Wayne P.

eyedabassman, using your present unit for on-plane is a good plan IF you turn it off when off-plane so the two units don't cross-talk on the 2D frequencies. I think we have discussed your mount options before, and you have it covered. Good luck. Rhinio, your GPS antenna mount is way overkill for reception. You could have just put the antenna on the hull and not used the pole. Some even put the antenna under the deck of fiberglass boats where the batteries are so it is closer to the transducer for a more accurate waypoint saving. Some guys don't like to drill holes in their "baby".

Your best setup for on-plane depth readings is with a shoot-thru transducer epoxied in the hull and mount the SI transducer above the hull bottom next to the motor mount. Getting satisfactory depth at speed is difficult with a Hummibird Side Imaging transom transducer with your boat hull type. Do it right the first time and you won't have to redo it.

It depends on the water temp trend to get to those temps. Rising to those temps, a horizontal bait is good. Falling to those temps, a slow bottom bumping presentation seems to work best.

Now your next statements will be "why did I wait so long" and "I want another one with a bigger screen"

Humminbird combo units use Lakemaster and Navionics. Before you buy any mapping software, visit each product's website and check to see if either have the waters you are interested in. If not the software will be worthless to you. The Contour XD built-in mapping may be all you need. Wait until you get the unit/s to check if your waters are included.

I use the 8# mono equivelent diameter superlines on most all my spinning rigs. That is 30# in some and 40# in others. For light/ultra light I use the 6# mono equivelent superlines. Usually that is 20# test in some and 30 in others.

There are two ways to connect the 898 to another Humminbird unit. Some of the 2011 700 series models have the ethernet connection and all of the combo units can be connected with Interlink. One company advertized this week some of the 2010 798 units for about $850 and they are selling fast.

30# superline for me.

luv2fish33, E-mail sent.

I replace bronze, chrome plated, and Triple Grip treble hooks in any color with black chrome Owner Stinger or Owner Tournament Trebles.

Yep, I see a few at the lake very often. None the last couple of months though. There was just 3 boats there Monday, I was one of them.

Yep, I use it with any hook when using heavy tungsten weights so the weight won't damage the knot.

As long as the side of the transducer can be seen from the opposite side of the motor mount it will work OK. It is best to get it as low as possible to eliminate the possibility of getting close range echos from the other side of the motor mount. The tranducer actually "sees" to the water surface, not just horizontally. If your hull is stepped, put the bottom of the transducer even with the step.

Many years ago I had a bass boat with a Johnson GT 150 (heavy motor). I used to fish tidal water a lot and didn't want to idle many yards to get in water deep enough to take off. I used an Attwood fin which is not flat or cupped, it was angled upward. I think they are still made. That allowed me to get on plane in shallower water and saved a lot of tournament time. I could also run a lot slower and stay on plane when conditions warranted. It didn't affect top end speed since most of it was out of the water then.

The most efficient "angle" is direction of intended motion. Basically if you want to go forward, the motor needs to be pointed forward. You won't be getting on plane at high speed to need any trim angle for taking off or after getting on plane.

If you posses adverage common sense, can do simple 12V electrical connections, and can use tools, it very easy. The most unusual adaptation for sonar installations is the way the SI transducer has to function. It has to be mounted on a boat's exterior and be positioned so it can "see" horizontally, unobstructed, to the left and right as well as downward. If you need more specific help, you may e-mail me with your questions and concerns. purdum43@aol.com

I was sight fishing in muddy water last year using Side Imaging. Most of the bass I caught that way were in the 5'-6' depth range. The water visibilty was less than 6". Some of the bass in the same lake were spawing in less than 1'. The temperature of the bottom has the most influence on the spawning depth. I use a remote sensor temp guage to determine the pattern before looking with my electronics or using sight (if I can).

The more shaft you have in the water, the more drag you will create. The motor only needs to be just below the hull bottom to get undisturbed water to the prop.

The modern interpretation is: "According to the column "The Straight Dope," the steering wheel is on the right side of power boats for mechanical reasons. Boat propellers spin clockwise and the torque on the propeller caused the right side of older model boat hulls to rise out of the water. Boat designers placed the steering wheel on the right so that the weight of the boat's operator would keep the boat even in the water."

The best one for you is the one that has the bodies of water that you are interested in. You can go to their websites and check the list to see which one does.

I guess you don't get much do with with the ac part, mostly the h and v, LOL

Faster processor that will allow for quicker mapping functions and more future updates. An ethernet connection for more advanced comunication between like units.

luv2fish, there is a large shore fishing area at the North end with three docks to fish from as well as all around the gravel parking lot. Just go to the lake at the first entrance where the Game Commission sign is and go to the end of the road. The water temp at that end of the lake was 46.4 this morning.

Lowrance used to have emulators to download for their products. Don't know if that is done anymore. I used to use them before I got rid of the units.

Connect the unit directly to the battery by extending the power cable with at least 16 guage wire. You won't get any voltage across the fuse block, you have to check between the fuse and the ground. It still may not support the unit due to the wimpy wire harness causing too much resistance. You may have enough unloaded voltage, but the capacity may not be there. Been there, done that with my Tracker. Do it right the first time and you won't have to re-do it later.