Side Imaging or Live Scope…What’s Best For Me

[LAHooligan]

I have an Humminbird 1199si at the helm to idle around searching for those spots and a 898si and Garmin 1022 w/ Livescope (that I've used once in 8 months) on the deck. They all have their place it seems but you're right about the cost for sure. From fishing with guys with the scopes that know what they're doing, it's an amazing tool to have.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[Grainraiser]

Side imaging will find the crib while Livescope will tell you if anyone is at home. I like your idea of getting the Garmin 93sv with transducer. You can always add Livescope to the system down the road if you choose.

[Ketchn]

si will get it done , once you understand the shadows it will tell you if fish are there and show what is holding them
a 99 cent pair of readers will blow up a small screen as well
live sonagram technology is great , but it isnt what i would use to find fish and its pricey .
you can get a decent si unit pretty cheap and most have decent di on them to use when you are up close
my 2 cents

[Hanr3]

I too fish northern Wisconsin, Eagle River area. I upgraded to a used boat and outfitted it with all new electronics. Side Imaging is the best for the money. you get 2D, Down Imaging, and Side Imaging with the Side Imaging unit. I went with Helix 9 units. Mega Side Imaging. You can see fish, structure, cover, weeds, etc. Plus you can create your own lake maps with hard/soft bottom transition, weeds edges, etc. IF you buy a IPilot Link trolling motor, it will follow the contour line, follow the weed edge, follow the hard/soft bottom, etc. Plus if you buy the LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping cards it will show you the best locations to fish. All of these option are available on the Humminbird/MinnKota/LakeMaster products. They are all made by Johson and made to work together. A real game changer.

Mega 360 will show you everything around the boat. It's like Side Imagine (SI), but always turning in a circle. SI only shows out to either side. SI works best while moving up to 5mph or so. M360 works best while less than 1mph. Live Scope is to target a specific spot at less than 1mph. For what you described, SI would be the way to go and pair it to a MinnKota I-Pilot Link trolling motor, then buy a LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping card.

Which area are you fishing?

[Thinblueline]

I too fish northern Wisconsin, Eagle River area. I upgraded to a used boat and outfitted it with all new electronics. Side Imaging is the best for the money. you get 2D, Down Imaging, and Side Imaging with the Side Imaging unit. I went with Helix 9 units. Mega Side Imaging. You can see fish, structure, cover, weeds, etc. Plus you can create your own lake maps with hard/soft bottom transition, weeds edges, etc. IF you buy a IPilot Link trolling motor, it will follow the contour line, follow the weed edge, follow the hard/soft bottom, etc. Plus if you buy the LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping cards it will show you the best locations to fish. All of these option are available on the Humminbird/MinnKota/LakeMaster products. They are all made by Johson and made to work together. A real game changer.

Mega 360 will show you everything around the boat. It's like Side Imagine (SI), but always turning in a circle. SI only shows out to either side. SI works best while moving up to 5mph or so. M360 works best while less than 1mph. Live Scope is to target a specific spot at less than 1mph. For what you described, SI would be the way to go and pair it to a MinnKota I-Pilot Link trolling motor, then buy a LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping card.

Which area are you fishing?

I have a camper on a seasonal site at the Chain O’ Lakes Campground in Eagle River. The campground is on Cranberry Lake on the Eagle River chain of lakes, but I try to fish one new lake in the vicinity each time I go up there.

[Thinblueline]

I too fish northern Wisconsin, Eagle River area. I upgraded to a used boat and outfitted it with all new electronics. Side Imaging is the best for the money. you get 2D, Down Imaging, and Side Imaging with the Side Imaging unit. I went with Helix 9 units. Mega Side Imaging. You can see fish, structure, cover, weeds, etc. Plus you can create your own lake maps with hard/soft bottom transition, weeds edges, etc. IF you buy a IPilot Link trolling motor, it will follow the contour line, follow the weed edge, follow the hard/soft bottom, etc. Plus if you buy the LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping cards it will show you the best locations to fish. All of these option are available on the Humminbird/MinnKota/LakeMaster products. They are all made by Johson and made to work together. A real game changer.

Mega 360 will show you everything around the boat. It's like Side Imagine (SI), but always turning in a circle. SI only shows out to either side. SI works best while moving up to 5mph or so. M360 works best while less than 1mph. Live Scope is to target a specific spot at less than 1mph. For what you described, SI would be the way to go and pair it to a MinnKota I-Pilot Link trolling motor, then buy a LakeMaster SmartStrike mapping card.

Which area are you fishing?

I have a camper on a seasonal site at the Chain O’ Lakes Campground in Eagle River. The campground is on Cranberry Lake on the Eagle River chain of lakes, but I try to fish one new lake in the vicinity each time I go up there.

[TreednNC]

You'll not regret live sonar, but that's only part of the puzzle. Side scan to find them from afar and a little faster, scope em to zero in on them, roughly confirm what they are, and kill them lol

[MikeF]

There is fishing and there is catching.

I have come to realize that I like catching more.

Fish move, alot.

That hot dock,brush pile or tree today can be a dud tomorrow.

Fish the high percentage cover for better catching.

A good looking tree image on SI with bare branches will probably get a pass.

That same tree that appears to be in full bloom with leaves (fish) will get noticed and probably fished.

Hunting with SI at 3-5 mph will cut down the search time immensely, especially with a tiller since you can sight left or right as the transducer on the transom passes by the structure, you can get a landmark bearing or just toss a float quickly.

Trolling motor integration with side imagining is key to me, as Hanr3 described with the Ipilot and SI.

I would rather have a newer trolling motor with spot lock, jog and Ipilot and connected to my old 998SI unit, than do without the trolling motor integration and run a newer graph.


Even with the newer Helix units, I still run 455khz for the extra range during the hunt.

If something is of interest I can always get closer on another pass at 1200khz if I want a pretty picture or to verify the amount of fish.

Point is, find the fish fast and then work out the catching details.

Once you found a spot where you feel pretty confident there are fish, then you can decide if you want to really catch them fast and furious or just toss out a couple of rods and kick back and relax.

Some days you may feel like the hunter and some days like the couch potato.

No matter your effort decided for the day, fishing empty water is just fishing and the hunter or couch potato will catch the same.

If you do get a new SI unit, I would suggest a spending few days on the water right after ice out if possible.

This will be the cleanest water to learn your new unit and as the season progresses and the water gets turbid, you will be able see the differences and the effects on the clarity of your SI returns.

Good luck and feel free to ask questions.

There is a wealth of knowledge and experience here.

[Fullnet2]

Hello everyone, I’m a new member to the site and looking to confirm some gut feelings on which way to go as I’m about to buy new electronics. I’ve taken many wilderness fishing trips to Canada, spent a lot of years trolling for salmon on Lake Michigan, and I’ve caught a lot of great gamefish in my life, but I’ve come to a point where the most satisfying thing for me now is casually casting a jig for crappie, or relaxing in front of a spread of bobbers and minnows.

I am in my last boat which is only a 16 1/2 footer with a tiller Yamaha motor, therefore I prefer to keep a new electronics set up to one monitor. I have a seasonal camper in northern Wisconsin where I fish natural lakes, most of which have their deepest basins in the 25-50’ depths, with clear weed lines in the 5-10’ depths. I spend most of my time looking for crappies and bluegills, but I have only an outdated 2D sonar, and I am not real proficient at finding fish in these many lakes, which average 500-1000 acres, with many smaller and some bigger.

My biggest problem is I waste too much time fishing unproductive boat docks and boat houses, and I cannot locate fish cribs and other submerged wood and structures which crappie relate to. I catch a few fish here and there when I get lucky and set up on the right spot, but I might only hit one or two “right” spots out of how lever many spots I try, largely fishing structure I can see above water.

I want to stick to my relaxed style of fishing, where I cast jigs with a single pole or kick back with bobber sets while looking around and enjoying my surroundings. I have watched many live scope videos, and that is clearly the most effective for yanking crappie out of the water, but every video shows fishermen with an inordinate amount of time spent with his head down looking at a screen.

I think I’d really like to unlock the secrets of these lakes by finding fish cribs, downed trees and rock piles, as well as giving myself the ability to eliminate lots and lots of boat docks and boat houses that don’t have fish on them, without having to fish every one of them to do so.

My gut feeling tells me a side scan unit can give me what I’m looking for by revealing many more productive places in a shorter period of time to throw a spread of bobbers, as opposed to throwing them out with a hope and a prayer. On the other hand, you guys with live scope catch fish like nobody’s business so I wonder if I’m going to regret not going that route.

As a side note, spending the least amount of money will be a lot easier to get past my better half. I’ve kind of got my eye on the Garmin Echomap UHD 93SV with the newest GT56 transducer. What do you guys think? Am I thinking right for my situation?

I crappie fish a lot. My style is either shooting docks or fishing brush. The crappie on my lake are entirely black crappie so my
Input may not apply as much to white crappie. I use a helix 9 and 10 and they a total game changer. Imagine a community dock with 200 slips. If you don't have a side imaging ,it could take all day to fish these. With a side imaging, you can tell the docks that hold schools of crappie in 15 minutes. It also works well on brush piles.
I've fished all 3 major brands and greatly prefer the hummingbird helix. Most people are going to recommend the unit they use as that's human nature. I will say that if you're considered a live scope later,then Garmin wound be best choice and it does a decent side view
Good luck fishing

[Hanr3]

I have a camper on a seasonal site at the Chain O’ Lakes Campground in Eagle River. The campground is on Cranberry Lake on the Eagle River chain of lakes, but I try to fish one new lake in the vicinity each time I go up there.

We camped at High Pines last year. We looked at Chain O' Lakes, but High Pines is closer to family. I have family that lives in and around Eagle River. Been going up there for over 40 years. Most times I'm visiting and not there to fish, but we manage to get out once or twice a trip. Which lake is your favorite?