Newbi to freshwater fishing with an inland "spec/crappie" specific machine.

Good evening, gang. I've been freshwater fishing for only a couple years now and not as steady as I would like, but I'm showing a lot more interest in it. I was a Gulf Coast offshore charter captain for a number of years, and well, the Feds have all but ruined that way of life for me. I don't know anyone that fishes "seriously" for specs to learn from, but I have gone out with a few of my old customers from the Villages spec fishing and took a liking to it.

My price range is $1200.00 and under, currently I'm looking at the Garmin ECHOMAP 93sv Chartplotter part#010-02688-00 with the GT56 transducer for my type of fishing. I live in the Inverness/Floral City area of Florida and haven't traveled much outside of my rivers and lakes around here. Waters are dark tanic and range from 2'-20' and at times can be very weedie. Is this machine going to suit my needs to spec fish or is there something else you "in the know" fishermen would advise better? I'm not interested in Live Scope or something mounted to a trolling motor, this will be a transom mounted transducer used machine. Down sonar, side-vue, and chartplotter/mapping cards is all that I will need, but I do require excellent imagery.

I have always been a Furno and Simrad user and ran brass 600 watt thru-hull transducers on my offshore boats. . .and I believe there to be not many 35' to 40' spec fishing boats out there. . .LOL!!! I haven't been a big poster to this site, but I've been a BIG TIME lurker to try and learn as much as I can about these little fish, and appreciate everything this site and its members have put out there for me to take in. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Bass Pro has the 10" sv with 54 transducer for $1000. I'd go for that one. The upgraded 56 transducer may be a little better on side view clarity, but not much. Garmin is the best bang for your buck today.

I think a lot is personal preference and lots of practice with whichever unit you choose. I’m a humminbird guy as I use my minn kota trolling motor a lot and it is linked right to my humminbird and I can control the TM from my helix unit and it has a follow the contour feature. I put my cursor on the 7’ line and set it and forget it as it brings me around the lake. Here is an image from a few days ago of a random tree i found with a nice school of specks on it.Attachment 489687

I agree with you "happycaster58" on the best bang for the buck on Garmin products. I have been told they also are the most USER FRENDLY products on the market. . .???

"Mud", there is a local guy I see and talk with at my local ramp and he PREACHES on the Hummingbird Helix 9 machines to me. He has invited me out on his boat to check it out, but never says when to meet up or gives me a phone number to set up a time - LOL :dono:Rofl !!!

Thank you guys for your input. . .I want to have something "Speck Specific" mounted in my rig before hunting season / speck season, September'ish, so I can learn it and what it is reading. With my offshore fishing business I dove/spearfished 90%+ of my fishing areas and knew what my bottom was and what my machine was telling me. Once I learn and locate some bottom I plan on sliding over the side and checking out what my machine is telling me. The vis will probably suck, but I will give it a whirl. Thanks again for the info, please keep it coming!!!

Sounds like you intend on driving around marking structure. I don’t use my electronics much when I’m speck fishing; I single pole jig in the pads of the St John’s or blind troll the river, lake George, woodruff and dexter.

funny but I use my electronics more during bream season to locate beds and during striper season to follow contour lines.

As a retired diver on a search and rescue dive team, stay in the boat.......you won't see anything once you get down there,, except maybe Smith or Guntersville. Just learn to read what your sonar is telling you. I guarantee they don't lie. :ThumbsUp