What electronics do you use for suspended crappie?

I am looking to replace my broken fish finder and am wondering what technologies will help my fishing. I mostly fish on Washington and Grenada and 99% of my fishing is done spider rigging or pulling crankbaits. I don't find myself fishing cover all that often and tend to target suspended fish away from cover. My question is do you think side imaging or down imaging would help me locate fish/bait or would I find myself only using the regular sonar? I've never had the navionics or lake master chips before so I know that the contour maps will be a huge help as far as staying on ledges and river channels are concerned.

Im trying to decide whether or not I need SI/DI or if I can use that money to get a bigger screen with just gps and sonar.

If it were me, I would forego the SI/DI in favor of gps and a bigger screen. Most of the bigger units have at least DI, I believe.

If your only going to have the one unit, then go with a SI with DI. Only reason I bought a 2nd unit was to have it somewhat designated for the lakemaster map card, although I still use split screen on it with basic 2d sonar on the bow. And as mentioned a lot on this site, go with the biggest screen you can afford.

For the last ten years, I have spider rigged only. I have DI on the console unit and never use it. Once in a great while,
I will see a blob on the bottom and walk back to the console to see what I'm going over. The bite has gotten slow when
I bother to do that.

Agreed! Bigger is better. GPS and map chip is a MUST! I use SI like my life depends on it but never even pay any mind to the DI. I am a troller only at this point. If your cranking SI would definitely help ya but if you know crappie habits in that lake and follow contours....at some point during a 6 hour fishing trip you are going to come across some fish trolling at 1.5-2.0mph just from GPS features alone. So....if you got the money GET SI. If not get HUGE screen 2d with GPS and get a chip. Leave DI at the house if you ask me. Alot of people like it but i dont find it useful in my methods. I have DI units on console and bow of my boat and never use it. Maybe I am ignorant.....but... I dont like im missing out on something.

I have a Humminbird 1199HD SI/DI/GPS on my console and a Helix 10DI/GPS on my bow. The Helix is there for decoration and the 1199 is my workhorse for the way I fish, main trolling cranks and longlining. My 1199 is rarely on any screen other than full Chartplotter with LakeMaster v3 card (in both units) and GPS/2D. I could do everything I use my units for with GPS/2D except the times I'm scanning for structure or beds in new areas.

I use my SI solely to find cover. And it is indispensable to me for that reason. I figure a school of suspended open water fish would move by the time I can circle back to it if trolling and it's not very accurate when rigging at slow speeds. I thought DI was great until I realized that it's just pretty pictures. I don't necessarily care what it is that is down there, bus or bush it either has fish or it doesn't. I rarely if ever use it. I am either using SI full screen to from cover or gps/2D on split screen while fishing. Or I'll have my rear unit on full map and my bow unit on 2d. Granted I fish from a stick steer and both head units are on the bow.

Used to, not long ago at all, I would totally agree with most of the comments but not so much anymore. I have been using DI a bunch pulling cranks, for me its easier to read. I use SI some too but not near as much, 360 way more than SI. Map is always on the screen so a bigger screen helps. I run DI/Map split 95% of the time now since I got the Helix Chirp, used sonar(2d)/map most of the time on the 1199 before getting the Helix.
Helix is a step up big time and when you go from the Chirp to the Mega its another big step. Price wise as well.

Thanks for the input guys! I think I'm bout to pull the trigger on a helix 9 with sonar and gps. Now I expect the fish will just start jumping in the boat.

The biggest thing about sonar that I have learned and I am still learning is. To not just use it as a depth finder. You have to put in your time to find out and learn all the functions of what to do and what it will do. You have to learn what you are seeing on the screen. I have learned that using a SD card and recording on the water and playing it back later on the computer and also on my sonar unit which seems to be the best way as I can change the settings and clear up pictures of what I went over that day fishing to make better setting for another fishing trip. I will promise you you will see thing later on this SD card that you didn't know you had missed. Just having the unit on the boat is not going to help unless you are willing to do this and SI DI and 2D all has it's place as well as 360° sonar. So whatever you decide to buy learn everything you can. Youtube as well as the electronics forum here on crappie.com is a very valuable tool for learning and asking questions about the different sonar units. I would also like to add that a big screen unit is always the way to go when possible. This is just my 2 cent worth.:twocents I will be looking forward to seeing your reports and pictures. Good luck on your new sonar unit.