Want to upgrade my Fish Finder to SI and DI

Hi all
New member to this very informative site. I’m looking to upgrade my fish finder. Hoping to get some advice, personal experience and direction on where to do more research. I’m thinking I want Side Scan and Down Imaging.

Some background info on how I’ve been fishing. I have been mainly fishing a smaller reservoir that is electric only. It is within 5 miles of my house. For the past several years it’s the only place I’ve fished, mostly because I was catching fish. Couldn’t see driving father when I was doing well. Last year wasn’t so good, went plenty of times that either they weren’t biting or I just couldn’t find them.

Spring time I generally fish structure along the shore with1/32 oz shad dart jig tipped with a wax worm, minnow or Gulp alive minnow. Summer time I go at night with a green light in the water and fish minnows on a slip float.
Water depth at the reservoir ranges from 35 FOW to just enough the float the boat. (Yes I’ve stuck it a couple of times)
I’m fishing out of an old Bass Tracker Super Pro 16. Have a front and rear trolling motor.

I’ve done a little trolling when I wasn’t catching fish onstructure, but haven’t had very good results.

I’d like to keep the budget under $1000. Right now I have 2 humminbird finders that are on the older side. I’m not opposed to going to a different brand.

Fishing near Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Thanks for any and all info and advice.


BTW current truck is an F-150, before that a Silverado andS-10, so brand loyalty isn’t a big deal for me. Looking for the best bang for my money.

Welcome to the site!

I have both an SI and a DI, but I fish in bigger lakes than you. So the SI is at the console and the DI is on TM. I mainly try to get myself close to brush using GPS and SI while motoring the boat along, then tossing out a buoy. Then I drop the TM in and use the DI to really pinpoint the brush by trolling around the first buoy I put out. With SI it can be tough to tell just how far away a brushpile might be from the boat, but a DI will show mostly things below and just a few feet either side of the TM. I actually put a split screen at the bow with 2D and DI together. Don't worry, you'll get so many different opinions on this that your head may just spin right off...lol

Look through the Side Scan/Down Scan forum and especially the posts with lots of pics.

Doing some research on Lowrance. It seems like if I bought either a HDS 7 or HDS 5 with the side scan bundle, I would then be able to just get an additional HDS Head and use the transducers from the bundle to run on both heads? I would just need an Ethernet cable to connect the 2 heads?

Is that correct?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zekepa

Doing some research on Lowrance. It seems like if I bought either a HDS 7 or HDS 5 with the side scan bundle, I would then be able to just get an additional HDS Head and use the transducers from the bundle to run on both heads? I would just need an Ethernet cable to connect the 2 heads?

Is that correct?

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You can do the same with Ethernet linked Humminbird units as well..

zekepa,

Check out prices from Brian at BBGMarine.com. He is a member on this site as well and has helped tons of us out. He has the best prices I have been able to find on just about anything (including fishfinders).

I have an HDS5 in one boat, and HDS 7 and 8 in another boat, and an HDS10 and 7 in my new boat. I am familiar with all of them so that is what I go with. Hummingbirds seem to have a little better picture in my opinion when it comes to SI. Lowrance has a few more options in terms of networking and other options.

Brian is a huge help.

Vic n -- Which units do you have? Mostly I am interested in the DI unit?