Posted 2/11/2014 8:09 AM (#690852) Subject: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN
Considering a very expensive up-grade to my existing (6 year old) bow mounted electronics. I'm willing to go big, provided I can justify the return in terms of more muskies in the boat. So, to those that have already bitten the bullet and laid out the coin for cutting edge electronics, have they provided you the return you had hoped for relative to more and larger muskies in the boat? Can you be more specific to give me an idea of how this new technology will be useful for me? Examples of a muskie catch that resulted directly from your electronic advantage would be most appreciated.
Posted 2/11/2014 8:33 AM (#690854 - in reply to #690852) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI
Well... I probably shouldn't be responding as my electronics are dated and certainly NOT cutting edge:(
fishing with friends that DO have the new cool stuff, however, I've noticed a few advantages of side imaging technology. First and foremost, it significantly reduces the time needed to master a landscape. You can position your boat correctly "first time through" an area. Example: with my older technology I need to drive my boat along a weed edge to lay a trail or drop some icons PRIOR to fishing the spot. With side imaging you know where the weedline/breakline is at all times. No need to dirve it first.
Same goes for marking the honey. Yes, you can zig zag around and locate a crib, for example, and drop an icon on it for future use.... but side imaging not only speeds up that process... it will help you find structures you never new existed.
Is it worth the money? I dunno. But if given the option, I'd upgrade in a heartbeat.
Posted 2/11/2014 8:36 AM (#690855 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 32922
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin
Side Imaging is one of the biggest advancements in my fishing to date. Down imaging shows me exactly what I am going over in perfect relief, so a bunch of branches that use to be a somewhat solid signal is a tree top with a few small fish, etc.
Posted 2/11/2014 9:04 AM (#690861 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: Eastern Ontario
I have watched A well known Montreal guide troll along make a U turn and make a reverse pass 60 feet or so over from where he was and immediately pick up a fish so I assume he marked the fish on side scan I know he uses it.
Another Lowrance guru who sells electronics and fishes tournaments tells me he uses his depthfinder while prefishing and turns off his depthfinder and uses only his chart and icons during the tournament. He believes todays high powered units can put down fish.
I have fished my home lake for 25 years and have no need of a depthfinder, when fishing new water wouldn't be without depthfinder GPS and paper charts.
Posted 2/11/2014 8:42 PM (#691021 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 791
Location: WI
I agree with side imagining being an awesome tool. That being said for a bow mount you will be using the readings from the back of the boat. I bought a lowrance elite 7hdi last year for the front of my boat. It has a bow mount transducer and and gives you down scan, standard sonar or overlay all from one transducer. Also a 7" wide screen all for under 700 bucks. I have mine linked to my other graph also to share info and way points. Best bang for the buck I think.
If you already have side scan by another unit and link them.
Posted 2/11/2014 8:46 PM (#691025 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
My ideal configuration:
put an HDS-12 on the bow, networked to a HDS-9 on the dash, put in Go-free so you can WIFI to an Ipad that I mount for others fishing in the boat that I have a Rammount for; next, put a 36V Motorguide Xi5 on the bow that will connect to your Lowrance network, might as well put Spotlight Scan (http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Products/Sonar/SpotlightScan-Sonar-en-us.aspx) on so you can image wherever you're headed, and top it off with Sonichub to have good tunes from your iPhone (which will also connect to the network via the GoFree) and the football game on while you're casting. Done deal, you'll love it.
Once you have a Touch you'll never go back to buttons.
Posted 2/11/2014 10:30 PM (#691057 - in reply to #690855) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
sworrall - 2/11/2014 8:36 AM
Side Imaging is one of the biggest advancements in my fishing to date. Down imaging shows me exactly what I am going over in perfect relief, so a bunch of branches that use to be a somewhat solid signal is a tree top with a few small fish, etc.
X2 with what Steve said, very well stated!
I would add that having state of the art electronics in an average boat will help you catch more fish than having a state of the art boat with 6 year old electronics. With that said; I'm supremely confident that I have identified and caught muskies using the Lowrance side scan, and as been previously stated, the side scan will also maximize search time too.
You asked for specifics and this past September the Lowrance structure scan pay dividends when I pointed out to what I was confident was a cruising muskie off the starboard side to my friend Phil (there's a bit of a learning curve there obviously), and we both watched the planner boards on that side closely.
We didn't see anything with the boards but one of the reels strangely made 2-4 kind slow dull clicks and if we weren't watching so closely, we would have probably just wrote it off as a weed or something. However, I immediately turned the boat port and canned it just to be on the safe side and bingo, we ended up catching a nice fish that we might not have caught otherwise.
It was one of those defining moments when everything just kind of comes together and afterward we just kind of looked at each other like “did that really just happen?” So, I wholeheartedly recommend you spend the extra money for the cutting edge electronics of your choice… my spotlight scan is back ordered.
Posted 2/12/2014 8:35 AM (#691096 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1095
Location: Hayward, WI
I think the new Auto Chart and Insight Genesis are going to be extremely helpful. It will give you the most accurate mapping possible and make it easier see how the lake is laid out. I will be playing with the Auto Chart this summer and can't wait for open water to give it a try.
Posted 2/12/2014 1:37 PM (#691183 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 444
Location: Duluth, MN
I'm also thinking about upgrading to side scan. The biggest question i have is if you are drifting down a shoreline lets say 50 feet out if there was a musky sitting next to a small rock pile say 20 feet from shore would you be able to tell that was a fish sitting there? Or if you are going past a dock would you be able to see that there are fish under the dock or if there is nothing there?
Posted 2/12/2014 3:24 PM (#691206 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1084
Location: Aurora
December 2013/January 2014 Musky Hunter article, "The High Tech Musky Hunter" may address some of your questions.
Good tips on using some of the new equip with a focus on introducing more biggies to the net.
Couldn't find it on their website so it may be a mag only read.
Posted 2/12/2014 4:33 PM (#691219 - in reply to #690852) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 994
Location: Minnesota: where it's tough to be a sportsfan!
Gotta throw in one of the coolest things I've seen in along time. A buddy of mine got his new unit Big One and he's all hyped for open water. So he goes into his shop mounts the bracket on a temporary mount (2X4) and hooks it up to a battery. Now he sits for days with coffee, Owners manual in hand, computer and unit running. Then he gets all his waypoints from his computer, and loads them into his unit.
I've had my units a couple of years and can still come across things it does I did not know about & looking for things it cannot do. He hit the water an expert!
Posted 2/12/2014 4:51 PM (#691222 - in reply to #691219) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
Here's one more thing to do over winter. Pick a few new lakes you want to fish, get yourself a copy of PC software like Lowrance Insight Planner, mark up the lakes in the software creating waypoints and routes you want to run, export them and import them onto your Lowrance equipment, and you have a great plan to execute on new lakes!!
Posted 2/13/2014 3:42 PM (#691448 - in reply to #691219) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
jakejusa - 2/12/2014 4:33 PM
Gotta throw in one of the coolest things I've seen in along time. A buddy of mine got his new unit Big One and he's all hyped for open water. So he goes into his shop mounts the bracket on a temporary mount (2X4) and hooks it up to a battery. Now he sits for days with coffee, Owners manual in hand, computer and unit running. Then he gets all his waypoints from his computer, and loads them into his unit.
I've had my units a couple of years and can still come across things it does I did not know about & looking for things it cannot do. He hit the water an expert!
Along the same lines; buy another power cord, hook that up to a fused cigarette lighter plug so you have the option to tidy up your icons/etc. on the road as well.
Posted 2/13/2014 4:08 PM (#691456 - in reply to #690852) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
Think it is more helpful for other fish that you park on top of and jig for. I mean is seeing a perch fart in 40 feet of water going to help me catch a muskie? I do think you can target individual fish with side scan if you are good. At the end of the season will it add up to more fish? If your fishing the same lake for the last 29 years prolly not. If your fishing new water it will at least help you learn it faster. The bigger challenge for me is getting fish to bite. I have a good idea where they are most times. If it`s the same guide I'm thinking of he knew that fish was there all along. He`s just making it look like he saw it on the sonar first to look extra smart.
Posted 2/13/2014 4:43 PM (#691463 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: Eastern Ontario
That's what he feels and I have heard it from others. I can hear and feel my transducer so I am sure fish can hear or feel it. It is probably more of an issue on pressured waters for shallow casting presentations. Jocelyn is a Bass guy but his U tube
Lowarance seminars are worth watching.
Posted 2/16/2014 2:33 AM (#691822 - in reply to #691448) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin
Jerry Newman - 2/13/2014 3:42 PM
Along the same lines; buy another power cord, hook that up to a fused cigarette lighter plug so you have the option to tidy up your icons/etc. on the road as well.
Posted 2/16/2014 9:04 AM (#691838 - in reply to #691822) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 2370
Location: Chisholm, MN
One thing about side imaging is that you can actually see a fish follow with in before you can physically see the fish. I've seen spitting images of muskies on SI following a bulldog deep. A lot of times the fish never showed itself besides on the SI, which told me that we get a lot more follows that we actually see physically.
Posted 2/16/2014 9:50 AM (#691842 - in reply to #691838) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota
I bought my first new boat in 05 till then all ways used my dads boat. had 5" depth finders I said wish I would have bought bigger .in 2012 up graded boat bought 2 HB 1198 SI I did not want to be saying " wish I would of " do they help me catch more fish hard to say. do I like them better that is a big yes, have them hooked up to trolling motor set speed depth then just fish. spot lock is also very nice ,
Although it's not state-of-the-art this used Lowrance Gen2 HDS 10 & HDS7M on Ebay has a lot of the same bells/whistles as the touch including structure scan, it will probably sell at an affordable price and hold it's value for a couple years.
Posted 2/16/2014 6:47 PM (#691942 - in reply to #691867) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
I think seeing fish is a bonus and most primarily use the Lowrance structure scan to save time on the water. For you guys that are considering one, it’s not just seeing things and fish off to the side, it's also knowing exactly what's under your boat as Steve touched on (I think he uses bird 360 imaging).
A good example of the difference between the new and old technology happened a couple of years ago when I was fishing with an excellent fisherman who was not yet familiar with structure scan, but was very familiar with the LCX because he was running one in his boat for years. We were shallow water trolling in an area we had both fished a lot in the past looking for emergent weeds in my boat using an LCX for the map/icons/depth, and a HDS for the down and side scan.
The excellent fisherman pointed to what he thought was weeds below the boat on the LCX, and I pointed to the blank bottom on the down scan of the HDS informing him it was for sure a false signal on the LCX. After some talk, we mutually agreed that at times in the past we had both been fooled by false readings… usually from having the sensitivity to high. I'm definitely no expert with these things, but would conclude that I have a serious edge now from when I didn't have the structure scan.
Posted 2/16/2014 9:47 PM (#691977 - in reply to #691950) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
muskyrat - 2/16/2014 7:25 PM
Not to bust your chops but don`t your lures find the weeds shallow water trolling?
Bust away Andy... but not so much with "emergent" weeds unless spoon plugging style. I'd guess everyone reading this has at one time or another gotten a false read off their sonar?
Posted 2/17/2014 7:42 AM (#692022 - in reply to #691977) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
No doubt HDS is pretty awesome. I swear you could find your sun glasses if they fell in. If you fish a lot and can afford one get it because it will just make they day more fun and you will learn something. Would it help me catch more fish? No because like people from a lot of places my state has a few small muskie waters I have fished for 20 years or more. I`m sure the same holds true for people in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, KY, PA. I pretty much know what I`m going to do before I get to the lake. It really does not matter what kind of boat or sonar I have my day will be the same. I want to cover water so the fish can find my lure. The idea of looking around the lake for muskie with my side scan and then casting to them just does not jive with my overall philosophy. I had this argument with a guy in my club who insists HDS is something everybody needs. Now a friend has it and it does look cool but we still fish exactly the same as we always have. I mean if your trolling LSC are you going to do anything different than you always did if you go HDS? No it will just look cooler. If you can`t find weeds bait and whatever with a six year old color unit you are using it wrong.
Posted 2/17/2014 12:00 PM (#692078 - in reply to #692022) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
Haha, good stuff with the sunglasses... but I'm the old guy who's supposed to be set in his ways dude ? :).
Full disclosure; I used to think along those same lines until I began updating my antiquated equipment, and cannot imagine fishing without Structure Scan now. I think we are basically comparing an Impala and a Corvette here… yes, the Corvette looks a lot cooler but it will also outperform the Impala by a wide margin. However, one must be able step on the gas and be able to handle the Corvette to really appreciate the performance differences.
I hear what you're saying though, and I can't really comment on casting with SS. However, I can comment with a lot of insight on the advantages it has for muskie trolling, in a word… enormous.
You mentioned trolling weeds; I can map out a new area much more efficiently now, and the map will have greater detail than before too. I don't know about you, but I not only want to know where the weeds begin and end, points ect., but also where they are thicker and wider. On one particular body of water that I already had hundreds of hours on before SS, I basically ended up redoing my map… honestly, it was a little painful to find out how much I was missing before SS.
I don't do a lot of open water trolling, but locating and keeping track of baitfish with SS “almost” gives you an unfair advantage, but to each their own and I can certainly appreciate the fact that this stuff ain't cheap too.
Posted 2/17/2014 12:16 PM (#692082 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN
Well, I can find weeds and bait and even muskies right below my boat with my older color unit, but wondering if technology hasn't passed me by, reducing the opportunities that I would otherwise have with cutting edge technology. I'm a caster 100% of the time and want to be able to see a rock hump or a weed clump or a suspended muskie out in front or beside my boat before I run it over with the trolling motor. That, to me, sounds appealing, but wondered if that has been the experience of musky casters who have already invested in these new toys. As I've gotten older, I find my theories (e.g., that I will catch more muskies with these units) and my actual real world experience don't always go hand-in-hand. Don't need another expensive lesson. Still weighing the ROI on this...
Posted 2/17/2014 3:01 PM (#692126 - in reply to #692085) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
Full discloser I`m am old and old school. Took me a long time ever figure out how display the stupid temp on my unit. I don`t doubt that in the hands of the rite person doing certain things it will help catch more fish. I mean if you like fishing docks it will help you find fish and avoid ropes it`s that detailed. I still think it will help more for Bass and fish your trying to drop a jig on but no doubt I`m behind the curve as well. People use this technology in different ways too. When I went to Canada my buddy asked why I wasn`t marking way points to set a trolling route? I told him I don`t want to troll a bunch of strait lines from here to there I want to follow a contour. I just leave the past path line and adjust my route by that on consecutive passes. Some people love technology upgrades others fear them. Now I have to install it and learn 400 new commands and keystrokes is my fear. I would rather chill out and smoke a cigar while using my old reels and way too short rods watching my less that thrilling screen. I`m sure somebody has used it to improve the catch rate on muskies. It sure can`t hurt. Andy
Posted 2/17/2014 9:28 PM (#692222 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
If you want to look ahead, take a look at the Spotlight Scan. On Lowrance's site, under Support/Video Library, there is a video on it. Frankly, I'd suggest taking an hour to watch all their videos on HDS and Sonar. I personally am going to spend some time looking into the Insight Planner s/w, and my favorite lake is going to get recorded with Insight Genesis. http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Support/Video-Library/
Posted 2/18/2014 10:29 AM (#692299 - in reply to #692222) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
We just got another 5” of snow here, and I must say this cold and snowy winter has provided yet another layer of respect from me for you guys from the more northern regions… I honestly don't know how you do it. Old man winter, will you ever release your icy grip to make way for thickening weed beds and the great toothy one?
I think that Cyber's comment to watch the videos is an outstanding suggestion.
I typically don't like to comment on something I do not have a direct knowledge with. However, when I read Kirby's post, I instantly thought about casting at night with the structure scan/spotlight scan dialed in to help pick up follows.
I think it's a pretty neat concept and although I have no experience with it, I don't see why it would not have some very viable muskie applications in that regard. Perhaps somebody familiar with casting with the Bird 360° imaging can chime in with more detail?
For you guys who are interested in the Lowrance spotlight scan, a bit of a heads up… I ordered one in January and it is back ordered until 3-7 (hopefully). I don't know if there's going to be a shortage, but I also didn't want to take a chance waiting until May to order just in case.
Brian, I have friends who were that good with their sonar, and it was truly amazing to watch! I just never got to that level of confidence with them, and super glad that's in the rearview mirror for me now. That is going to be a tough call for someone with your ability... but nothing lasts forever either eh'.
Frank, I honestly have no idea on that number per unit, but can tell you that trolling with the SS was a real game changer for me… it even changed the way I make my trolling passes, and it keeps me running optimally a greater percentage of the time.
For instance; I can precisely first run one side of my board lures through the “spot and spot” just in case they're not into a prop wash bite that day. So, not only is finding those little gems more efficient, SS then allows an astute angler to literally pick them apart differently depending on conditions.
Andy, like your friend recommended to you, I rely heavily on icons to help make better trolling passes. One thing I am hugely disappointed with is the way that Lowrance reconfigured the icons/waypoints with the HDS… but that's a whole other topic.
Posted 2/18/2014 10:43 AM (#692304 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 286
Location: Eagan, MN
Last fall, JLong and I found a ton of deep water musky suspended with some bait. We floated directly over dozens of muskies in this area and yo-yo'd our baits in their faces when the opportunity presented itself. Out of dozens of fish that saw our yo-yo'd presentation, only three struck. Was the fact that we caught so few of these fish relative to what was there a lure presentation failure? Or, as JLong suggested at the time, a shortcoming of our downward looking, traditional electronics? He surmised that the fish were getting turned-off by the close proximity of the boat directly over their heads. For the fish suspended higher in the water column, that might have been 10' or so. In this example, could those fish have been spotted on a 360 degree transducer, allowing us to present a lure to them from a greater distance? I'm hopeful that the answer is 'yes', but need to have (what we call at work) some independent, third-party validation. Is anyone using their side imaging/360 capabilty in this way?? Could we see a fish, say, suspended 10' down over 26' of water, for example, and cast directly to the fish? Would we know what depth that fish was holding at if 60 feet off the port side of the boat? These are musky-specific questions I'm seeking to answer.
Posted 2/18/2014 12:27 PM (#692338 - in reply to #692308) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI
Well... one of those three fish BrianF caught that night was a whopper at 53 inches.... and the other two were nothing to sneeze at either. I'm afraid to think how badly he will out-fish me in the future if he upgrades to today's newer technologies. Good thing musky fishing is a TEAM sport!
Vertical jigging muskies 25 feet down over 30 feet of water is a new frontier for me. A Frontier that I think today's technologies will help us explore more efficieintly and effectively. Are the guys on the Detroit River using this technology to compliment their Bondy Bait presentations?
Posted 2/18/2014 9:43 PM (#692477 - in reply to #692338) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
I must see a hundred for every one I catch trolling. Does not seam efficient to find one fish and cast to it but that's just me. Jerry I just don`t get trolling point to point when I have a map overlay to keep me on the breakline or whatever I want to fish. Why troll point to point like a stiff robot? The lake contour is fluid and you can`t make proper trolling runs simply driving from point to point. You can no way replicate one of my trolling runs by marking waypoints. Unless you want to set two hundred waypoints per mile.
Posted 2/19/2014 9:54 AM (#692519 - in reply to #692477) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
Andy, you're going to laugh but 200 icons per trolling mile sounds about right. I don't troll contour lines, I troll saved icons… and crazy town or not, about the only time I even look at the contour lines is when I’m checking out a new lake/area.
Now laying down that many icons would obviously be a huge hassle for a caster, but is a piece of cake for a troller, and anymore it’s nearly automatic for me to drop and adjust icons while rolling along. Obviously my “icon maps” are always being adjusted, and therefore actually change quite a bit as the season progresses.
A friend of mine bought the latest greatest with a map chip for a 2000 acre lake we frequented a while back. He was anxious to try it and had his unit set up with the cigarette lighter deal, so we had it running in my boat alongside my Lowrance that I already had the entire 15’ break line marked out with icons from previous trips (about 900+ icons).
We were both hoping for something new, but after a couple of hours we ended up just shutting his unit off because the map chip contour lines were not nearly as accurate or useful for what we are doing. With that said; I have seen some very accurate contour lines (especially in the Great Lakes), and it's obviously always something you to have to start with in a new area.
Regarding fishing fish (that sounds kind a funny) seen on the sonar; I think my percentages are little better than that but still pretty dismal, and although I can certainly spot fish on a LCX sonar, I can’t really tell the difference between a muskie and brown trout for instance. I'm pretty sure we saw the heaviest fish ever in my boat on the LCX just before she hit, but my fish ID confidence level isn't even in the same league as identifying fish with structure scan.
Posted 2/19/2014 11:27 AM (#692522 - in reply to #692519) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
Brian-Jason, that’s pretty cool next level stuff there! I think you need to consider taking your electronics to the next level with side imaging (for research purposes only of course), and if the Bird 360° imaging is the same as structure scan, you will absolutely be able to spot those fish in front of and off to the side while casting once you get acclimated. I'm thinking the Lowrance spotlight scan should also be a viable consideration, and even though I'm confident the technology is solid, it remains to be seen.
BTW, that complete 2 unit set-up of a HDS Gen2 10 and 8 with structure scan ended up going off on eBay for $2150 shipped (the nice Cisco mounts were also available), if you add in a spotlight scan you're looking at a $2500 investment to have some pretty high-tech components.
I've been selling these HDS units for a friend in the industry and confident that the HDS Gen2 push button units will continue to hold their value too, even the somewhat antiquated HDS Gen1 and even the LCX 111-113 units are still holding pretty fair value because people simply love those big screens.
I sold a used HDS 10 Gen2 on eBay for almost $1500 a year ago (no SS), so that eBay deal was very solid, and it would be an easy switch down the road to a touch screen. I’ll also be selling some touch 12s and 9s this spring, if your are interested please feel free to PM me for a good deal on some new units.
Oh, and you guys both forgot to mention which lake that was, I think that's necessary before I can provide any further insight... Haha! I sincerely hope this helps.
Navico SonarHub Sounder Module with TM150M Transom Mount Transducer - The compact SonarHub sounder module provides an all-in-one solution for adding best-in-class StructureScan HD and CHIRP sonar capabilities to compatible Lowrance HDS and Simrad NS series multifunction displays.
An easy-to-install, plug-and-play, all-in-one network solution - the SonarHub™ Sounder Module makes it easier than ever to identify productive fishing areas with connectivity to the latest sonar technologies for Lowrance HDS and Simrad NS displays - including CHIRP and StructureScan HD imaging - as well as the Lowrance SpotlightScan™ bow-mounted solution for HDS Gen2 models.
• Compact, all-in-one sonar module delivers StructureScan HD and CHIRP sonar technologies.
• CHIRP sonar with Airmar TM150M or B150M transducers delivers extremely efficient pulse generation that provides improved target resolution and noise rejection, as well as wide coverage for perfect arches that clearly identify fish targets.
• StructureScan HD offers best-in-class, side-scanning range and resolution, plus DownScan Imaging™ to provide crystal-clear, picture-like views of what's beneath your boat.
• Optional transducers include Airmar TM150M and B150M single-channel CHIRP transducers, existing StructureScan HD transducers, and the SpotlightScan™ surround-scanning sonar transducer.*
• Plug-and-play compatibility with Lowrance HDS Gen1 (not including SpotlightScan™ and CHIRP sonar), HDS Gen2 and Gen2 Touch fishfinder/chartplotter models, and Simrad NSO,NSE and NSS series multifunction displays.
Edited by Jerry Newman 2/21/2014 10:25 AM
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Posted 2/19/2014 11:51 AM (#692523 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
I agree that contour lines may not be the best/most reliable path for trolling or to follow for casting. I also agree about dropping lots of waypoints, or what I regularly do is make trails. Next, what you can do is turn the trail into a route, and then with a new Xi5 Motorguide that will follow a route once it's integrated to Lowrance, you can let the boat do the driving, so to speak, from following your prior trail, and have a more foot-free approach to casting. Plus, the new Xi5 has a wireless foot control, so you aren't tethered to the bow of the boat. Then, keep the remote on clipped to your belt, and when the fish strikes, hit the pinpoint anchorlock button and the boat will stay on spot.
Posted 2/19/2014 9:24 PM (#692675 - in reply to #692523) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
Well the contour lines on the St. Lawrence are almost perfect. Charts on my local lakes are not up to par but I don`t use GPS much on those waters. When I see someone on my local waters catch more and bigger than me in less time using HDS, then maybe I consider the upgrade. Remember that was the question. Will they help catch more muskies? I have not seen that. Really fun to debate this issue I must admit.
Posted 2/21/2014 10:08 AM (#693017 - in reply to #692675) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
I'm not really looking for a debate… just sharing information. It will be interesting to see how this Lowrance spotlight scan stacks up against the Bird 360° imaging.
I really like the idea of the Xi5 too, but that will not integrate with the spotlight scan because it is only compatible with a cable controlled bow mount. My 2014 game plan is to troll with my bow mount down and locked into position to see what's coming, and although my focus is obviously trolling now, I was an avid caster for my first 25 years and could only dream (and did) of having something as cool as this back in the day… it’s kind of weird that it's going to be reality now.
Posted 2/22/2014 2:41 PM (#693265 - in reply to #691222) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 192
cyberfish - 2/12/2014 4:51 PM
Here's one more thing to do over winter. Pick a few new lakes you want to fish, get yourself a copy of PC software like Lowrance Insight Planner, mark up the lakes in the software creating waypoints and routes you want to run, export them and import them onto your Lowrance equipment, and you have a great plan to execute on new lakes!!
Can you use this software to create a pre-saved track for the Motor Guide Xi5? I know it is supposed to store 10 tracks for future use. My assumption is you have to physically run the track and then save it for repeating later. It would be really cool if you could create it on the computer before you head to the lake.
Posted 2/23/2014 7:23 AM (#693372 - in reply to #690852) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 455
Going to the boat show today. Will check out the new units. Why do people split the screen with the standard color LCX and HDS? Why not go full screen HDS? Is the cone wide enough or do you have to use it with side scan to get the full picture. Guess I'll ask the Lowrance dude.
Posted 2/23/2014 7:28 AM (#693373 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
When I set up my screen, I normally put Side Scan all the way across the bottom of the screen, and then put a chart and either sonar or Downscan above it.
Posted 2/23/2014 8:31 AM (#693390 - in reply to #693278) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 192
cyberfish - 2/22/2014 4:38 PM
Soon you'll be able to do that. Lowrance routes will be run by the Xi5. You can make routes with Insight Planner.
Cool, I'm planning to order a new boat this year and thinking of Lowance HDS Gen2 Touch units with an Xi5.
I have another question. If you pull up to middle portion of a saved route or track and hit the start button what happens? Does it jump right in and continue on or does it try to take you all of the way back to the start of the track?
Also, will it run a saved track in the reverse direction?
Posted 2/23/2014 9:44 PM (#693587 - in reply to #693372) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
muskyrat - 2/23/2014 7:23 AM
Going to the boat show today. Will check out the new units. Why do people split the screen with the standard color LCX and HDS? Why not go full screen HDS? Is the cone wide enough or do you have to use it with side scan to get the full picture. Guess I'll ask the Lowrance dude.
It's to view both the down and side scan at the same time. I mainly use the HDS for the 3-D down and side scan, but it also makes an excellent place to rest my arm while I play with the LCX icon/trails buttons too :). I kind of like the idea of the side scan stretching across the bottom Cyber, and will check that configuration out this spring.
In case someone is wondering; I basically run the LCX units because they're big and cheap (already had), and having 2 of them on board (1 up front) still provides redundancy in case one goes down. They still work excellent for the 2-D stuff, and this way I don't have to mess around with the conversion and resulting numbered waypoints.
If anyone has figured out a way to convert old icons to non-numbered waypoints please share, because one of these years I'm going to have to bite the bullet and go all HDS.
The reason I have the screen set up like that with the helm LCX is to have the GPS screen size as large as possible with a large MPH overlay, the small sliver of sonar comes in handy on the same screen too, especially when running.
Posted 2/24/2014 9:02 AM (#693658 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
A couple things: yes, you'd be able to run the route forwards or backwards, or even start from a point midway into the route.
Lowrance has a rich history of being in the autopilot business, so this is going to be a robust interface.
With regard to the question about changing from numeric way points to alphanumeric: I don't have experience with the former, but I'd be surprised if you couldn't take the exported way points, read them into Insight Planner, rename them and export and import to your new HDS units. I personally name all my important way points. Fish ones are dollar sign images that have the date/time and size of fish that I caught at that way point. By touching it on my HDS, I get the data of the way point displayed. Others commonly get additional text that is important (like that I lost a supertanker on that spot!). HDS Touch makes naming them a breeze, too, since the keyboard pops up on the screen when you are in a text field.
Posted 2/24/2014 9:12 AM (#693660 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 43
Location: Waite Park, MN
Jerry, I just caught your note about the large MPH on the helm screen. Just thought I'd share what I've started doing. With an HDS 10 or 12 on my bow, when I'm running, I put up the "Info" panel on the display, and one of the data elements is speed, so I have that out in front of me as I drive. I have a Warrior 208XRS, so that display is maybe 13-14 feet in front of me, but the data is so big on the screen it is very readable.
I am obsessive about data overlay elements, which is why I was glad that Lowrance went from 5 to 10 items when they went from GEN1 to GEN2. I have most of my engine data elements off the N2K bus on my dash HDS in small font. When I had Mercury on the boat I had a Smartcraft gauge, and when I've had Evinrude I've run I-Command gauges, but I really prefer to have all the data in front of me w/o having to push a button to get another data element on a gauge.
Posted 2/25/2014 4:23 PM (#694116 - in reply to #693820) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
Brian, a trolling motor upgrade is not a requirement, if you are considering the Lowrance spotlight scan, it will only work with a bow mounted cable control anyway.
Cyber, although that probably works good for you, it wouldn't work very well for me because I already have my hands full with 2 large units at the helm. Heck, a third up front would probably be more than could handle… would end up flopping around on the floor of my boat from electronic gizmo overload ?
Posted 2/26/2014 7:10 AM (#694242 - in reply to #690852) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 1906
Location: Oconto Falls, WI
As mentioned the newest MH article brings up a very nice tip with the SI units, and is pretty much what JLong is saying. You can drive along with the SI units and mark structure off to the side. You can then move your cursor over to it on the screen, and lay a waypoint on structure. You no longer have to drive directly over the top of a crib, or sunken log/tree, or rock pile to lay a waypoint. That is a real time saver! I did some of it last year when I finally got up to date with technology, but not nearly enough.
Posted 2/28/2014 8:33 AM (#694850 - in reply to #694797) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 201
JLR - 2/27/2014 10:14 PM
Has anyone used any of the new "create your own map" products? Seems like they might pick up some details that you miss while fishing. Do they help?
I am thinking of picking up the Lakemaster version once they finally release it. It would be nice to be able to use the follow contour feature on DuBay and some other waters here in central Wisconsin. Since they aren't on the newest Lakemaster chips that is the only way I will be able to do it.
Posted 2/28/2014 10:24 AM (#694895 - in reply to #694242) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
CiscoKid - 2/26/2014 7:10 AM
As mentioned the newest MH article brings up a very nice tip with the SI units, and is pretty much what JLong is saying. You can drive along with the SI units and mark structure off to the side. You can then move your cursor over to it on the screen, and lay a waypoint on structure. You no longer have to drive directly over the top of a crib, or sunken log/tree, or rock pile to lay a waypoint. That is a real time saver! I did some of it last year when I finally got up to date with technology, but not nearly enough.
You dont hear of many guys using the structure map feature on Lowrance but it is sweet. No need to follow waypoints if you make a structure map first. The map is overlayed right on your gps map. You just need to record your sidescan images, convert to a map on chip and then overlay. Doesn't allows work and depends on the structure but you can set up some pretty sweet trolling passes and cast some pretty cool structure just based on your map overlay. Works really good at night when you don't want your map cluttered with waypoints. Waypoints don't mark everything and sometimes it is difficult to remember exactly what they mean which moves us to one more feature and that is waypoint management.
Waypoint management is a breeze on the touch units. Add the necessary descriptions and data by just typing on a touch screen keyboard. No need to waste time moving the cursor to one letter at a time and hitting enter. Put whatever you want on your screen and do it fast before you forget with the touch screen.
If you have multiple units this is even better. The Lowrance units share map chips. They share created structure map info too. You can put essential info such as owners manual, fishing regulations, pictures, trolling charts, depth charts whatever you want on a pdf file, store it on a chip, put the chip into the card slot on your Lowrance and have it displayed on the unit. Trolling chats, licenses, anything you want. I used it for my Canada license last year and showed it to a warden. Never worry about forgetting your license again. The wardens were really impressed with it too.
Enjoy the new technology.
Posted 3/1/2014 11:48 AM (#695119 - in reply to #694895) Subject: RE: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
The reason you don't hear about guys using the structure map is because it's pretty advanced technology, not only is the equipment expensive, it looks like it takes a fair amount of skill and effort to get it dialed in too… and I’m not the least bit surprised you are at the front of the curve Jim.
This will be my first year using a touch screen and that structure map deal definitely piques my curiosity right along with the spotlight scan. I'll be trying to shoehorn a 12” touch alongside my old LCX-113 at the helm to have the option of three screens running at the same time on the touch (side-down-spotlight).
But until I get my hands on all of the equipment, and then figure out a way to route the spotlight scan to both the bow and helm, that configuration remains to be seen. My spotlight scan is still back ordered, and I'm not really planning on fooling around with this stuff until the weather breaks, but will post a review once I get the spotlight scan up and running on the water.
Haha, ya I'm still not ready to let go of my trusty 113s and icon maps... as silly as that sounds...
Posted 3/2/2014 8:36 AM (#695305 - in reply to #695122) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Jerry, Once you figure out how to make maps and if you want to troll an edge on it you will need to do the following. The point 1 antenna is a real helper for allowing you to follow the edge. With the heading sensor you can keep the boat following the exact line you need. Just keep the heading line displayed on the map lined up with your marks. You also must use the antenna on your bow unit so that you can make corrections sooner in your coarse. The problem is even though the antenna provides location up to 10 times a second , the fastest the unit updates the map is 1 time per second. This allows for a lag time between actual location and the time the map updates it. The internal antenna is pretty good on the HDS2 units and will provide a fairly accurate location. The point 1 is used for heading, direction and will provide compass readings even when stopped.
The point 1 is normally mounted in the rear of the boat. This is because the trolling motor will cause magnetic interference with it and your heading will be in error. It is also closer to your transducer thus providing more accurate waypoint markings. Use the point 1 for heading and the bow mount for location when trolling.
Posted 3/13/2014 9:27 PM (#699077 - in reply to #695305) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Location: 31
“The video capability will be slick for folks that have underwater cameras and clear water. You can hook your camera from its video output into an adapter cable that feeds into the power on the back of the unit and port video right into your unit.”
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Posted 3/13/2014 9:40 PM (#699080 - in reply to #690852) Subject: Re: Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Posts: 791
Location: WI
The insight genesis software that you are talking about is much easier than you would think. And until you actually load it on your graph it's free. You just start logging on the water with a card in the unit. Keep the files to 45 minutes or so. Then load them onto your computer and it will begin creating a map for you. You can do this all season and buy the software to load it on your graph later or do it as you go. It is more detailed than any other chip you can buy. Yes it takes time to do but say you drift a piece of main lake structure 10 times in a day. You have just created a perfect map of that structure that is your forever. Many if not most of the lakes I fish in northern WI Are not mapped. Now I can make my own!
Cutting Edge Electronics and Muskies
Good thing musky fishing is a TEAM sport! 
