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What do you like? What do dislike? What do you wish you'd have bought? Would you mount the transducer on the trolling motor or the transom?

There's a small one in the dash that will probably stay. What I want is one to mount up front.

I've a new boat and am in the market for one. I don't know a lot about them. You help would be greatly appreciated.

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What kind of trolling motor, minnkota links with humming bird. Motor guide links to lowrance. No idea with the other sonar units on the market now. I like the birds myself, but I prefer minkota over motor guide so no choice either way.

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Just an 85dollar Hummingbird. Just depth.


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What type of fishing will you use it for?


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Originally Posted by Squidge
What type of fishing will you use it for?

Bass, crappie, Catfish on small lakes.

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If I had money to burn, I would get a Garmin Panoptix Live Scope.



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Read the forums over on Bass Boat Central. If you sign on and ask your question there I think you'll soon have more information than you ever thought possible. Those guys are SERIOUS about their electronics.

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Originally Posted by wabigoon
Just an 85dollar Hummingbird. Just depth.

Me too Wabi. I thought I was buying the model with gps charting but didn’t read closely enough. Oh well, we still catch fish.

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I have been doing a lot of research recently on Huminbird brand and features.

So, we have a few questions to consider, because you definitely get what you pay for.

1'st, How much do you want to afford to spend?

For crappie and bass, a good side imaging sonar will show you fish and structure between your boat and the shore. Check out some of the you-tube videos. Google crappie and side imaging. Many of the videos show the SI (side imaging) sonar units detecting crappie hanging under a boat dock 15 feet or more to the side of the boat.

My budget allowed me to purchase the Huminbird helix 7 inch mega SI. I am still learning its potential. But the round circles of fish beds are very easy to see.

At a significant increase in price, the Huminbird helix 9 offers mega SI+, for even better resolution.

With an unlimited budget, screen sizes go up to 12 and 15 inches, which allows more pixels to depict fish signals with better clarity and size. Advanced units offer networking with a cellphone, notepad, or laptop.

Most Humminbirds offer charting capability and GPS location. Extremely detailed maps are available from Huminbird on mSD cards. And advanced units may be networked with advanced Minn-Kota motors to give autopilot or "hover" capabilities.

You said you intended to keep the console mounted sonar. I would leave that transducer on the transom. And I would be interested in a front mounted transducer for the second sonar. The trolling motor transducer is available. But I do not know how the SI beam would work, as the trolling motor changes orientation as it steers.



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I have Hummingbirds a Helix 7DI and a 10 SI. I won a small cheap Garmin at a local fish contest—but it has the fairly new Chirp technology. Best finder I own by far.

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Originally Posted by shoot4fun
Read the forums over on Bass Boat Central. If you sign on and ask your question there I think you'll soon have more information than you ever thought possible. Those guys are SERIOUS about their electronics.

This is the best reply yet,so many features and such a broad price range. 200.00 or 3000.00. My minkota is linked to an 1198 and an 898 which are ancient tech. Right after I bought them.

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I have a Lowrance HDS Live 7. I like it and am still learning to use it all. I would suggest adding a good mapping chip such as Navionics. I also have a cheaper Hook unit up front on the Motorguide for depth and basic finding. The only thing about the 7” screen is it can be kind of small when split. I have mine in a center console and the unit is front and center, so the small size isn’t really an issue for me.

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I have a Garman Echomap Plus 93SV and love it. It's a 9 inch touch screen. It lists in Cabela's for 999 but if you watch in the fall they have had them on sale for the last few years. I bought mine two years ago and paid 599 for it. And I know they had them for that price last fall.

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You need two. One on the console with navigation and charts. That will allow you to find contours of the lake bottom. The second either mounted on the trolling motor or preferably a trolling motor with the transducer built in. Then you can follow contours or set headings. Bottom mapping capability is nice when you fish lakes for which there are no charts available.


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I think doubletap's answer is perfect. That's how I intend to set up my boat next year. On my current kayak, I have a Hummy 197 DI which gives me both sonar and down imaging, in color. No GPS. Not many of my local lakes have been mapped anyway, but for those that are, I carry a small Garmin handheld with a marine map chip.


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Some of the models out there can link via Bluetooth. You can have a unit at the helm which may be connected to the transducer. The unit can send info to a second unit, (or even a tablet) eliminating the need for a second transducer. This setup, along with a side-scan transducer mounted on a bow mount trolling motor, would be my ideal.


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I just put mine in a month or so ago and I’ve been happy with it, not sure I believe the fish it shows are always fish but the depth has been spot on. I do wish it had GPS just so I can make sure I’m trolling the same line in the wind. Usually when you catch a Saugeye they’re in a school and you can get another if you go right back over them but it’s tough to judge in a 15mph crosswind.

Watching YouTube vids the side scan stuff looks pretty awesome but I can’t justify a big $$ unit on a little tin boat. I know a guy here who has more money in his electronics than I do in my whole outfit, he catches a lot of fish but not that many more than I do.

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I just upgraded to a helix 9 mega SI.Out chasing Kokanee the other day with it. Have the map chip too. Sure makes fishing new lakes easier


Originally Posted by Idaho_Shooter
I have been doing a lot of research recently on Huminbird brand and features.

So, we have a few questions to consider, because you definitely get what you pay for.

1'st, How much do you want to afford to spend?

For crappie and bass, a good side imaging sonar will show you fish and structure between your boat and the shore. Check out some of the you-tube videos. Google crappie and side imaging. Many of the videos show the SI (side imaging) sonar units detecting crappie hanging under a boat dock 15 feet or more to the side of the boat.

My budget allowed me to purchase the Huminbird helix 7 inch mega SI. I am still learning its potential. But the round circles of fish beds are very easy to see.

At a significant increase in price, the Huminbird helix 9 offers mega SI+, for even better resolution.

With an unlimited budget, screen sizes go up to 12 and 15 inches, which allows more pixels to depict fish signals with better clarity and size. Advanced units offer networking with a cellphone, notepad, or laptop.

Most Humminbirds offer charting capability and GPS location. Extremely detailed maps are available from Huminbird on mSD cards. And advanced units may be networked with advanced Minn-Kota motors to give autopilot or "hover" capabilities.

You said you intended to keep the console mounted sonar. I would leave that transducer on the transom. And I would be interested in a front mounted transducer for the second sonar. The trolling motor transducer is available. But I do not know how the SI beam would work, as the trolling motor changes orientation as it steers.


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I use a hook with a worm on it.


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