Boat set up.

[Susky River Rat]

I am not a big electronics guy. I mainly fish shallow rivers. 5’ and less depth. I am going to be setting up a new boat and am torn about running two console screens. One for side scan only and one with gps/2d. I have side scan on my current one at the console but, barely use it unless I am on a specific hunt for something. I am not looking for brands models etc. I am just looking for if anyone fished similar situations to me and what they do. The cost is not holding me back from doing it. 

 

I do fish lakes every once a while mainly 2000 acres and under. I could see me benefiting more at a lake then a river. I also can say I have used my current sonars to catch fish but, I do not believe side scan has ever aided in that.

[gim]

I almost never use side scan at the bow.  I find it far more useful at the console.  I'm not necessarily looking for fish, I'm more looking for fishy habitat like a rock spine, a single large boulder, or an established weed line.  Side scan on the bow mount doesn't seem to work great either, as the head of the motor is always turning.  I think you are on the right track going with a sonar/GPS unit at the bow.  I mean you could always buy a unit that has side scan capability too and then try it on the unit you put up there.  I just don't think a dedicated second unit for it is worth adding.

[Susky River Rat]

5 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I almost never use side scan at the bow.  I find it far more useful at the console.  I'm not necessarily looking for fish, I'm more looking for fishy habitat like a rock spine, a single large boulder, or an established weed line.  Side scan on the bow mount doesn't seem to work great either, as the head of the motor is always turning.  I think you are on the right track going with a sonar/GPS unit at the bow.  I mean you could always buy a unit that has side scan capability too and then try it on the unit you put up there.  I just don't think a dedicated second unit for it is worth adding.

I have a 2d with gps at the bow and I have a side scan and all the other jazz at the console. I was just thinking about running the two at console in addition to the bow on the new boat. I just do not know how much use I will really get out of the side scan for how I fish since I barely use what I have now.

[casts_by_fly]

Different setup but similar use here.  In my kayak I only have one unit, but I have sitting/running and fishing positions which would correlate to your console and bow.  When I'm 'running', aka sitting down and moving between spots I have side imaging on.  In fact I have side with something else.  My standard is a 2D and DI split box so I can check what I'm seeing on SI in real time.  My other default is SI/GPS when I am mapping and marking waypoints. In both cases I know where I am running to and from most of the time, so I am just watching the underwater world go by and seeing if there is anything interesting to mark. Unless a lake is extra low or high, I am charting depth from the time I leave the ramp so I'm always building up my maps.

 

When I get to fishing position, I am now almost 100% using live imaging.  I turn it on and occasionally look at it.  Most of the time I have it 45 degrees ahead and towards the bank I'm fishing.  That way I can see the weedlines or other cover that's coming up that I might not know about.  Prior to Live, I would put on SI and do the same- keep an eye out for underwater cover- but you're only getting it after you're past it and you have to be moving at .8 mph or so to have any chance of reading the image.  Its better than nothing some times (and its nothing some times).  In a river?  I wouldn't bother unless you're fishing the deeper pools.  At 5' any cone hitting the bottom for DI/2D is going to be about 18" wide.  Side imaging for 5' deep will max out around 50', but be best less than that.

[TOXIC]

On the boat I normally co-pilot, the 2 console units (2, 12 inch) are GPS and 2d when running.  When fishing, the GPS unit is put in standby and the second unit is split screen down scan/side scan for me to look at from the back deck. Front has 3 units, FFS, GPS, side scan/down scan split.  2, 16 inch and 1 10 inch.  On my boat I’m cheap.  I have a 8 up front with down scan side scan and a 9 at the console for split screen GPS, 2d.

[Susky River Rat]

Boat is ordered. Decided for what I do one at the console is best. I can always add later. Hopefully by Labor Day I should have it in my garage!