Quote Originally Posted by SoonerBorn74 View Post
Pappy, I'm thinking about getting this unit for my kayak.

After having yours for some time now has this unit increased your ability to catch for fish?
Honestly, Sooner ... I'm hesitant to say. I've had the unit for awhile, but circumstances have kept me off the water (in my boat) more than I'd like, so I really haven't had the opportunity to put it through it's paces long enough & under enough different situations to tell.

I can say that it's a huge step "up" from what I used over the past 40 some years. Mostly I was using b/w 2d low end units, and mainly using them as "depth" finders ... while occasionally finding submerged cover. And I never fully trusted the "fish ID" symbols to represent actual fish, so I learned to use those units more to keep me in a specific depth of water. But, that was back in the days of Bass fishing a lot, and Crappie fishing cover that was visible.

This unit, for me, is going to be beneficial on account of the GPS and DSI capabilities ... as I branch out to lakes I'm not so familiar with, and where there's less visible cover available. Also, I'm in the process of adding, or transitioning to, more methods than I used to use ... such as spider rigging, & slow trolling. Being mobile & being able to fish more open water areas, being able to mark those spots, and being able to get a more "picture quality" image of what is underneath ... makes this unit, to me, worth the price I paid ($475).

If one is wanting a unit that shows a downscan image (picture quality), and is willing to keep the boat in motion fast enough to render such an image ... this unit will do that. If you're going to be sitting still a lot (anchored, tied off, drifting) then a 2d capable unit might be a better choice. I believe that's why this unit has been discontinued and replaced with the HDI system ... but, personally I don't miss the 2d imaging.

As to your question of whether or not the unit has increased my ability to catch fish ... I'd have to say "it probably will". How ?? .... by the GPS system allowing me to get to a marked spot faster/easier, being able to mark a spot on the fly & not have to depend on memory and triangulation ... by the DSI system allowing me to distinguish what it is that I'm actually seeing on the screen & not having to guess ... and by the fact that I can use the base map (or add a map chip) to navigate on unfamiliar waters ... all of which will likely save me time & effort, lending to more time spent actually fishing.

... cp