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I am seriously thinking about getting an HB 898 or the old HB 997. I've read the boards and I see all of the technical discussions on these units but I want to know....for those of you who have bought them....DID IT HELP YOU CATCH MORE FISH?
I don't want a fancy $1500 toy that takes pretty pictures. I want something that is going to help me put more fish in the boat. Could ya'll please share your experiences? Thanks!
Without a doubt. If you've read the instructional articles on my site, then you've seen how Humminbird's patented Side Imaging can be used as a POWERFUL fish finding and catching tool.
Instructional articles for Humminbird Side Imaging sonar units
Check this out..... This is what Ive got for info on this subject. I have been in quite a few catfish tournaments on the ohio river and the guys that seem to always in in the top five have the si birds. This is the part I don't understand. I once got to go out with a fella with side imaging hb on the river that wins lots of these trouneys I speek of and he told me he never tries to find fish with his side imaging, only structure because all catfish are very structure oriented. Especially in current!! The whole reason for boating with him that day was just to see what I thought about the Side imaging because I was thinkin bout gettin one. Heres the thing, we would mark structure that he thought would hold fish and then fish the piece of structure. We caught fish all dam day but never once did I see a fish on the side imaging!! Just the structure!! That immediately turned me off because I thought I would be able to see tons and tons of fish on the side imaging but that wasnt the case. With that being said, the guy did do a thing or 2 that was pretty savy. He would see structure on either side of the boat which he thought would hold fish.... scroll the curser over the structure and mark it as a way point.... Then he would drive over it with the 2d sonar. That worked, but I hate to have to do that every time I see a piece of structure.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrollingOnWeiss
Ive seen posts where some guys have gotten fish to show up with there si units but the handful of times ive been on boats equiped with the si units I don't see fish with it. Before anyone asks, yes I know what the white flecks are supposed to look like, I just never see them in the spots that we even fish and catch several from that spot. I think si in my opinion is for finding the sturcture. I wish It showed the fish better!
You're right....SI is terrific for finding structure. But it also excels at showing fish.
All of these SI images were captured on the Mississippi River....in plenty of current.
The first is a bunch of fish relating to the dips in a washboard sand bottom, in a high-current area.
The second is a pile of fish sitting at the edge of the scourhole below Dam #3....another high current area.
I have plenty more just like this. If you're interested, I'll be happy to post them.
The answer is yes. I catch more fish because of SI. Here are the stipulations to that statement. At first you will spend more time looking at and learning the unit so right out of the gate there is a drop in catches. Second it takes a little time to learn what you are seeing and recognize the fish you actually need to target. There are some fish of some kind all over the lake so fishing every time you see fish is counterproductive.
SI will allow you from day one to locate and fish cover and structure you didn't know existed. This will make you catch more fish.
It is now a regular practice for me to look for fish with SI now before I actually try to catch them. Especially in new water on new lakes.
If the fish are related very closely to cover as crappie are at times it can be hard or impossible to see them but more often when there are numbers of crappie relating to cover there are also crappie around the structure that SI will show you.
I will fish good cover where I see no fish on SI but never troll open water where I see no fish.
Didn't help me at Sardis or Arkabutla. Ain't too much help for us old men anyhow. Maybe internment.
I like messing with the SI. I ride up and down the boat dock waterfront in my area and look up my neighbors dress.;)
Really hard to say since I didn't catch them before I got the SI either.
Wannabe...
There is a difference in finding fish and catching fish. You can eliminate a lot of water in a short time with the Si/down image. This allows you to fish productive water. Catching is another story. I guess that the answer to your question is yes. I dont leave home without it !
Area water elimination is the key factor with them. If it doesnt show fish there then its right no fish!!!!
I have side imageing(the smallest unit) i use it on a shallow lake i can read fish in stump's good i have it on a coduit pole and it is at the end of it reeding 25 one side 25 the other. I go buy flashe's in the stump's as it's a dead give away! That the fish are there! Now the variable's shallow water,trolling motor noise shadowwing etc..
Come see come saw? i put it on fish id it show's me the fish that are there and fish on the end of my line and then some! But a friend has a bigger unit and can pick up everything motoring across and area i hadent got that far! (SMALL SCREEN) Hell he can bring home put chip into compute and see were fish are holding! At what dept's. if i was to do it over again i think they are great but dont let a lil unit tease yhea!! As i wave it around on a wond,get you the big old ass bad boy and you dont have to have 20/20! I love mine and would have it on a deeper lake like Tenn. river etc...!!That is just my Oppion as i have a GPS on t Motor and hand held 76 serie's that will be in pocket form, mountable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Halfen #511
Jason, thanks for those pics!! See now that I can see fish on no problem!! Ill be honest I never seen anything like that on his unit. I hope mine shows fish that good. Im putting my new 997 on the boat Saturday!!
I have a 798c and I fish 3-4 times a week when the weather allows and I can tell you I do not believe having side imaging has helped me catch a single fish. I still need to download the down image update which will help but the screen size is too small to pick up on some of the detailed picks you see on the internet. When seeing the white specs that may or may not be fish it still leaves a lot up to interpetation. I have been unable to use it to locate brush piles the way I had hoped but having a bigger screen would go a long way. I have now read many people suggest to upgrade to at least the 997 and I agree. At some point in the near future I will be selling mine.