xbacksideslider Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 What models or types are best for shallow water; I want to look at the shoreline from a small boat? Quote
tmier Posted July 19, 2011 Posted July 19, 2011 Gander mountain has a nice hummingbird on sale this week. I needed something smaller to swap between a jon boat and pontoon. I just bought a garmin 300c online and installed it last weekend. I have no idea how to use it but I understand its a process. For you its all about preference. There are many models and price ranges so read the reviews before you buy and search youtube for a demo. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 Define shallow? Usually you would use the graph to track cover, structure, and sometimes fish in 5' or more. Less than that, just use your eyes. Quote
xbacksideslider Posted July 19, 2011 Author Posted July 19, 2011 To define shallow, as said, whenever I can't sight fish, I'd like to be able to look under docks and surface vegatation. I have zero experience with fish finders, having been a shoreline/sight fishman. I gather that a dual scan in one mode, can side look. Also, since my new to me boat is a 14 ft aluminum V hull, I imagine that I should be looking at the "portable" models? Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 Unless you get a Side Imaging unit, you aren't going to "see under docks." What is it that you'd expect to see under a dock? Just cast under there. No bites, move to the next one. Side Imaging is for scanning large areas. Not sure what you mean by "dual scan" but it probably means "dual mode" or wide and narrow beam mixed on the screen. Again, that is below the boat. I know of a few guys that have turned SI units into portables, but I don't think they come like that. What units are you looking at? Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 Unless you get a Side Imaging unit, you aren't going to "see under docks." What is it that you'd expect to see under a dock? Just cast under there. No bites, move to the next one. Side Imaging is for scanning large areas. Not sure what you mean by "dual scan" but it probably means "dual mode" or wide and narrow beam mixed on the screen. Again, that is below the boat. I know of a few guys that have turned SI units into portables, but I don't think they come like that. What units are you looking at? J, Side Imaging is for looking for brush piles and fish under docks and scanning small areas if you want. I have three of those units. I was just helping some anglers a couple of days ago practice for a tournament and all we did was scan docks and channel drops. We already knew what the bottom layout was, we wanted to know where the fish were. Yep, found a bunch and established a couple of patterns without even making a cast. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 Most docks up here, you can toss a $3 jig under a dock to find out if there are fish. Or just look. A $1500+ SI unit seems like overkill. Now, fishing a reservoir with roadbeds, foundations, stone walls, wrecks, etc. SI is the way to go. Quote
Super User SoFlaBassAddict Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 In this situation though, Wayne, the OP mentioned a small boat. I'm assuming it's a jon, crawdad, or some other type of inexpensive boat. As much as I'd like to put an HD unit on my Jon, it just seems overkill as well as not that feasible. I'm going to have to go with what Francho said. In this situation, the only "fish finder" you need is the one attached to the end of your line. If it is a regular bass boat being used in small waters, then you have several different choices in SI units. From what I understand this is what you're looking for. Expect to shell out some serious pesos for one of those. I've got an inexpensive Eagle unit on my Jon and couldn't be happier with it. I get all of the information from it that I need. Quote
xbacksideslider Posted July 19, 2011 Author Posted July 19, 2011 I thank you all for your comments, they are helpful to me as someone without any prior experience with fishfinders. There's a Lowrance X52 for sale locally (200 kHz transducer, 240x160, 4" on the diagonal, 800ft depth, 188 watts RMS) at $50 . . . . should I jump on it? Again, it will go into a bare bones tiller steered 14ft aluminum V hull with transom mount trolling motor. Quote
Super User Wayne P. Posted July 19, 2011 Super User Posted July 19, 2011 I thank you all for your comments, they are helpful to me as someone without any prior experience with fishfinders. There's a Lowrance X52 for sale locally (200 kHz transducer, 240x160, 4" on the diagonal, 800ft depth, 188 watts RMS) at $50 . . . . should I jump on it? Again, it will go into a bare bones tiller steered 14ft aluminum V hull with transom mount trolling motor. Yes the X52 is a very functional unit that will give you depth, show bottom contour changes and irregular bottom features like stumps, and show returns in the water column like fish and suspended debris. It will show bottom hardness changes. Its a good start in the world of fishing electronics. Your budget is you only limiting factor as to the level of electonics available. Quote
Super User J Francho Posted July 20, 2011 Super User Posted July 20, 2011 That's a steal. Make sure it comes with a transducer and power cord. You'll probably have to get a battery and charger as well. Radio Shack sells home alarm backup batteries for $20. Mine is going on its 4th year with heavy use. I still get about 24 hours of use out of my Humminbird 385ci. Walmart has little 1.5 amp trickle chargers that also condition - a great buy. Final tip....mount the transducer to a piece of wood or aluminum stock, and then use a c-clamp to attach that to your transom. You can use a small six pack cooler for the battery and display. Just screw the base into the cooler, and put the batt inside, the weight will keep it stable. That way you can take the whole thing off the boat, and won't be a security issue. This has worked great for rentals, and others' boats. Quote
xbacksideslider Posted July 22, 2011 Author Posted July 22, 2011 That's a steal. Make sure it comes with a transducer and power cord. You'll probably have to get a battery and charger as well. Radio Shack sells home alarm backup batteries for $20. Mine is going on its 4th year with heavy use. I still get about 24 hours of use out of my Humminbird 385ci. Walmart has little 1.5 amp trickle chargers that also condition - a great buy. Final tip....mount the transducer to a piece of wood or aluminum stock, and then use a c-clamp to attach that to your transom. You can use a small six pack cooler for the battery and display. Just screw the base into the cooler, and put the batt inside, the weight will keep it stable. That way you can take the whole thing off the boat, and won't be a security issue. This has worked great for rentals, and others' boats. Good ideas there, thanks. The six pack cooler as battery box and base mount is a great one. Allows me to skip the "portables." I'll be visiting Radio Shack and Wal Mart too. I missed the X52, so still looking . . . Quote
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