SI i shallow water

[pj53404]

Most of my fishing is on lakes with most of the water level less than 10 feet, will SI be worth the money? I'm going to be picking up a fish finder soon due to having more time now that I'm retiring.

Pat

[mduncan62]

Depends on how much disposable income you have. You could easily get a better look at what's under the water with a DI/2D/GPS combo and save some bucks. If you want to be able to cover a larger swath of water, and mark points of interest, then yes SI/SS would benefit.

[kosmo]

i guess that would have to be up to you if you want to spend the money for si.heres some pictures that i took in 10ft or less water.it will give you an ideal of what you could see with si.these pictures are from a humminbird unit,but most people on this forum say they get better results with the lowrance

[kosmo]

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[arkman]

It was money well spent to me. DI is nice but if you dont go right over the brushpile, log, or whatever youll probably never know its there.

You can find the stuff with SI and mark it then go back and take a better look with DI.

[Stymie]

If you want SI in shallow waters, take a look at both brands with the range set more than 50 feet. I keep mine around 80 in less than 10 feet of water most of the time.

[JD1]

Killer screenshots. This is something i have wondered also. Most of my trolling is done in 12' or less. Cant afford si yet but sure look forward to it.

[pj53404]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I 'm going to go with the SI, figure it cant hurt after looking at the screen shots.

Thanks, Pat

[mduncan62]

If you want SI in shallow waters, take a look at both brands with the range set more than 50 feet. I keep mine around 80 in less than 10 feet of water most of the time.

I would add a caution on your claim. Deciding what is most usable/readable is up to the owner, and the unit makes a difference. 80ft Per side on a 598 or 798 will work, but there's a lot you could miss. Even looking at Kosmo's screen shots at 90ft wide, that's not great. Look at the tree on 2d and DI and then look at it on the SI, if you were using SI only, you might pass right by without noticing.

The best use I got out of my 797 when I had it was scanning 1 side 50ft. Then I could see detail. You could certainly scan 150ft per side on a 798, but best of luck to you on seeing anything. So much hype is paid to the max distance, but more feet per side doesn't equal more detail.

[Stymie]

As usual, you are missing the point. Set way out, you aren't looking for details, you are looking for items of interest. If I have it set at 80 or 90 feet and see a shadow or a nice bright blob, I can mark it and come back to it. If I have it set at 50 or my unit turns into a black abyss past 50 feet, I'm still trucking on by.