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Posts: 38
| I’m looking at buying a new Humminbird and I would appreciate any opinions on side imaging vs just down imaging. If you’ve used SI is it useful and worth the expense or just nice to have? |
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Posts: 1252
| Side imaging is well worth the extra $$ & cool to look at to boot |
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| I got an SI unit last season and found it very useful. However, the chain I live on is very shallow, with nothing over 20' and with down imaging I get a very small picture of the lake. I wonder if that would not be of more value when on deeper water. |
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Posts: 1423
Location: MN | Side imaging has helped me find and catch fish that I would otherwise not known were there. Can't imagine fishing without it is some situations now. |
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Posts: 380
Location: KY | I too am looking to update my electronics. It gets a little confusing with all the features that are advertised, ultranet, bark, lightning, surround, bla, bla, bla… 
Keep in mind SI only works when your moving so it’s not necessary on the bow for casting. On the console I would not go without SI. It’s a game changer. I currently have an older HB 798 with SI. For me the must-have features are SI, DI, standard sonar for High speed, GPS, & temp. After using a relatively small unit I think screen size matters even more than outboard HP. Now I am holding out for knobs that go to 11.
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Posts: 658
Location: Wisconsin | SI was a big help in trolling last year, and even on LOTW last fall. Amazing to see how some points were set up and islands. I was even able to pick up crappie beds on Bago last spring that I had no idea were there. |
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Posts: 19
| SI is a game changer and if used properly will lead to more fish in the boat. You will find and mark structure you didn't know existed. I have been trolling or jigging many times when folks with just standard sonar can't find any bait but we find it easily with SI. In shallow water like under 8 ft when sonar will struggle to find hooks with narrow cone SI will show you the musky. |
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Posts: 3043
Location: Ashland WI | I can see SI being much more helpful on lakes that aren't mapped well. The lake I primarily fish is very well mapped out on my Lakemaster chip. I don't find structure with SI that is not on the map. I have however, found fish cribs. |
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Posts: 465
Location: On my favorite lake! | I have SI on both console and trolling motor. As long as you are moving it works well. I usually will run split screen of down imaging and standard once I find what I am looking for. Roadbeds , specific rocks , fish cribs , trees etc are highly visible. They just came out with 3rd generation and are trying to dump 2nd . You might find a deal on 2nd. |
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Posts: 22
| Just getting back in to the game and am not completely up to speed on all of the new electronics. Can I assume one can run a Helix Mega SI unit on the console and a non Mega SI unit and non Mega Terrova on the bow that are all configured together? Also any issues networking a Gen 2 to a Gen 3?
Thank you. |
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| 14ledo81 - 2/13/2019 9:01 AM
I can see SI being much more helpful on lakes that aren't mapped well. The lake I primarily fish is very well mapped out on my Lakemaster chip. I don't find structure with SI that is not on the map. I have however, found fish cribs.
Last year was my first with SI. Fishing hot spots had mapped the lake two years before and has a paper map that really did a good job, including cribs. But, late in the fall I was trolling and found two big brush piles someone had put in the lake. It was along a stretch where the road runs right next to the lake so it was not in someone's back yard.
Saw them while trolling and while I did not catch a musky there, did pick up a mid-30s pike. The fish had to have been sitting next to one of the piles. Will for sure make that a spot to hit in the future. |
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Posts: 4
| Lightning - 2/18/2019 4:43 AM
I have SI on both console and trolling motor. As long as you are moving it works well. I usually will run split screen of down imaging and standard once I find what I am looking for. Roadbeds , specific rocks , fish cribs , trees etc are highly visible. They just came out with 3rd generation and are trying to dump 2nd . You might find a deal on 2nd.
Agreed with Lightning. SI isn't even the latest and greatest anymore. For what it's worth, now the real question is whether to go with a forward-looking solution (360 for Humminbird, Spotlight for Lowrance, Panoptix for Garmin).
5-inch HELIX right now well under for SI. Big jump in price to the 7-inch. |
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