Fish finder recommendation?

[markz]

Hi,
I might have to upgrade from my Lowrance 334.

Is a side view worth the extra money for the delta?

The boat will mainly be used in the delta. I currently use the finder to keep the boat in about the right depth and cast to structure.

Will a side view easily see stripers or largemouth in my casting distance?

Also, anybody use a Pronav Angler upgrade kit for 2005 Riptide? I was thinking of getting this first before having issues with my Lowrance.

Thanks
Mark

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Here in Florida and over at Lawson's Landing on Tomales Bay they like Garmin fish finder / GPS units.

There are lots of brands now though. Lowrance units were the "go to standard" for decades. Still very popular though.


I did recently buy a 15' fiberglass tiller flats skiff and put a 7 inch Garmin fish finder / GPS with side finder for $1,000.

Hummingbird units are very popular too.


I have never used the side finder feature yet but it sounds good for fly fishers.

I am sure you will get some good feedback here, you might chat with Andy Guibord @ Kiene's to get his feedback.

[Mr T]

I had a garmin echomap 73sv on my kayak and loved it. it has side view and while it didn't help everywhere, it did assist enough to make it fun to use

upgrade to the best transducer you can get- it is the best bang for the buck in most every case.

[MThompson]

Are you mounting the unit at the helm or at the bow/trolling motor? Side imaging is normally used at the helm and gives you the best feedback while idling in a straight line adjacent to structure, weedlines, etc.
Side imaging at the trolling motor is useless unless you are actually moving in a straight line with your trolling motor. Once you start spinning the shaft around to steer the image won't be of any use.

Helix would be my recommendation for side imaging at the helm. Get the biggest screen you can afford. Fish show up as little orbs that can be tough to see sometimes but stuff like rock piles, ledges, and weedlines are really easy to see and you'll be able to tell how far they are from the boat. Additionally you can put your cursor on something you like on a screen and mark it for later. They're really fun to use.

Now, if you were planning on getting something for the trolling motor then I would honestly just put a LiveScope up there. No 2d sonar. No DI. No SI. The LiveScope shows you everything that all 3 of those show but in real time. The only decision you would have to make is whether or not you want a unit that also has mapping.

I hope this helps. This stuff is a big can of worms nowadays.

[kevins]

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