Thread: Suggestion??? Side Scan or 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.

Originally Posted by Minnerman

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

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...