If you were trying to decide between a Side Image Fish Finder OR the Minn Kota I-Pilot trolling motor for your Christmas gift....What would it be and why???? Thanks in advance for the help....
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If you were trying to decide between a Side Image Fish Finder OR the Minn Kota I-Pilot trolling motor for your Christmas gift....What would it be and why???? Thanks in advance for the help....
what is your main purpose for the ipilot? are you planning on pulling cranks or long lining, etc?
yeah with triton how do u fish and what do u have on ur boat now,that info would help
I'm a longliner so if that's your fishing style then by all means go with the i-pilot. Elsewise, I'd go with the side imaging.:o
start with the I-piolit, then save and save for the SI, or just reservse this suggestion, you wont go wrong with either one. I got the I piolit first, and love it, makes slow trolling and long line trolling a breeze. it you dont have lots of trees to navagate arround,
I do love the SI though, dang beagle quit vasalating, and decide, SI,,,, done
If your fishing style has you running certain routes over and over, such as longlining or pulling crankbaits, the IPilot would be nice. If that's not your style of fishing, I'd go with the side-scan. I'm not gonna get either. LOL
Thats the choice that I had to make....I finally chose the Side imaging over the TM....I got a HB898c SI somewhere hid in this house right now......just don't know where dadgummit! Oh well....its not long untill Christmas.
I-pilot
Get both!!!!!!!!!!!
I fesh lots of stumps and standin timber. I really don't need either, but I went with the SI. The I-pilot would be Aggravating fer me to use.
I=Pilot
Thanks alot for the input folks.....I do fish really both styles, but mainly in open water longlining....so at this point I'm probaly going to go with the I-Pilot....I got a bummed up leg, and with the foot control now it tends to walk all over the front deck, so i have a hard time keeping up with it...seems its never where its suppose to be....lol
Interesting to see everyones take on this question. For me the answer is easy. I have the I-pilot and 2 side scan units and really like them all but I would rather have the SI if I could only have one. Here is why: With the SI I can easily find the structure or cover I want to fish and even decide which ones to fish by the numbers I fish I see on it. I could not do this with a normal depth finder very well. As for I -pilot it is nice to have the advanced functions like advanced auto pilot, cruise control and spot lock but I can do these things just a well with a regular trolling motor it just takes a little more work. As for running routes I can use a few small marker buoys to layout a route to follow. Very often I do not engage the advanced functions of I-pilot because i can do just a well without them. In short SI puts more fish in my boat than I -pilot and SI functions cannot easily be replaced with a normal depth finder where I -pilot functions can with a handheld GPS.
I Pilot. My last 5 trips, I didn't even switch to SI or DI View.
Wannabe...
WB, I heard on one trip you made the SI never even got turned on
I vote for Side Scan.... The GPS and navionics card are worth their weight in gold. Without the lake maps showing the contours and drop off I would not know where to tell my I-pilot to go. I think you need a good GPS and lake map to use the I-pilot.... unless you fish wide open flats or the channels are marked real well where you fish.
DoubleG
i pilot
OK, after thinking about this....assuming you have a good 2D with GPS already, then Ipilot is the way to go. If you have neither a working TM or the good GPS, the Ipilot is the way to go. If you fish a lot of heavy, thick cover, then SI is the way to go. If you long line, pull cranks or mostly slow troll and you have a good 2D GPS, then I Pilot is the way to go.
So...much like G3s choice of attire these days....it depends.
Wannabe...
Okay guys, I'm like a duck...wake up in al new world everyday. Finally settled on the Hummingbird 798 ci si.....now to figure out how to use it.....also, got the Navionics Premium card to go in it too.....so its off to school I go....:)
Shounds like a lot to think about.