• The Garmin Panoptix Sonar – See What Is Around You, Not What Was! By Bernard Williams

    Since the introduction of marine sonar, everything shown on the LCD was historical, in other words, the graph was relaying information that the boat was passing over, old data, what was under the boat. Enter the Garmin Panoptix Sonar Transducer; you can see what’s in front, around or behind you with real-time accuracy, you see what is under the boat. I mean you can see your bait as the fish takes it or runs away from it. Picture this, it’s like having an underwater camera showing you fish all around you, the difference is, water clarity makes no difference. It works just as good in a muddy Grenada Lake as it would in a clear water lake like Pickwick.


    Garmin offers two (2) types of Panoptix Transducers, Forward Looking (Trolling Motor Mounted) and Down Looking (Transom Mounted). I’m a longline troller; I fish mainly from the center and back of the boat. I chose the Down Looking Transducer mounted to the transom. Slow Trollers or Power Trollers would benefit greatly using the Forward Looking Transducer.

    Ok, you say why do I need this? Well, if you’re like me, you don’t have the time to just sit out there and wait on a school of fish to come to you; you’ve got to go to them. Humminbird (360 Imaging), Lowrance (SpotlightScan) and others have live view technology. I’ve seen all them in action; nothing comes close to the Panoptix Sonar. It’s more compact in size and a here and now view.

    With the Panoptix Down Transducer, you can actually see fish and bait swimming around under your boat; a real-time moving image; even while sitting completely still. You get 3 remarkable views: LiveVü Down, RealVü 3-D Down and RealVü 3-D Historical. I will explain each rather briefly.


    • LiveVü Down – The LiveVü Down provides real-time moving sonar images. You can see fish swimming toward or away from the boat. You can see shad, other baitfish and fish swimming around, you can also see your lure as it moves through the water.






    • RealVü 3-D Down – This view allows you to sit still and see things in 3-D around your boat. It shows the history of each sweep. I use this view a lot to look for baitfish schools moving in and out of my set range. If I see schools of baitfish appear; I can move in that direction.




    • RealVü 3-D Historical - RealVü 3-D Historical is used for finding fish while your boat is moving. This shows the entire water column you have passed over in 3-D, from the bottom of the surface and all of the fish in between. I use this view on open water flats and river ledges. I often record this view for reviewing later. I can go back a see what I might have missed while concentrating on fishing.



    When selecting which brand of live view transducer to choose I considered three (3) things:

    1. Clarity – The Panoptix showed to the best clarity of any of the units I’ve viewed. Having been a Garmin fan for many years, it was a natural fit. Garmin units have always shown a fantastic underwater picture.
    2. Ease of Use - I don’t have to be an engineer to operate the Garmin Unit. The Panoptix views take some getting used to, just like with side imaging. Once you’re able to discern what’s showing on the screen as it’s moving you’re there.
    3. Price and Reliability – The Panoptix PS30 Down Transducer retails around $1,500. That may seem steep, but considering the technology incorporated in this device, that’s a steal. Compared to the Humminbird AS 360SSI at the same price, the choice is clear. The Garmin warranty and support is superb and outstanding on all of their products.


    In summary, the Panoptix is brand new to the market, it’s going to take time for fishermen to wrap their minds around this new technology. It took time for basic sonar to catch on. I will leave you with a bit of advice when deciding which live view technology to go with, pick the one that’s been on the market the longest. They’re usually the ones that have the bugs worked out. Bernard, Outdoor Writer
    Comments 6 Comments
    1. brucec's Avatar
      brucec -
      Good stuff right there
    1. Dave and Lynn's Avatar
      Dave and Lynn -
      Wow.
    1. prefers shiners's Avatar
      prefers shiners -
      fantastic.....
    1. scrat's Avatar
      scrat -
      Wow! Fish have nowhere to hide.
    1. Crestliner08's Avatar
      Crestliner08 -
      Awesome technology! For $1500.00 it ought to be!
    1. Billbob's Avatar
      Billbob -
      good read
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