Very basic questions

OK everyone, you're about to find out just how inexperienced I am in respect to electronics. I don't get embarassed by asking these type questions, so tell me whatever you think I need to know. Back in the early 90's I bought an Eagle model HS-WS transom mount transducer along with an Eagle Magna II side scan pac. It was so unuser friendly that all I ended up using was the depth finder feature from the transom transducer. I got heavily invested in deer hunting and nearly quit fishing. The small Jon boat sat unused for several years. I divorced then remarried after finding a wonderful KY girl who loves to fish. I bought a larger boat a few months ago and am trying to outfit it on the cheap. It has a MK Powerdrive w/copilot and tiller style outboard. We usually do not fish waters over 20-25 feet deep, but want to go out on larger lakes like Rend and Carlyle here in So IL. I'm not at all tech savvy, and the wife thinks all these gadgets will take the fun out of "just fishin". I'm selling the older boat w/cable steer MK tm and will have a few hundred $$$. Where do I start??? The side imaging interests me, but I've read that it doesn't do much in shallower (?) water. Should I mount my old stuff on this newer boat and try to use it or invest in something else??? If it is too difficult I know I will abandon it. BTW, there was included w/ the side scan pac a feature that also allows mounting the transom transducer on the tm. With the newer MK powerdrive can I expect interference if I do this?

A string with a spark plug at the end can tell depth and find brushpiles...

Electronics are merely a convenience...

Of all the features in my "high end unit"...the GPS/chartplotting is the 1 convenience I would not give up...

The ability to mark known fishy spots and be able to return to them with precision over and over saves so much valuable searching time to effectively make the best of the fishing time I have available...

I would suggest any limited budget be focused on a quality depth finder/GPS chartplotter...then start adding "bells and whistles" to the package until the Max budget is reached...

BTW...I still use my Eagle Magna II for running depth while using the big motor...

Rickie

Ha! I actually found in my stuff that I was cleaning out of the old boat a string wound up around a piece of dowel that had several heavy washers tied to it...and another with a thermometer that I submerged to check water temp. Not sure that the thermometer helped, but the depth sounder did. I had kind of decided to use the Magna II at the stern of this newer boat, and I appreciate your input on what I can do at the bow.

I second the suggestion on the GPS. The GPS could be a handheld or within the sonar unit. You can get a decent handheld for 100 bucks or less. You can find the handhelds used on eBay pretty cheap sometimes. If you are fishing away from the bank I would also suggest 1 or 2 sonar units. These can be had for $100-170 each new.

I use a handheld GPS and I have two Hummingbird 561 black and white sonar units. I have about $400 into these electronics and they allow me to fish wherever I want, although they are very basic by today's standards.

Good luck with your boat and I hope you catch a bunch.

One of my two favorite fishing holes bottoms out at 25' and I rarely fish deeper than 20' in the other. I'm using an 1197 w/ transducer mounted under the TM and I like it. There's some "static", but you can't do much with a transducer mounted too far away from where you're sitting.

On the back is one of my collection of relics with its transducer mounted on the transom. It's important when I'm running with the main motor & otherwise entertains anyone fishing from my back seat. You shouldn't experience "cross talk" in 25' water, but in deeper lakes two finders can talk to one another and give you garbage results. If you can use finders with different frequencies, that should prevent the problem all together.

I, too, have a "manual" depth finder, but mine is first class. It has a 2 oz. sinker instead of recycled auto parts!

At this time of year when the fish are schooled up, side scan can be very helpful. Run at top scanning speed (probably 5 mph.) in staging areas until you spot a school. Toss a marker on them and then swing around and come back. Later in the season when they go to wood, side scan can help you find new BPs, but a GPS can put you very close to the old ones you've found & marked, and any finder can finish the job and put you right on top of your BP.

I carry one or both of my two handheld GPS units. Redundancy is a good thing because something's wrong with the GPS feature of my 1197. In addition to the usual GPS benefits, handheld units can go along with you when you fish out of a friend's boat.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. I sold my old boat this morning and think I'll use the old Magna II in the stern of this newer one. Based on what you've said I'll buy a handheld gps and put something on the bow mount tm. Again, given that my fishing will be mainly in less than 20 feet of water, what can/should I get for, say, around $250-$300? If there is something good that can not be mounted on the tm I can always make or buy a separate mounting system. I would consider something that could be added to later on as money becomes available, but please remember that I'm not tech savvy. Like some of the others on here if I can cut it or weld it, I can probably fix it. As soon as I got this newer boat home I torched the winch stand, relocated the boat farther forward on the trailer and rewelded everything to perfectly fit. It is the things which I have trouble understanding that give me fits, so please take that into consideration when making recommendations. The hb 561 that was suggested is certainly one possibility. What should I expect to pay for a depth finder that has gps and chartplotting capabilities?

The new HB 899 is the new HB entry level SI unit....It has a MSRP of $599, but can be gotten at a discount from some of the online dealers.

If you can manage it......I would definitely recommend getting into SI. You will find structure you had no idea was there, even on a lake you thought you new.

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Originally Posted by BobB

The new HB 899 is the new HB entry level SI unit....It has a MSRP of $599, but can be gotten at a discount from some of the online dealers.

If you can manage it......I would definitely recommend getting into SI. You will find structure you had no idea was there, even on a lake you thought you new.

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I've never seen the 899 for much less than a $1,000?

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Originally Posted by lip_ripper

I've never seen the 899 for much less than a $1,000?

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My bad.....I got the 859 and the 899 mixed up....The MSRP on the 899 is $999. Should be able to find it cheaper than that though.

You could also check out the 698 with SI.....should be able to pick one up for around $670.

It only has one SD card slot and will not be able to be networked if you decide to add more units late.