Side Scan vs Traditional 2D?

Hey, fellas!

I’ve currently got a little Garmin Striker 4 unit mounted on my Bass Pro Shops Pond Prowler 8 boat. Been thinking about upgrading to a unit that has side scan.

Before doing so, wanted to ask the advice of those of you who have experience with the technology. Is the difference and added feature of side scan worth investing in? One of the things I have seen others use it for is scanning boat docks for crappie. That seems helpful.

For those of you who have used side scan, how much difference would you say it made when you first moved from 2D to side scan? Did it help you locate schools of crappie easier?


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It’s good for covering more water and finding structure. Once I find structure though I prefer traditional sonar and down imaging. Now I use Livescope instead.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

It’s good for covering more water and finding structure. Once I find structure though I prefer traditional sonar and down imaging. Now I use Livescope instead.

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Thank you, Dave! Do you usually scan one side at a time, or both sides? How long did it take you to get the hang of identifying brush piles, etc. with it?


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Side scan is most accurate/detailed when the boat is moving a few mph. For that very reason I never considered getting one. I went from b/w 2D unit to a Downscan color unit, then jumped to Livescope. I now use my DI unit for maps/waypoints. :twocents

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Originally Posted by Pistol_Creek

Thank you, Dave! Do you usually scan one side at a time, or both sides? How long did it take you to get the hang of identifying brush piles, etc. with it?


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I usually scan both sides at same time. I did mess around with one side only but just leave on both sides now. Like CrappyPappy said you need to be moving for best reading. I usually go 2-3 mph since I’m in kayak and have good success. It’s pretty easy to identify structure with it although it’s tough sometimes if it’s a tree that’s been in the water a long time. The structure gets waterlogged which causes it to soak up the sonar waves more and you don’t get as hard of a return. Also algae that grows on it will cause same effect. Going over it with traditional or down scan helps identify it in better details.

While shooting docks I use one side only to get the most reach under the dock. Also allows me to stay off the dock as to not spook fish. 2d isn't much good in the 12 feet or less most of the docks I shoot are in. When shooting a marina I try to scan both sides of the slip at one time to cover water more quickly. I can't decide weather I want Mega 360 or some sort of live sonar next

I use side scan to cover water more faster, I look out about 70’ on each side of my boat. When I find something interesting, I put it in as a waypoint, then look at it with 2d to see if it’s worth fishing, if so I leave and come back later after the fish regroup and come back to the marked spot that. Messed up driving right over the top of it.

Note that Humminbird SI has a unique adjustable Chart Speed setting that can be adjusted down to get fantastic images at less than 0.5mph ...

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Rickie

I won’t be without an si unit. It has helped me catch thousands of fish. Saves me a lot of time on the water. I catch a lot of crappie and a ton of bluegill. Not to mention the Spotted bass it helps me find. For finding bluegill beds nothing can beat an si unit. You can see the bluegill beds and if you look in the grates that is crappie. I just pull up…toss out a buoy and start fishing. Just ordered a new boat today and first item on the list is a Helix 10 Mega si. I will use the 2d sonar to make a pass over the grate as it will tell me the depth of the crappie.

Regards

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I can’t expand on those posts. Mine was an older hummingbird unit and it made a huge difference. Scanning and marking piles or structure and returning to them later is fantastic. As you can see in Alphahawks post there’s nothing better for those looking for bluegill. Worth every penny kinda sums it up.