Side imaging

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Originally Posted by rnvinc

2d will show what is under the boat...

DI will show what is under the boat...and out to the sides several feet...

SI will show what is under the boat...out 100+ feet to the sides of the boat...and which side of the boat....

Crappie are "structure" oriented...

SI is invaluable for finding "new structure"...more known structure...more fish in the livewell...:)

Rickie

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I agree. Sidescan, once you figure out what it's showing you, is an invaluable tool in my opinion. My time on the water is limited due to my job, and this tool helps me find structure much quicker and eliminates water quicker as well. If you spot something off to the side that downscan or 2D physically can't pick up you can mark a waypoint on it, circle back around, get right over the top of it and look it over closer with downscan to decide if it's worth fishin, without sidescan you may have never known that piece of structure even existed.

Si is the most important to me. I find brush so fast and mark them. In 4 hours I can mark about 25 brush piles easily.You can mark stumps and small laydowns on bottom. You then have a lot to try and sort out. If you like to fish brush piles then SI is a must. Also finding breaklinesand channels is so easy.

sometimes i will refer to di as (poor mans si ) because in my opinion all that di is ,is a limited view of si with no directional reference ,left or right or strait below just somewhere in the coverage area of the beam,very limmited while si on the other hand tells were the structure is ,left or right and how far away fairly accurate.close enough to mark 100ft + then go back and fish. also i think that conventional 2d sonar is needed for a lot of peoples crappie fishing techniques. please remember that this is only opinion many people disagree

I have very little time to go and just study a particular spot with regular 2D or DI. When I get a chance to go fishing a usually can make 2 passes over a spot with my SI and find all I need to know about that area and whether I should fish it or not. I have found a lot of structure and located fish off to side of the boat that I would not have seen with 2D and DI. You need to use all three 2D, DI, SI to maxiumize your time on the water when you are fishing, especially new spots. SI has shown my alot that I would have never found or fished. Just my 2 cents.

SI is by far the most important. I use SI to locate new stuff and use DI to examine it. Together they are a good team. However the DI from SI leaves a lot to be desired - JMO. As stated earlier I too use all 3 styles to increase my understanding of what is under the surface. The DI had really helped me read my 2d view.

Humminbird Side Imaging has, without a doubt in my mind, made me a far more successful angler over the past 2-3 years....particularly with respect to crappies. Check out these articles to see how I apply Humminbird Side Imaging (and Down Imaging, and Dual-Beam 2D sonar) to a variety of crappie-fishing situations:

Using Humminbird sonar to stay with roving late summer crappies

Mid-summer panfish revealed by Humminbird Down Imaging

Finding summer crappie with Humminbird Side Imaging and VMC jigs

Targeting spring panfish with Humminbird Side Imaging

Aquatic weed identification using Humminbird Side Imaging

Very nice read!

I believe that there are times that di will actually reduce the number of fish that you will catch.for instance,when you want to hover just to the side of a brush pile.with di you wont see the brush until you are already over the brush and possibly scaring the fish.this is were conventional 2d sonar would be a better choice.use si to find the structure then switch to conventional 2d sonar to keep your boat just far enough off the brush not to spook the fish.then when your done fishing you can use the di to get that pretty picture that you can show your friends

Have been running a 798c si unti at the console for a couple of years now, and just added a 798ci si at the bow. Everything mentioned so far about the use of si is right on. Very helpful tool, that's why I need one up front. If you invest in one, make sure you spend time learning how to effectively use it tho. Lots of ways to make the most of all the options.

Something no one has mentioned yet about using SI is that it's good in the flats for finding structure. I'm one of those who prefer DI over 2D because of the clarity of what I'm looking at. As for SI vs DI, a newer body of water or different area of the lake would require SI to locate structure. However, if you're fairly familiar with a particular area, and are adept enough of a Crappie fisherman to know that you should be working drop offs and submerged creek channels, etc, then I find the DI much more useful. Especially if I've heard reports of what depth the fish have been being caught in recently. I'll work the banks at around those depths until I find structure and fish. To me, both SI and DI have become an important tool in locating structure, but when fishing my favorite waters, SI is rarely used.