How important are graphs on the finger lakes?

[bclark7b]

I just got a boat last year and it has an old humminbird graph. It pretty much only helps me with temp and depth. I'm considering getting a side imaging helix 5 for the front of the boat. I'm just wondering how important a graph is on the finger lakes? Will spending that money actually help me find good spots to throw to?  

[A-Jay]

Anything may be better than nothing but I'd encourage you to 'do your home work'.

Finding the unit that suits your needs and the way you fish will make a big difference in how helpful any unit ends up being.

If you've not done so already, visit a retailer that has plenty of different units - Hands-on is a great way to determine which & how big a unit is right for you.

Good Luck.

A-Jay 

[Scott F]

For me, accurate mapping is many times more helpful to me than side or down imaging.  Being able to locate underwater humps, drop offs, points, etc, quickly and accurately has helped me catch a LOT more fish than side imaging. Once I know where I want to fish, depth and temp are the only thing I look at.

[ww2farmer]

Side imaging will do you ZERO good on the bow, unless you want to idle around with the TM in the water and have a giraffe neck to look at that screen way up there. Even when I fish on boats with all the bells and whistles on the front graph. 99% of the time I use traditional 2d sonar, and if I split the screen, its with 2d sonar and the mapping screen. I generally run other peoples boats when we fish together, because.....well....not to brag, but there are few people I fish with that can run a TM and keep us where we need to be to catch fish because they have no idea how to read a graph, and/or correlate what the are seeing on the graph to boat positioning. As a new boater, I think you should get a quality 5" or 7" color screen for your bow, with 2d sonar, and gps mapping. Down and side scan are best left to the console graph to be used as tools while idling around looking for stuff IMHO. With a good 2d/GPS unit, you can learn how to follow contour lines,  find and follow submerged grass lines you can't see with your eyes, learn how to retrace productive trails, learn how to tell soft from hard bottom on 2d sonar, learn how to mark and fish waypoints with the TM and bow graph, and you'll be ahead of a lot of people.

 

I have fished on several boats the last 2-3 years with newer graphs than what I have, and I'm telling you the best bang for the buck right now is the Garmin Striker Plus series. Humminbird Helix units do not impress me in the least. The only advantage I see in the Humminbird units is the ability in the larger screen models to link up with Minn Kota spot lock trolling motors via the i-pilot link tech. All the 5" and 7" Helix units I have used/seen are just mehhhh to me. And the newer Lowrance stuff is even less impressive. As soon as funds allow, 2 new Garmins are going on my boat to replace my dated Lowrance gen 1 Elite series units.