Thread: Down Imaging vs Side imaging vs neither

Originally Posted by genec

VIC,WHAT DO U MEAN ,INCLINE DI

Sorry, I missed your question, I mean inclined DI transducer, ussualy for 25-35 degree. I do it for ice fishing use as well:

One more example - on SI views of LSS unit we defenetly see a long foumdation casting some shadow, but on dedicated DI we see a blend of the left and right parts of central beam and something strange is hanging above bottom

Originally Posted by crappiemax

It all has it's place. If you have the means SI/DI/2d/sonar are all good options to have if you like fishing off shore. I have it and I like it so much I added a 2nd unit. It's just another toy in the toy box to play with.

If all you like to do is fish fallen trees along the shoreline I guess you don't need any of it.

I beg to differ. I fish laydown banks all the time. Not all trees are visible, and I don't have to spook the fish to find a new tree. I spend about 1/3 of my time on the water finding new spots. Side imaging is great. This was my first season with it, and I still have a ton to learn.

One more example: which view is better (sharper) dedicated DI at 800kHz or an old good SI at 455 kHz ?



Dedicated DI is a blend, Humminbird SI is true

Vik3, I like your ideal of the split di view.i believe that I would use it quite a lot with my onix.

OK vik, this is what I've come up with. (Tell me if I'm wrong).using the 455khz .At 30 ft. There would be a blended coverage area of 46ft. using the dedicated di piezo.That would mean, ever thing the unit pings in that coverage area would be blended and shown on the unit control head as being directly below the boat.There would be no way to determine were the fish or structure would be, in that 46ft. coverage area.By showing the two si views rotated and with the ability to zoom each view separately, along with a si view would be a great ideal.(imo)Vik, these views would also have to have there own separate, sens/contrast setting....

Yes, I agree. I only can say that for the 455khz at 30 ft there would be a blended coverage area of 46ft this is only theoretically correct for 75 degree DI beam, but in reality the beam is much wider up to 120 degree, and the a blended coverage area will be much bigger.

On this screenshot on Dedicated DI the depth in the middle is 14ft, but the covered range is 30ft to each side - total blended coverage area is about 50 ft:





What I noticed as well that even 1600kHz will not be much helpfull for any symmetric DI (down imaging, down scan, down vision etc) because they are blended:

Originally Posted by archer66

Thanks for all the replies and discussion everyone. The intent of my post and poll was to focus on the technology available so here is a followup question...

I fish Mark Twain Lake in Missouri 99% of the time. I'm pretty good (if I can pat myself on the back lol) at finding and catching whatever fish I'm chasing when they are in a known set pattern and doing what they are supposed to be doing at a given time of year. For instance crappie during the spawn or on a strong summer pattern or catfish in the spring when the rivers are running. Now I want to branch out a bit and get better and finding fish during the winter for instance or during transitional periods for instance between the spawn and the summer pattern etc. I was thinking that if I upgraded my electronics from the Eagle Ultra Classic I currently run to either a DI or SI/DI model I might have better luck finding schools of baitfish, seeing schools of crappie and finding brush piles and other structure that hold fish. Since I fish the same lake all the time and since I'm not a tournament fisherman ( I do fish probably 40-50 days a year) do you think I'd be satisfied with simply a DI unit and secondly do you think I'd be disappointed with a 5" inch screen if I went for one of the cheaper units like the HB 798CI HD DI?

Go with the largest screen that you can afford, you won't regret it. The larger the screen, the better the SI detail, and the trick with SI is knowing how to interpret what the detail is showing you and mentally integrating that info with DI and 2D. There is a wealth of information on your screen if you are able to correctly interpret what is there. One feature, by itself, is just that, but combining all 3 features can give you the strategy to put what you see in the live-well. With practice, you can even see what bait causes the fish to become the most interested. In a nutshell - - it's a science, and the more information you have, the easier it is to get the results that you expect.

Use Max Mode and sensitivity to see your bait in relation to the fish. It will increase your odds. B-