Side Imaging fishfinder?

[4.50_Drifter]

Hi guys,

Anyone have a side imaging fishfinder/chartplotter combo? A mate used to have a non-sonar one that was pretty cool, not sure about the sonar ones yet. I'm keen for one where you can plot waypoints out to the side though by moving the cursor, or touching the screen.

Anyone stumbled accross good reviews of plotter/finder combos?

Thanks,

Drift.

[Brucesta]

only ones i've seem are very biased Lowrace with the sonar underneath. though i'm not real impressed with mine (HDS7) i think it comes down to reading the manual and making it work. hummingbird from memory have had side imaging for a while too, no chance of what model it is sorry.

[bushbeachboy]

If you go and have a look on Ausfish, there are plenty of photos on there about it all. If you've got the money it looks good.

You might also have a look on the fishing townsville forum.

[4.50_Drifter]

Ok, thanks very much gents.

[Roo]

Hi Drift,
I have a Humminbird 797c2x Side image sounder. Highly recommend them, have always found the Humminbirds to be very easy to use. Once you work out the settings and accurately interpret the images you will find all sorts of interesting details about where you are fishing and why the fish are there.

In this pic i've idled over a section of water that had been very productive for the early morning session. Its only 0.9m deep and the black line across the middle is the top of a tree laying on the bottom, right side middle, top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 you can just make out another couple of thin black stripes....these are the sonar shadows from the stumps of trees including the one I've run over the top of. the dark patches far right is the sonar shadow from where the shallow flat drops over a ledge into deep water(6m) and the far left shows light fluffy stuff which is the weed edge on the bank. On this morning, a mate nabbed a couple of nice barra by casting surface lures up onto the flat close to the stumps and work the lure back parallel to the ledge. most hits came as the lure passed by the log laying on the bottom. The fish were most likely holding over the edge of the ledge and using the cover of the log to move up onto the flat and into the weed edge looking for a feed, the deepwater gives them a safe hiding spot and the log also acts as a form of cover to allow them to move freely up onto the flat.

I didn't get a pic of the side image from this school but to give you an idea, this image shows a good school of Somerset bass. To find them we had 3 boats in a broad search pattern looking for the school but I was also able to use the Side image to look left and right rather than just down. The school shows up as white fuzz on the Si. Also when fishing the school, we found the bigger fish were hanging off the edges of the main school, with the Si you can see if you are on the edge or over the middle of the school. very handy when you're looking to upgrade a 2 fish bag limit.

Cheers, Roo.

[McGyver]

Roo they are good pics! Gee thats a chilly water temp for somerset bass.

[Mad_Dad]

Have a Hummingbird 998c SI on my poly, took it onto Monduran yesterday,

The only difference between the models seems to be the screen size, actual resolution remains the same until the the largest unit, though not sure if that gives any more.

Would have some nice images if I knew how to take and save them :|

So far I'm loving the SI

MD

[Pirate Pete]

Originally Posted by McGyver

Gee thats a chilly water temp.

16.4 Thats positively hot in Tassie

[DvrDve]

drifter
i use a lowrance hds10 on me big boat
ive only had it for 3months
used it 4 times due to works furuno, being on works boat
found good fish with it everytime trying to tell the boss to get one-maybe i should ask?
works at hi speed like a treat
the sidescan is only worth it if u r at a certain speed -about10-12kn it seems
this will slower possibly be better
but i am only in blue water biggish swell 2-3.5
the sidescan is debateable if its worth it in blue water
_i have had hummmies as well-- same same
I like the lowrance more
the downscan overlay is amazing
i can spot the anchor chain seperately fom a local wreck
fish as bait schools or big single predators i can see, but i still dont know if the downscan is worth the money, as i could see thsi with jus the sounder -so clear is it


i will now swear by the lowrance hds technology for the average bloke hummingbird is most probably just as good
furunos at the depth i am in on my own time is not worth the money
- and i reckon the hds is better than a twice the price furuno
however i ve not had the lowrance past 150m
the furono i know work s in 300 -400 and most probably more i dont fish past 400
lowrance much clearer than furuno more detail , crisper easier to see
i have made a temporary fitting for the hds10 on my 4.1 poly
trying to psot a pic on the poly site

showed the ms -and convinced myself i want a 5/7 hds on the poly as the 10 is too big
but it does show me bottom better than anything, but she who must be obeyed ;p (never know she might read this)

there was talk in the US about the 7 being not waterproof/leaking, but it seems to be sorted
buy through a local dealer and it must be warranty-
my 2c worth
btw penies are tough -but i am pushing to get another unit -thats how much i believe in them putting me on good fish quickly

[Mad_Dad]

From what I have read they seem to be very good, either brand, Lowrance or Hummingbird SI/downscan units.

Its the techonolgy thats good.

Let there be more.

Have now worked out how to get data, images, video etc, from the unit onto my pc, so will post some pics soon I hope.

MD

EDIT: if you do purchase one of these sounders/gps/fishfinder units regardless of brand, make sure you register the unit, normally online, as there are often software updates available.

[4.50_Drifter]

cool, thanks guys some really great pics there and very good info. appreciate it and keen to see more pics when you post them.

[Mad_Dad]

Best source of info that I have found regards Hummingbird is at http://www.xumba.scholleco.com/index...a9ed93b19ea8f4

Some interesting pics there too, http://www.xumba.scholleco.com/viewforum.php?f=14

MD

[4.50_Drifter]

Gold, thanks MadDad.

[DvrDve]

maddad
bloody nice site, what took me a lifetime to learn interpreting sonar is her in 10 mins reading
wish lowrance had similar somewhere
btw
just remember -the lowrance downscan is supposssed to be hardware driven-got transducer made for it, hummingbird suppossedly runs software to make theirs do the same, using both much of a much as neither like 3m + swell in my situation
for smoothish water u cant beat these sounders

[Mad_Dad]

There are a series of youtube vids referred to in that forum made by a guy named Tapout64

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...=Tapout64&aq=f

Shows how the Humviewer (Hummingbird software for PC) works too,


i.e http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duUOo0zRFVc where he uses Humviewer to show where he was and what he saw on the viewer and how it can interact with Google Earth.

Mad_Dad (Stephen)

also http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/in...p?action=forum has a lot of good images and lots of 'how to's'

[4.50_Drifter]

thanks again!

[Mad_Dad]

Was a little windy today 25knots, but was OK to take run down to Cochranes Reef just off Elliot Heads.

1: Side imaging does not work in rougher seas, could only get a respectable image near shore in wind shadow.

Best I could get from Cochranes was this, which is either the Steel Barge or the Pipe Modules that make up parts of this reef.


Other than that they 5.3 Warrior FR was good, seas were not at all flat here at the reef, nor anywhere 1km offshore especially heading North West to get back to Burnett Heads.

Caught two ambitious (read that as dumb) fish, looked like some form of toothy gurnard type, while trolling hardbodies which were bigger that they were.

Front windscreen door on the Front Runner has a small issue now too, as one lot of water over the front pushed it in past the stops, easy fix with drill and new rivets.

Mad_Dad

EDIT Re the front windcreen door not sure it was water/wind, thinking through it last night seems plausible that on one of the landings (from a wave) the boat flexed enough to enable the door to move in past the stops.

[Giffo]

MadDad

Those fish you caught,if they were long round and skinny with a mouth as big as their body, they were probably Grinners,damn annoying things.I have not done any good at Cochranes Artificial when I have gone there.I have been told night time is the go there.

[4.50_Drifter]

Thanks again guys,

I had a look at a Hummingbird 798si when looking at Nige's 4.8 that we are buying. I was very very impressed.