Is it really worth the money?

[Pooch]

I've been sort of drooling over the HDS 8 or 10 all winter. I've got good electronics now, but nothing like these units.

I'm struggling with the "wants" versus "needs" thing.

Do these high tech sonar units really help? Yea, there are many spots that I just can't figure out even though we've fished them for years and I'd love to see what they really look like.

From what I read many of you folks are using these or similar units. What do you really think of them. Did they help "wrap your head" around a piece of lake that you fish. Did knowing what is really under the boat change the way you fish?

I'm an old flasher guy who just bought his first color LCD three years ago. And I only did that kicking and screaming. Now these units come along to tempt me!

Your thoughts would sure be appreciated. Thanks.

Pooch

[drbrand]

I have the HDS7 and recently installed the sidescan imagining. Before I installed the sidescan, I would have said if you have a color LCD, don't feel like you need to upgrade to a HDS. But after using the sidescan, it is an amazing difference from anything that came before it.

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

I am a Humminbird guy but with that being said.......YES. SI and DI are worth the money and I have not suffered buyers remorse.

[Jason Halfen]

Let me provide an example from today's trip. This was a dedicated bluegill trip on a heavily pressured body of water.

The gills are all up on beds. Many of these are in 6-18" of water and easy to see. Heck, you can see them from 100s of yards away as most of the visible bedding areas have boats parked on top of them.

What I've been doing for several years now is scouting in slightly deeper water with my Humminbird Side Imaging system for gill bed "colonies" that can't be seen from the surface. These beds sit in 6-8 feet of water, usually near the base of the primary near-shore break. Several examples of these colonies, imaged by my Humminbird 1198, are included below. Look in the red zoom boxes for examples of gill bed colonies in 5-10 ft.

What makes my Humminbird Side Imaging system such a valuable tool in these circumstances?

1. The gill beds simply can't be identified using traditional sonar, while they stick out like shore thumbs with Humminbird's high-resolution side imaging.
2. I can cruise 100s of yards of shoreline from 50-75 ft offshore, marking each of the bed colonies with a waypoint before circling back to fish them.
3. Perhaps the most valuable part of the whole experience? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, else is fishing these beds. I have them all to myself.

Finding unpressured fish on a high-pressure lake? For me, that's priceless.

[whofan]

I went simple and cheap with a monochrome Humminbird 581i for my new boat.
I really only need basic information and spend more time watching my lines than electronics.
The new super duper stuff is cool but is no more reliable or stays in date than the cheaper stuff.
I pretty much rigged my new boat with the must have basics (graph w GPS, Minnkota 70 ap and on board charger $1300) for the same price some people pay for 1 graph.
Its all old stuff two years out.
But the big stuff is cool and you only live once.
7 months out of a year my boat sits waiting for the next season.
Something to think about!

[Wade B AKA: Ruger2506]

The new super duper stuff is cool but is no more reliable or stays in date than the cheaper stuff.

. Actually the expensive units do stay up to date as they are computers that can and do get updated often by the manufacturer. Unlike the cheaper units.

7 months out of a year my boat sits waiting for the next season.

My boat doesn't sit, it gets used 12 mos out of the year. That makes the price a little easier to swallow.

That is the other side of the arguement to think about.

[LLewellin]

Originally Posted by Pooch

I've been sort of drooling over the HDS 8 or 10 all winter. I've got good electronics now, but nothing like these units.

I'm struggling with the "wants" versus "needs" thing.

Do these high tech sonar units really help? Yea, there are many spots that I just can't figure out even though we've fished them for years and I'd love to see what they really look like.

From what I read many of you folks are using these or similar units. What do you really think of them. Did they help "wrap your head" around a piece of lake that you fish. Did knowing what is really under the boat change the way you fish?

I'm an old flasher guy who just bought his first color LCD three years ago. And I only did that kicking and screaming. Now these units come along to tempt me!

Your thoughts would sure be appreciated. Thanks.

Pooch

To answer your question, Yes these new high tech units really do help as long as you are willing to utilize them. I have seen lots of guys, myself included, that just don't put the time into learning what good electronics can do for you. Have they put more fish in my boat? I would have to say absolutely. But if your going to just plug it in and watch how deep you are I would stick with the old flasher. By the way the Vexilar Flasher is great on a boat

[REW]

Pooch,
Every decision that you make with buying something for a hobby, comes down to want or need.

Bottom line - you need a string with a hook on it and some bait to put on the end of the hook to catch fish.

Everything else, boat, motor, flasher, black and white graph, color graph, 3 d graph etc. are all wants, not needs.

So, as my Daddy said a very long time ago, "Do you have more time, or do you have more money" If you have the time, use the time to do what you want to do. If you have more money, spend the money to use less time"

It is always your choice.


Does the structure scan, the 3d scan, the extra view this, or the extra view that put more fish in the boat. No, but all of these things give you; the fisherman; more knowledge about what is under the boat.

Now, you may or may not be able to transform this extra knowledge into more fish in the boat, or you may just have the satisfaction of having the more knowledge about what is under the boat.

After all, we are all curious by nature. These extra features on these units do help to satisfy our curiosity about these unknown things.

However, I do know that many folks who do have all of the extra features on their depth finder will often use these features to learn more about a given body of water and to better learn the underwater features of a particular body of water. But many of these same fishermen who then fish the water later seldom use the extra features that are in the depth finder because they are not so necessary to actually put the fish in the boat.

But they did enjoy using the features to initially learn about the underwater structure.

So, are they great as a learning tool - you bet.
Will you use them every minute of your fishing day? That is up to you.

Good luck and enjoy the hobby.

REW

[nervous knotter]

Originally Posted by REW

Pooch,
Every decision that you make with buying something for a hobby, comes down to want or need.

Bottom line - you need a string with a hook on it and some bait to put on the end of the hook to catch fish.

Everything else, boat, motor, flasher, black and white graph, color graph, 3 d graph etc. are all wants, not needs.

So, as my Daddy said a very long time ago, "Do you have more time, or do you have more money" If you have the time, use the time to do what you want to do. If you have more money, spend the money to use less time"

It is always your choice.


Does the structure scan, the 3d scan, the extra view this, or the extra view that put more fish in the boat. No, but all of these things give you; the fisherman; more knowledge about what is under the boat.

Now, you may or may not be able to transform this extra knowledge into more fish in the boat, or you may just have the satisfaction of having the more knowledge about what is under the boat.

After all, we are all curious by nature. These extra features on these units do help to satisfy our curiosity about these unknown things.

However, I do know that many folks who do have all of the extra features on their depth finder will often use these features to learn more about a given body of water and to better learn the underwater features of a particular body of water. But many of these same fishermen who then fish the water later seldom use the extra features that are in the depth finder because they are not so necessary to actually put the fish in the boat.

But they did enjoy using the features to initially learn about the underwater structure.

So, are they great as a learning tool - you bet.
Will you use them every minute of your fishing day? That is up to you.

Good luck and enjoy the hobby.

REW

Right on REW

[Pooch]

You are pretty much right REW. It's curiosity as much as anything.

My "thing" when on the water is to hunt fish. Finding fish in the middle of nowhere that are untouched really cranks my carrot. When guys fish with me they always joke about doing a lot of moving and lookin'. Even if we find fish and they are not above average size I keep moving.

I like things that are simple and actually function up to expectations. If you look at my pictures here on WC, take a look at my little older Lund. Basic fishing with few frills, but for the electronics and fish-ability. Flash and fancy doesn't impress me and the fish even less so. As I age I can now finally afford the better "stuff" life has to offer, but I appreciate what I already have even more. You know the old saying that if a man owns just one gun, he's probably really is good with it? That applies to fishing, too.

I'm paining over spending this kind of money, but am leaning towards the purchase. I'm hoping for a few more guys to chirp in on the pluses and minuses of these units.

I keep trying to justify this kind of money by telling myself that I can walk away from the JD parts counter with this many dollars in a paper bag! And I never even give that a second thought.

I think in the end curiosity may win this one.

Thanks fellows.

Pooch