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Posts: 3484
Location: Elk River, Minnesota | Hi everyone,
Looking at electronics it seems that there is more and more things coming and one I am intrigued by, but not sold on yet is side scan imaging. I have a hummingbird 899 unit on the boat I have not used yet, and am curious if the side scan feature is really worth having. It is currently on the helm, but am thinking of moving it to the bow as it might have some compatibility items with an older model Terrova with I-pilot. I have yet to play with anything as I have not taken delivery of the rig yet. I don't believe this is a high definition side scan either...I believe it is just a sonar side scan of some sort. I am completely unfamiliar with the hummingbird unit.
For those who use side scan, can you describe how you apply it to your fishing techniques? If you have pictures, etc. that can help supply a better idea, all the better...
Thanks much in advance!!
Steve
Edited by VMS 1/25/2018 9:32 AM
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Posts: 270
Location: SE WISCONSIN | I use it all the time to find weed edges and other structures. It's also great finding big schools of bait fish. And game fish for that matter I won't have a boat with out side imaging. |
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Posts: 1425
Location: St. Lawrence River | I use gps/down scan combo mostly... |
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Posts: 229
| I really like the side imaging for trolling. Once you get used to it, you will be able to see the muskies and also be able to tell is they are on the bottom, holding up or holding up real high. |
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Posts: 298
| Side scan is best for fishing new water or finding out what exactly makes a good spot good. It really shines for weedlines, hard/soft transitions, mapping out reefs, etc. As mentioned it's great for finding bait too. The images take more time to interpret. I would keep it at the helm though you can mount the ducer on the TM for a poor man's 360. Takes some thinking to interpret the images on the fly and interference seems common. I'm glad I have it though I don't use my electronics enough. I just like to start casting. Muskies aren't afraid to show their location but they suck at letting us know they are about to start biting. |
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Posts: 299
Location: Not where I want to be! | Always use it. The way I use it is this. I always cast off the port side. So I set the side imaging up to only shoot off the port side to a distance of 100ft. Could do starboard, doesn't really matter. I now can see where the weed edge is, pockets in the edge, boulders that are not visible from your vantage point etc. That way I can keep the boat at a distance to where I know where the weed edge is and can keep my casts/lures where they need to be. I know what the distance my average casts are and position the boat accordingly. |
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| Some of the best features of side imaging is the ability to make a structure map overlay with it that you can save and overlay the structure on your map. That way I can precisely troll structure, weedlines, drop offs without having to worry about getting too close or far away. All I do is follow the map. You can precisely see how the structure relates to the rest of the area you are fishing when its overlaid on the map. I also use it at night or day to effectively fish the structure like reefs ect without worry about running into it. Works really well in the dark when you cant see where you are.
Side imaging has many purposes and is a tool that should be available always. |
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Posts: 470
Location: Blaine, MN | wavridr - 1/25/2018 4:41 PM
Always use it. The way I use it is this. I always cast off the port side. So I set the side imaging up to only shoot off the port side to a distance of 100ft. Could do starboard, doesn't really matter. I now can see where the weed edge is, pockets in the edge, boulders that are not visible from your vantage point etc. That way I can keep the boat at a distance to where I know where the weed edge is and can keep my casts/lures where they need to be. I know what the distance my average casts are and position the boat accordingly.
You have your SI ducer right below your feet then right? I need to look into achieving this, since my SI transducer is 20' behind me when I am up front casting. |
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Posts: 1084
Location: Aurora | Feel free to do a side imaging youtube search.
There's a lot of instructional videos that explain what you're seeing with clear images to back it up and they give good advice on settings to get you started off right. |
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Posts: 1209
| 40 hours at 701-999 rpm, that's over idle, so good chance I was side imagining at 4 mph... so 20 hours a year from the console. I use that boat about 100 times a year |
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Posts: 299
Location: Not where I want to be! | short STRIKE - 1/26/2018 11:37 AM
wavridr - 1/25/2018 4:41 PM
Always use it. The way I use it is this. I always cast off the port side. So I set the side imaging up to only shoot off the port side to a distance of 100ft. Could do starboard, doesn't really matter. I now can see where the weed edge is, pockets in the edge, boulders that are not visible from your vantage point etc. That way I can keep the boat at a distance to where I know where the weed edge is and can keep my casts/lures where they need to be. I know what the distance my average casts are and position the boat accordingly.
You have your SI ducer right below your feet then right? I need to look into achieving this, since my SI transducer is 20' behind me when I am up front casting.
Actually I fish from the back of the boat, so yes it is under my feet. I have tried a friends boat that had the transducer on the bow mount. I didn't think that worked very well because when you turn your trolling mt. (and you're always turning your motor) the side scan image is always changing direction and got a bit blurry and was confusing. I think down imaging works great from the bow when fishing suspended crappie and gills.
Edited by wavridr 1/27/2018 7:59 AM
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Posts: 2753
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | HB 997-SI - I use all three with 3-way split screen- sonar, down imaging and SI when trolling or exploring new lakes. Best investment ever for my boat. You are missing a lot of structure and fish if you have SI and are not using it. Yes, I also use my SI to target fish that are off to the side or hanging on structure, I can even see them in the cabbage, etc.
Have fun!
Al |
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How much do you use side imaging?