Tennessee Boy

Since the announcement of Xplore and MEGA Live 2, Humminbird has rolled out software updates and published new manuals for many of their existing products. This makes it easier to understand the direction of their product lines. They have launched a version 5 software update for all Apex series and third-generation Solix units, providing these older models with the new user interface introduced with Xplore. However, this update also renders them incompatible with all Helix and earlier Solix units. The new Xplore devices and the version 5 updates integrate with their One Boat Network strategy. In recent years, Humminbird has been adding programmable One Boat Network buttons to their products and released the One Boat Network mobile app some time ago. The recent changes highlight which products will support the future One Boat Network and which will not. Many users will need to decide if and when they want to fully embrace the One Boat Network, potentially sacrificing compatibility with their older equipment. Personally, I own two first-generation Solix units and one third-generation Solix. Updating the third-generation unit would provide new waypoint management features between the fish finder and the phone app, as well as compatibility with MEGA Live 2. However, this would mean losing compatibility with my two older units and MEGA 360. I hope that MEGA 360 compatibility will be added in the future; otherwise, I may consider switching brands. If I install the version 5 software update on my 3rd gen Solix, I cannot downgrade to the previous version. There will be a lot of Humminbird user that have recently spent thousands of dollars on products that are quickly becoming obsolete. It will be interesting to see how these developments unfold.

Prayers sent 🤞

The high end fish finders have all of the features you mention but only have one screen. Your screen can be divided into different views so you can view multiple things at once. Those who have multiple fish finders are doing it for the additional screen real estate. It depends on how thick the vegetation is and many other factors but generally it's hard to see fish in vegetation. That's a tough question. They all have some strengths and weaknesses but in general they all get the job done. Unfortunately, there's no Toyota in this market.😊

I can’t think of a single expensive thing I’ve lost overboard. I’ve kicked a few rods out of the boat but I’ve always managed to fish them out of the water. I kicked one out at night in 15 feet of water. I had a marker buoy at my feet that I tossed out immediately. I tied on a treble hook and hooked the rod on the first try. On more occasions than I really like to admit, I’ve cut my main line instead of the tag and tossed the untethered lure into the water never to be seen again.😮

I haven't connected all the dot yet but I'm convinced this incident is somehow connected to the drones that are currently terrorizing New Jersey. 😆

MEGA 360 and LakeMaster maps are the only reason I’m still a Humminbird user. If I had to choose between 360 and FFS I would go with FFS but it would be a difficult decision. There are many days when 360 is more useful than FFS. 360 and FFS compliment each other very well. Remember the FFS beam is 20 degrees wide so when you see something 30 feet out it’s somewhere within a 10 foot arc. My moving the beam back and forth you can narrow it down but with 360 you can see exactly where it is. When using both it’s great having a horizontal view and a live vertical view at the same time. FFS in landscape mode is useful but it leaves a lot to be desired. The 360 beam is 86 degrees wide. The FFS beam is 20 degrees wide and in landscape mode they stretch the image it so it looks like 360 but you are seeing a lot less water. This image represents what water you are actually seeing with each.

I don't think they even have their own separate catalog since Bass Pro Shops bought them and cabalas.com and basspro.com appear to have identical content. Before the buyout I did order stuff from Cabelas and I bought my Ranger boat from them.

We really shouldn’t talk about battery life in terms of years. It’s more about usage. Getting married doubled the life of my batteries. 😁

Humminbird has an enormous gap in their fish finder offerings. The high end Xplore without a transducer is $2500. The next step up is the low end Apex at $4000. You gotta think they plan to fill this gap soon with a 14 inch Xplore or a 10 inch Apex or both.

I launched on the Stones river for the first time this year. Unfortunately, I left my brain at home. I forgot my long rope to tie up at the ramp so I just spot locked the boat about 10 feet out while I parked the truck. I had several things in my hand as I walked back down to the boat. The trolling motor remote was not one of them. I went back to the truck to get the remote and it was not there. I searched for 30 minutes trying to find where I dropped it. Couldn’t find it so I had to swim out to the boat. I fished for an hour or so but I was wet and mad that I had lost a $100 remote. I left early and spent more time looking but never found the stupid remote. I like the area and caught a few fish. I’m looking forward to going back with my brain sometime.

There will probably be a bunch of used Humminbird that are not compatible with ML2 hitting the market soon. Great buying opportunity for those who are not interested in FFS.

I guess misunderstand your earlier comments about winter fishing. Sounds like you’ve had success in the past.

Digging through the Hummingbird website I found this. So it looks like the Xplore will have more in common with Apex/Solix than Helix. As a Solix user this makes me happy but I feel sorry for the guy who just bought a new Helix 15 and has no way to put it on the same network with a MEGA Live 2 compatible unit.

@Blue Raider Bob have you fished the Cumberland around the Stones River in the Winter?

I have target lock. It's okay. I like that I can use spot lock, and auto pilot on my trolling motor without giving up control of my mega live. Other than that it's kind of a pain to use.

They put some time into creating a good user interface on the Xplore. The interface on the Solix/Apex line was not well designed so this looks like an improvement. The waypoint management looks great. I spend a lot of time looking at Lakemaster maps on my iPad. It has been infuriating to me that waypoint management between the app and the units was not integrated. They FINALLY fixed this!!! The biggest remaining question for me is will the Xplore be compatible with my existing Solix units on the network. If they are, I'm sold. If not then they are forcing me to transition to a new platform. If I have to make this transition then I might as well consider all of the new platforms available to me which include Garmin and Lowrance.

You could switch the charger leads on the batteries.

I think you're gonna need to get your hands on a multimeter. 😊

Looking a little closer at the Xplore, there are a lot of differences from the Solix/Helix. If it's unable to share data with my existing Solix units I'll be a very unhappy former customer.

You're thinking on a higher level. 👍 The guy who bought it said he was going to eat the banana. In other words a guy with more money than he knows what to do with went to an art gallery without eating breakfast first. Dance is considered art so why can't dancing a lure be considered art?

I would call a banana taped to a wall art. I would call paying millions of dollars for a banana taped to a wall stupid. 😊

It's been too cold to fish this week so I need a good philosophical winter fishing discussion. So here's the question. Is Bass fishing more art or science? Music is something most people think of it as an art, but it wouldn’t exist without the science of sound—the physics of waves, acoustics, and harmonics. Similarly, bass fishing wouldn’t be what it is without the science of fish behavior, biology, weather patterns, and lure dynamics. Yet, there’s no denying the art in how we approach it—the intuition, the creative lure presentations, the personal style that makes each angler unique. So let’s start by acknowledging upfront: bass fishing is undeniably both an art and a science. It’s a pursuit that blends creativity, instinct, and skill with knowledge, research, and experimentation. But which is it more of? So, I want to hear from you: when you think about bass fishing, does it lean more toward art with its endless possibilities for creative expression, or is it more of a science, rooted in principles and logic? I hope this sparks some thoughtful discussion that will get me through this cold spell. 😊

I should have said I've never seen surface temperature below 40 on my fish finder. That's because it doesn't happen often and when it does I'm not in my boat to see it. We do occasionally have some ice on the lakes. The ramp closes to my house iced up last year for several days.

I don't think you would get in trouble in Tennessee for releasing fish into your own pond. Bob stated that he's planning to release a dozen or so bass from his pond into public waters. The authorities would frown on that because it could introduce deceases and there is also the possibility that someone might not know what species they are actually releasing.

I would encourage you to rethink this. It's illegal to move fish from one body of water to another plus the number of fish you will have in your possession will be over the daily limit. I would eat them instead. They are very tasty. 😊