Thread: decision

It's a Ford/Chevy thing in my book. Learn how to use what you have, and they will help you put fish in the boat!! The ipilot link, networking with my 1198, 958 works well for me. HB does have good customer service. Don't know about lowrance, I don't own any of their units.

Thanks everyone for the imput I feel better that this topic is very debatable and I think I am sticking with HB for the new alumacraft!

The only reason I went with elte 7x over a 958 was I got one for 470 dollars new and didn't want to shell out the extra money for the gps as I already have one on the 998, and I'm getting an electric steer trolling motor.... I have to put a limit on my spending somewhere, I just got the new xi 5 for just over 1000 new. I go with what I can afford. Maybe the I pilot link would have been worth 500 more? Probably not to me though and I've got to try the new anchor mode on the motorguide, it's actually supposed to work. All I've ever used was motorguide cable, and never had one quit working.

Just look at the big Lowrance sign on Steve's chest before you get too upset. They pay him good money to tell you that.

Fishing can become a very expensive disease. Throw away the catalogs, turn off the commercials, cancel your fishing mag subscriptions. Go OLD SCHOOL! For depth and bottom content, an old soup can filled with melted lead with a screw eye on top connected to a 50-foot nylon cord marked at one foot intervals works pretty good. It's kinda slow, but it's accurate. You can feel rocks, feel the difference between hard and soft bottoms, and it you do it with a 2 pound coffee can instead of a soup can, it can make a decent anchor! :-)

I'm curious as to what y'all did before all the high tech "fish finders" and the DI and SI??? What ever happened to just going fishing and relaxing and having a good time??? Y'all are to caught up in the hype, and they got ya...you need the newest model fish finder and the hydrowave and a electric anchor and a $40,000 boat to catch fish...come on guys get a grip.

Didn't catch as many fish.... LOL Side imaging is extremely helpful once you learn to use it. I just got one last fall and haven't used it much but It definitely helps me catch a lot more fish. A couple weeks ago we were fishing in the same area as some guys without side imaging. We caught 70 and they caught 15. I like to just drive around and see what the bottom of the lake looks like when I get tired looking for new spots.... As far as the 40,000 boat. Well I wish I had one, but I wouldn't go so far as to make outrageous payments on one. If I was rich I'd buy one, but I'm not. But for the guys that can afford it, Good for them. People can catch fish without sure, but it makes it a lot more interesting to go to a new lake that you don't know ...and know you have a chance to find some structure and fish. Everybody has their honey holes they can go to like under the bridges where all the boats always sit, That's not really for me. I'd rather find my own fish if possible. And like I said if you fish different lakes that you don't know the side imaging is really a must have, I think, since I now have one and seen how beneficial it can be. Me and my fishing buddy don't go to relax... we go to catch fish and usually we fish for 12 hrs or more daylight to dark. And this winter I added a Xi5 gps trolling motor too... So I guess they got me. Them fish got me addicted!

Some people just take fishing more seriously than others. I started fishing bass tournaments when I was 15. Won 1 on KY Lake too. And a third place at Rend Lake. I haven't fished bass tournaments since, but fishing is in my blood. Some people like to spend money on cars, motorcycles, etc. nothing wrong with that.... So there's nothing wrong with spending your money on something you really enjoy like your boat either.