GPS. However, I have more accurately mapped oyster reefs that I commonly fish with side imaging, and i have accidentally stumbled across some new oyster reefs with it that have proven to be productive spots. In that regard, I'm glad that I've had the side imaging feature because it has helped me to better understand already familiar waters.

Side imaging is definitely not as necessary as traditional sonar and GPS in a shallow water bay system, but I find that it does have its benefits from time to time. I have made sure that my units have the feature just so that I don't have to kick myself in the future for not having it!

[juicegoose]

Exactly. The upgrade is happening I just realize I don't need the newest and greatest. I do enjoy hunting out new spots and am always looking at the return to see what the bottom looks like etc.

I was looking at the HDS gen3 7" model maybe the 9.
Is hummingbird better?

[Pop N Cork]

I have both HB and Lowrance on my boat. If you could combine both into one, that would be my preference!!! I prefer HB for scanning & imaging. I have a XI5 Motorguide TM, and only Lowrance Gen 2 or 3 will network with it for anchor point and waypoint to waypoint navigation capabilities, so I use a Lowrance Gen 3 for that, and my 2 HB units networked together for scanning & imaging. I suggest you go to Bass Pro, or a similar store, and play with the display units. It's all about personal preferences as to which one is the better unit.

[wishin i was fishin]

Lowrance and Humminbird use the same technology patented by Navico. the difference in units would be your preference.

I got sidescan and really rely on it. you can see more than traditional sonar. I am still learning big lake so i rely on it quite a bit.

I have the HDS gen 2 and have been able to see targets 100ft out in 5 ft of water. one thing About using it inshore is you dont see much because it is just flat mud bottom.

The newer units have down/sidescan and chirp all in one transducer. I would definitely go for it.

Good luck!

[C-Bass2mouth]

I always have ran lowrance, and still do. I'm pretty knowledgeable about the HDS units, and they play a huge roll in my fishing. But, If I were to get a new boat with no electronics and have to start from scratch. I'd make the switch to the new Helix units w/ Mega imaging. Just watch out with the Birds if you want networking capabilities. The 5's & 7's won't share waypoints, mapping, etc.

I don't fish saltwater much, but I would think you'd be able to find quite a bit of oyster reefs with the side scan. Or any hard/soft bottom transitions. Even with a blurry image you can easily tell hard from soft bottom. The general rule of thumb with SS is set your range 3 X's the depth you're in. So if you're only in 5 FOW, you're really only getting a decent image at 15' out each side of your boat. But that's still better than only directly under your boat IMO

[C-Bass2mouth]

Originally Posted by C-Bass2mouth

I always have ran lowrance, and still do. I'm pretty knowledgeable about the HDS units, and they play a huge roll in my fishing. But, If I were to get a new boat with no electronics and have to start from scratch. I'd make the switch to the new Helix units w/ Mega imaging. Just watch out with the Birds if you want networking capabilities. The 5's & 7's won't share waypoints, mapping, etc.

I don't fish saltwater much, but I would think you'd be able to find quite a bit of oyster reefs with the side scan. Or any hard/soft bottom transitions. Even with a blurry image you can easily tell hard from soft bottom. The general rule of thumb with SS is set your range 3 X's the depth you're in. So if you're only in 5 FOW, you're really only getting a decent image at 15' out each side of your boat. But that's still better than only directly under your boat IMO

With that being said, I'm pretty certain Lowrance won't take long to come out with a new model, or maybe just an update to the gen3 carbon's software that will be comparable to the Birds Mega Imaging.

[juicegoose]

Ya I'm really liking the Helix 9 or 10 with mega. Whats keeping me back is the touchscreen. I need to make a run to bass pro and try them both.

[C-Bass2mouth]

Originally Posted by juicegoose

Ya I'm really liking the Helix 9 or 10 with mega. Whats keeping me back is the touchscreen. I need to make a run to bass pro and try them both.

If you've never had a touch screen unit I wouldn't let it be the deciding factor. However, once you get used to the touch after using them a while it's hard to go back to the push buttons. I have touch units at the console and a push button at the bow. It seems like it takes me forever to tweak my bow unit compared to my touch now.

However, the non-touch units do have their advantages. Easier to control when in rough water, and you'll never have to calibrate the screen.

And less fingerprints to blur everything when it's in direct sun light.

[jpeff31787]

Originally Posted by juicegoose

Ya I'm really liking the Helix 9 or 10 with mega. Whats keeping me back is the touchscreen. I need to make a run to bass pro and try them both.

i wouldn't let the touchscreen hold you back. I have a touchscreen and its not easy trying to press the right spot on the screen while your underway. A hybrid would be better, something with touchscreen and buttons

[juicegoose]

Well I pulled the trigger on the helix 10 g2n mega. We'll see how it does this weekend

[juicegoose]

Well I got everything installed on my Helix 10 mega a couple weekends back and just got a chance to really check everything out. Bottom line it works like a charm. There were several areas in turners where i had marked reefs before and went out with the side imaging and was off by a fair amount.
In a lot of areas of say turner bay the results are basically just mud flats like you would expect but it's obvious when you run by a reef. What i found myself doing was setting the distance left and right to say 150 feet and i when i noticed something I would mark it and then make a closer run by at say 60-50 feet. I was even able to see both sides of the canal we are on with the sonar only showing 2feet of water.

here are a couple pictures from black lake. You can easily see the shaows of fish in the images. This was 4 feet of water and the fish were about 30 feet away from the boat.

[Mlab12]

Thats pretty cool! I am picking up my new boat on Friday and it has a Helix 7 in the console. I am going to have to watch some youtube videos to really figure out how to operate it.

[Flex]

Originally Posted by Mlab12

Thats pretty cool! I am picking up my new boat on Friday and it has a Helix 7 in the console. I am going to have to watch some youtube videos to really figure out how to operate it.

Helix 7 is what I'm thinking I'll pick up when I upgrade this fall! Looks sweet!

Sent from my HTC One M9 using Tapatalk

[juicegoose]

Ya i debated on the 7 or 9 or 10. Obviously pocket book is one consideration but especially with side imaging the more pixels you have the better you can see.

[tonyjohn]

Flex and Mlab ....You will NEVER regret upgrading the 7 to a HB10 Gen 2 Si, Di, and SScan. i PROMISE !! Mlab, i would do it before you left the dealer .