Originally Posted by
Bricks
It sounds like you are an older Dude like me when it comes to SI size does really matter, if you want to find just structure smaller is OK but if you want to pick out fish then a Helix 12 is what you want, so much easier because of the size of the image. A fish only being 2-4 pixels on a smaller unit may be 9-17 pixels. Humminbird has the best SI out there. I have had true blue Lowrance guys in my boat and they admit Hbirds SI is much better.
I can take a run thru 20-25 cribs and tell you which cribs have fish if any, SI has taught me how much these fish move from one crib to the next with in a few hours or here today gone tomorrow. Open water suspended fish SI can find them, where I fish these are normally the bigger Crappies.
It hurts to spend $2,500 on a depth finder, if you keep your eyes open there are good used units Humminbird Helix 12 SI Gen 3`s out there in that $1,600. I know because I have updated to two Gen 3`s for that amount each. You could also find a Helix 12 SI Gen 1 for $800 and they will more then get the job done not as sharp an image but nothing wrong with them as long as you do not plan to update to Mega 360 or Mega Imaging.
Once you purchase one take the time to actually learn how to use and read it. What I had to finally do is leave my rods at home and spent the day doing nothing but playing with my SI. To start I went along a shoreline I kind of new and looked at my screen and compared to what I see on the shore. Would make multiple passes changing settings until it looked the way I wanted it. Did this over different types of bottom structure changing settings as I went with multiple passes. Find some fish do the same thing adjusting settings as I went over them many times.
Learning your electronics and how to set them up according to conditions is the best thing and hardest to do, once you get it then life and catching is so much easier.