I am thinking of purchasing a boat and a 998 combo. I want to hear everyones opinion on where you would put it and where you would put the cheaper unit and why. Should I put the cheaper unit at driver seat and 998 up front or vise versa?
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I am thinking of purchasing a boat and a 998 combo. I want to hear everyones opinion on where you would put it and where you would put the cheaper unit and why. Should I put the cheaper unit at driver seat and 998 up front or vise versa?
Bigger screen would be nice up front but SI is more useful at the console. All you really need up front is a gps and something to tell you depth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by feelay
I agree! I do most of my scout work from console.
x2 on what they said!!!!!!!!!!
I am not one for getting out and riding with the big motor though. I do a lot of trolling when I use a boat and just ease around bridges and things. I thought looking down from the front I could see what I needed to better from the front. I thought it would be a hassle to move from the front to the back a lot.
My situation may be a tad different because of the ease of lake access at nearly every bay of KY lake..(I generally drive to the bay I'm going to fish, launch the boat, get on the TM, and spider rig all day)..
I spend more than 99.9% of my fishing day with my baits in the water at the TM...scouting as I fish...(not scouting-then fishing)..
Why would I invest $3000 in electronics for that 0.1% of the day that I'm at the console where my baits are not in the water...??
If you can only afford 1 unit...put it where you will get the most use out of it in your fishing style...
Rickie
Why not set it up to move from the console to the front, the kit for this is not that bad.Quote:
Originally Posted by crappieseeker
I use my side imaging color unit front and back as it is brighter and easier to see, I simply bought the side imaging transducer for the trolling motor so I could use it both places. Less than the cost of a second good grey scale unit. I also still have my old grey scale that I use at the console if I"m just tracking depth, and not scouting, however I spider rig most of the time. Since both are Huminbird units the grey scale dual beam works fine with the side scan transducer on either end.
I use my SI from the console to eliminate water and find structure with the big motor on fast idle and can cover a lot of water faster than with the Terrova up front. If an area is not holding baitfish or there isn't some form of structure that is holding fish then I wouldn't be maximizing my time on the water if I was covering the same barren water with rods in the water and going slower on the bow mount. I have the HB setup so I can move my 898 head unit to the bow if I decide to or use the Lowrance unit that I have wired to my US2. If I could have SI in ONLY one spot it would be at the wheel so that I could eliminate water and mark structure and fish in less time to make my time on the water more productive.
okay here is another question, instead of spending 1,300 or better on a SI unit would it be better to just get 2 good 6 hundred dollar units one for front nd back, or do the lower priced units show as muh, not that those 600 ones are cheap.
My vote would be... more expensive unit up front and on the trolling motor. I want to know what is right below me and to the side the second it pops up on the screen... while im fishing. The set up to move one unit from the front to the back may be a good idea, but may get kinda old after awhile constantly having to move it back and fourth YUK!!!!. One side image unit is better than none. Too anwser your second question.
I put mine at the console on an 8 inch ram mount with the big ball so I could turn it around and glance back and see what I need to. Best bet if you only have enough money money for one unit and need to use it both places
South65(short4)
2003 Xpress X17
MinnKota V2 Powerdrive
Humminbird 998c
Cumberland Crappie Racks
EZ Rod Transport System
BnM PSTs
I did the same thing that South65 did except with a HB798SI. I have a war eagle 548 and a 19' triton with the same setup on a RAM mount so I hot swap the one FF between the two boats. With this setup I can use the system while driving and turn the screen for use while trolling. Not as convenient as having a system on the bow, but works well for my needs and budget.
I do something similar to south 65 with turning the console unit around, but I put 2d sonar on the graph up front and on my bigger unit on the console I usually just have the gps up since my navionics card is in that unit. That way i can glance back and keep track of where I'm at while I can mark what's underneath me with the unit up front.