Suggestion??? Side Scan or I-Pilot

I=Pilot

Thanks alot for the input folks.....I do fish really both styles, but mainly in open water longlining....so at this point I'm probaly going to go with the I-Pilot....I got a bummed up leg, and with the foot control now it tends to walk all over the front deck, so i have a hard time keeping up with it...seems its never where its suppose to be....lol

Interesting to see everyones take on this question. For me the answer is easy. I have the I-pilot and 2 side scan units and really like them all but I would rather have the SI if I could only have one. Here is why: With the SI I can easily find the structure or cover I want to fish and even decide which ones to fish by the numbers I fish I see on it. I could not do this with a normal depth finder very well. As for I -pilot it is nice to have the advanced functions like advanced auto pilot, cruise control and spot lock but I can do these things just a well with a regular trolling motor it just takes a little more work. As for running routes I can use a few small marker buoys to layout a route to follow. Very often I do not engage the advanced functions of I-pilot because i can do just a well without them. In short SI puts more fish in my boat than I -pilot and SI functions cannot easily be replaced with a normal depth finder where I -pilot functions can with a handheld GPS.

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Originally Posted by Minnerman

I fesh lots of stumps and standin timber.The I-pilot would be Aggravating fer me to use.

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I hate to highjack but could you go more in detail mm? But if I had to pick between I-pilot and SI. If my tm was working fine I would go with SI. They look like they make finding cover alot easier then reg ff.

I Pilot. My last 5 trips, I didn't even switch to SI or DI View.

Wannabe...

WB, I heard on one trip you made the SI never even got turned on

I vote for Side Scan.... The GPS and navionics card are worth their weight in gold. Without the lake maps showing the contours and drop off I would not know where to tell my I-pilot to go. I think you need a good GPS and lake map to use the I-pilot.... unless you fish wide open flats or the channels are marked real well where you fish.

DoubleG

i pilot

OK, after thinking about this....assuming you have a good 2D with GPS already, then Ipilot is the way to go. If you have neither a working TM or the good GPS, the Ipilot is the way to go. If you fish a lot of heavy, thick cover, then SI is the way to go. If you long line, pull cranks or mostly slow troll and you have a good 2D GPS, then I Pilot is the way to go.

So...much like G3s choice of attire these days....it depends.

Wannabe...

Okay guys, I'm like a duck...wake up in al new world everyday. Finally settled on the Hummingbird 798 ci si.....now to figure out how to use it.....also, got the Navionics Premium card to go in it too.....so its off to school I go....:)