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Posts: 21
Location: Auburn Indiana | I have just finished my first year of muskie fishing with what I concider to be good success. Other than my bank account that is. I have got it bad! Before I fished with a muskie guide on a grupon that my wife found (I will always use that againts her for this new habbit). I only fished off shore or out of a canoe for panfish. So my hands on knowledge of fish finders is nill. I would like to hear what features are most often used for fishing these glourious animals. GPS, chartplotting , si, di, sonar? This year I would like to learn how to fish open water & don't want to be overwhelmed with to many options. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | There's a lot that goes into that. If you're fishing small water that you know like the back of your hand, you may not need GPS. But GPS is good for marking fish you've contacted so you can go back and hit them. You can also make your own chart of the bottom by laying icons on weeds, rocks, countours, etc that the stock chart may not show; or like weeds, can move from season to season.
Sonar of course, and temperature is good too. Learn to read your sonar properly and you can see everything you need to know. Color screens are nice to have, but greyscale screens work fine too.
SI/DI is nice, and can really show you things you wouldn't normally see or be able to make out. But remember it's not a replacement for conventional sonar. It's awesome, but far from a requirement.
Don't be afraid of too many features on the unit because if you can't figure out how to use them, or just choose not to, they're not going to hinder you by them not being used. So it really comes down to what you want to spend. You don't need to spend $3,000 on electronics, but I'd advise getting the best you can afford.
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Posts: 373
Location: Maine Township, MN | Nice thing about Lowrance is if you go HDS, you can add the structure scan (si, di) later. Personally, since I stepped up to the structure scan it hasn't put more muskies in the boat, but it puts more walleyes in though! Must be just me but sometimes I have more fun playing with the electronics than actually fishing. It's a new obsession all together! |
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Posts: 538
Location: northern indiana | Send me a pm. I'd be more than happy to get you on the water and show you the ropes. After this crazy ice season we've had my itch has been getting pretty bad. |
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