Which sonar/fishfinder?

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AzTacoma

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I'm chomping at the bit to buy a sonar/gps (but waiting when the big spring sales come, usually in late Feb or early March... hopefully there will be some deals). I have a small Lowrance at the cockpit, the real basic kind that come standard with a new boat. It's works well for what it is, showing me the depth, temp, possible fish underneath, etc. But I need to get something bigger and better on the bow, which is where I fish much of the time. I mostly fish the Arizona desert lakes and will be hitting Powell 1-2 times a year.

I am a man of basic means so I'd like to stay at $500, although I could go a little bit more if it's well worth it. I'm not into gadgets and whizbangs... I just want something 7" or more, isn't glitchy, and has CHIRP. Reliable and shows the fish. 2nd priority would be some sort of map feature for the GPS, although I know the lakes I fish pretty well.

One question I have is how amazing and practical is sidescan? Is it effective, hard to read, worth the extra money? I'm fairly ambivalent about bluetooth and wifi... prefer not to pay a premium for it (unless convinced otherwise)

Right now I'm eyeballing the Lowrance Hook2 7" Splitshot with basemap, $450 at the GPS Store and $500 at Cabelas (where I have about $100 of credit saved).

Experience, suggestions, and advice wanted!
 
I will say this, talking about lowrance and Humminbird, is like ford and Chevy. They both have their pros and cons and depending on who you talk to or read their opinions it still goes back to what they like, Ford or Chevy. If you have followed the trolling motor thread you can see if you like minn Kota you will want Humminbird because they talk to each other. I am not sure which trolling motor works with lowrance but things have to pair up. My personal experience is I went to purchase a side view Humminbird and the salesman talked me out of it, that was before I purchased my new boat and now I am kicking myself for not getting the side view model. My old fishing partner who did not take a break from fishing told me to get the unit with the most features I can afford, technology is a great thing in fish finders! Things have changed a lot since the paper graph that I just replaced! I am kind of in the same situation as you, I have not kept up and now I am a little lost with all the technology. I have had both lowrance and Humminbird and have trusted both in the past, my opinion is make sure that what you buy will pair with what else you have or plan to get. Forums say lowrance has better bottom end units and Humminbird has more technology in their mid and upper ends. Just makes it more confusing. Good luck, I hope lots of people respond to this, it will be interesting for sure! I do own both and now I use a newer Humminbird if anyone cares. Like I have said in another thread, I still have not learned how to use all the features but I sure like what I have seen so far and I am going for the new mega chirp with gps and side imaging as soon as they come out. I hope we both learn from this thread.
 
Thanks for your feedback. I'm not partial to either and I'm sure both Lowrance and Hummingbird are pretty solid. I have a basic MK powerdrive 70 trolling and it will not interface with a sonar/gps... so I guess that aspect is a moot point.
 
I have two Lowrance Hooks that I bought two years ago - a five-inched for the console with full GPS mapping and a 7-incher for the bow with just a basic GPS that I don't use up there. I have found these units very satisfactory and paid under $500 for each one. They are more than adequate for any of the lower desert lakes and work quite well on Powell. That's what I would recommend. :)

Ed Gerdemann
 
I run a HB Helix 7 and a Lowrance HDS 7. The sonar works well on each unit. HB uses Lakemaster mapping and Lowrance uses Navionics. (there are a few other options, but these are the most common) If linking your trolling motor is no concern, the mapping would become a priority for me as the base maps that come with each unit leave a lot to be desired. You can get on each website and view the charts of your home waters and see which one has the most detail before you buy. Either map chip will set you back about $100.00. Another thing to consider is that if in the future you plan to upgrade the console unit you will want the ability to network the two units so you can share waypoints and mapping cards.
 
I bought a g2 Helix 7 SI last year for my console to replace an old basic Lowrance. I still haven’t utilized the SI capabilities as much as I would like to yet. The Lakemaster Western chip in that unit is worth its weight in gold. I have used it at LP and FG. It has 100’s of western lakes including Roosevelt and Bartlett. After a year of fishing and experience with the boat, we decided to upgrade to technologies that could (in the proper hands) enhance the fishing experiences. So, a new G2N helix 10 with the SI at the bow partnered with an Ultrex with I-pilot link. Pricey? Yes, but at this stage of of our lives and with the fun we had last year on the lakes, my wife and I decided (OK, I own up, I decided) the extra cost run out over the years and trips we plan to take would make the upgrades all worth it. Whichever way you decide to jump make sure that you are being proactive for potential future upgrades. That will save $ in the long run. There are rumors out there via other sites related to fishing that Lowrance and Garmin have realized they’re missing the boat when it comes to partnered technologies (finders, trolling motors, and GPS) and that could be in the works for an announcement this Spring. (There must be a reason that Lowrance is putting so many finders on sale) Competition will be a good thing. Know beforehand that if you want to network multiple HB finders and TM it requires more $ for the adapters, $30 per, and Ethernet box, about $300. You can link a TM and HB G2or 3 N (Networking) for around $30. Also, the Lakemaster chip does not network on the helix series but can on the Solix. Good luck on your research and decisions.
 
Fishing the az lakes with such fluctuating depth, the HB with the lakemaster chip is worth every penny. The chip will add to the total cost but I wouldn't be without it. I have a Lowrance ( hook 5) at the helm and at the bow with chirp and they are nice but I look at the Hummingbird That I added to the helm 90%of time on the split screen map and sonar.
 
squirrel said:
Having the option to adjust the current lake level in your unit is a must for Powell. I know it can be done on the Humminbird/Lakemaster pair, not sure about the others. Sq
Click to expand...

I agree with Squirrel that this feature is paramount for Lake Powell.

Since nobody has mentioned Garmin yet, I'll stick my neck out and say something good about the unit I bought a couple years ago (Garmin echoMAP CHIRP 53dv). It came with a topo map for the bottom of Lake Powell with contours lines at 10 foot intervals. There were maps for 17,000 lakes preprogrammed in this unit and other reservoirs in AZ may have contours lines at 1 foot intervals for the lake bottom. The topo map can be colored shaded for showing different zones of depth. I can shade the bathtub ring so the topo map coressponds to actual water level of the shoreline. I then shade the area that is 50 feet below the current water level a different color so I can see where underwater hazards are and where shelves are located for fishing. When I am underway, the GPS function updates my position on the map 5 times/second. I have also shaded the bottom of the main channel, the area between 300-500- feet deep, so I can navigate without relying on the main channel buoys and I can avoid underwater hazards within 50 feet of the surface since I can see them approaching a half mile away on the topo map. It is very easy to adjust the shading for the water level when I launch the boat. These features have saved my prop and lower unit many times. The advancements in mapping compared to the unit I bought a couple years ago are amazing.

It does down scan imaging to a depth of 800 feet in fresh water. The downsacn imaging is very clear. It does not do side scan imaging. I do not see the advantages for having side scan imaging for Lake Powell. It also has traditional sonar. It can do split screen and split zoom functions for both sonars with the topo map.

Hope this helps.
 
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Thank's for everyone's input, it's nice to see some personal experience and other ideas. Plenty to consider. The more I think of it I'm not sure excellent mapping is going to be as important since this will be on the bow and used mainly when operating the trolling motor and casting. If I upgrade the cheapy at the helm someday, I would be sure to focus primarily on mapping. Lots of options... and since nobody is raving about sidescan I figure that's a feature I can live without.
 
I wouldn't discard the mapping ability to quickly, when I am casting down a bank I am constantly watching the map looking for underwater contour changes, points, structure to position my boat for the best presentation at underwater targets that I would otherwise never even know existed. Even if you don't get a mapping chip with the unit you decide on now, having a ability to add it at a later date would be something to consider in my opinion. For the price you're looking for this would be my suggestion. Screenshot_2019-01-18-19-08-56.png
 
Mine is going to be the Helix8 Mega Chirp DI. I’ve had SI in my 987 for years. I know the technology wasn’t as good but I never could see what it was supposed to be showing me. Howard Oatman had a DI unit in his Tritons. It was great.
 
@Meatwagon, maps are still a consideration and definitely having the option to add good maps later is a must. That Helix you linked is pretty much like what I think I'll be getting although it might end up being a similar Lowrance. Probably which ever has a better deal in 4-5 weeks.

@Steve Moore, that's pretty much what I've been hearing... unless you have a very new and expensive unit (and are a fanatic), SI is just "meh." I think a good quality CHIRP with DI mode is they key.

I noticed Cabelas charges $110 for a bow sonar install (as opposed to $230 for a console mount). I'm guessing it's fairly basic with the main thing just wiring the power? I'll have to look at some youtube vids, but $110 as a backup seems reasonable.
 
@AzTacoma Make sure you check your own boat to see if it’s already wired up front. In our Crestliner it’s already wired ready to go along with the horn wires.
 
Dungee Fishing said:
@AzTacoma Make sure you check your own boat to see if it’s already wired up front. In our Crestliner it’s already wired ready to go along with the horn wires.
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Our Crestliner also has a 12v feed already in place under the bow cap (along with the horn, courtesy lighting, underdeck lighting and front baitwell controls wiring) so is available to power the bow FF. I forget if it is a dedicated battery to bow cable or runs through the master switch. I believe there is less chance of picking up or creating interference and experiencing low voltage and fluctuations with a dedicated line direct from a battery.

I have had Side Imaging (SI) on my bass boat for the last three years and have found it very useful in shallow (less than 60' of so) lakes for bass fishing and seeing what structure is there. When we first used this boat on Powell, I determined it was pretty worthless there, since the water is too deep and areas too large to really use the limited range of SI, so we did not use it initially. However, in just goofing around with it at various times, I have now started using it more. I have found it very useful in seeing the walls slope below water line and realized I can now see whales and the slope angles of the sandstone on both sides of the boat when in the more narrow canyons, Moki as an example. I really depend on it to figure out where I should be in the channel to avoid the sloping sides of narrow areas. It also is valuable in seeing what happens with the boulder slopes along the walls, do they keep sloping down, or is there a flat and or a drop-off, both are good information. More recently, I have started using it to look for striper schools that are sub-surface in the main channel. While there will not be any imaging of structure within the SI range, just the empty water column, you can see schools of fish or bait (depending on size and density) within the SI range on either side of the boat. I find this gives us a 150' or so swath of water with a pretty good chance of seeing fish from near the surface down to 50-60' or so. The Humminbird pre-Mega SI was up to about 125' either side of the transducer, if I recall right, but I found I have much better resolution and definition if I reduce my range setting to about 60'.
I just purchased a new Mega unit with SI, but have not gotten to use it yet, so not sure how much increased range this will provide, but it should be better. I use 2D sonar all the time, and DI on occasion to try and verify what I am seeing on the bottom with the Sonar. But don't use DI that much. If I only had one view available, I could be 2D Sonar. But its fun to have the other stuff to mess with, especially when fishing is slow! :)

My wife thinks it interesting that we spend so much time and money so I can yell " there's something below us...I am not sure what it is... but think it is fish!" Her usual response is "shut up and fish!" lol
 
I would agree with the fact that the si (side image )unit is limited to a special type of user as my unit has that feature but is something I haven't as yet used, maybe when I retire and have more time to spend on the water I might have a use for it. If you look at the picture of the helix 7 that I posted you will notice a underwater point positioned behind the boat on the map that is dog legged and would be unnoticeable without the mapping ability to position your boat to fish it effectively , which is my primary point for the mapping ability.replace1-1.png
 
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Also you might want to keep in mind the ability to adjust the depth of the lake level on the Hummingbird as apposed to the Lowrance which does not. ,something that I wish I would have known when I ordered the electronics for my boat build which would have been hummingbird instead of Lowrance from the start.
 
A couple of questions while the topic has been brought to floor again... How much interference is to be expected on the trolling motor sonar unit? Or is there a way to eliminate most if not all of it? Secondly, if you're using the internal transducer (like the sonar one in my Terrova) does that drain the trolling motor batteries or does that power system still get ran through the main battery? If so, I'm thinking it might be worth it to put on a separate transducer on the TM.
 
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