Thread: down scan usefulness poll

If your going to verticall fish i think that the 2d is the best just because of the nature of the 2d beam compared to the Di beam.one example would be if the person fishing wanted to watch his bait in relation to fish/structure the 2d will get far better results.another good example would be something that i like to do is to keep the boat back away from the structure by watching the 2d.the Di really does do a very good job of this.seams to me that the Di works best for me is when Im done fishing ill go over the structure and take a picture then when some one asks were did you catch those fish ill show the picture .

I don't fish in the spring much anymore, 95% of my fishing is between December and the first of March before the water temps start to move up and the terrorist start arriving. So I'm generally fishing in deeper water and two poling, I do cast some but not a lot. I run my bow HDS 8 on split screen, one side 2d and ds on the other. The brush starts showing up first on 2d because of the shape of the sound wave, then it will show up on the ds. So for me the ds keeps me "on top" of the brush much better. Your mileage may vary.

On the stern I use the ss for finding stuff and the ds to big eye it. I enjoy playing with my depth finders almost as much as fishing, but not as much as eating them.

I do not have 2d capabilities in my bow unit. I have my DI unit mounted on the TM. I have/do use the DI image while in a more or less stationary position, for vertical presentations, but with the idea/fact in mind that I'm going to be seeing horizontally stretched out images of cover (much the same as what I'm used to seeing with 2d, while stationary).
Now, I will have to quantify the fact that I'm used to a 20deg cone angle in previous 2d units. And in the normally less than 25 fow that I'm used to fishing, a 20deg cone only covers ~8ft diameter circle of bottom ... & progressively less diameter of water column from bottom to transducer. My DI unit's "angle", though only 6deg "thick", is 45/75deg wide (depending on using 455 or 800kHz setting). And, of course, I can split the screen between the two settings.

Consider, too, that I skipped past a large portion of the technological changes in depth finders ... skipping over the dual frequency 2d, color 2d, etc. and went from a series of low end b/w 2d depthfinders to a DI unit with GPS, mapping, water temp, waypoint marking, speed registering, color imaging capabilities, which can be customized to my preferences. I will also admit that I bought the unit primarily for those capabilities, as much as or moreso than for the DI image capabilities. I've just learned to admire the DI images, over the pixel blob images of 2d, as they take a lot less "interpretation" (or experience) to understand what's being shown. I'm still in the newbie learning phase of DI, so I'm hoping to continue to get better at using its capabilities.

... cp

cpappy,
I'm surprised the di works well for you sitting on brush, any chance you can elaborate on this? including pics? or on a separate thread. thanks

Originally Posted by brettw

cpappy,
I'm surprised the di works well for you sitting on brush, any chance you can elaborate on this? including pics? or on a separate thread. thanks

I do have a picture or two :





Unfortunately, they were taken prior to my having a micro-sd card.
And, actually, were taken on the first trip where I had waypoints loaded into the unit ... and my digital camera along.

As you can see by the overlay ... my speed is 0.00mph. Actually, I was not anchored or tied up, but drifting due to a slight breeze ... just not fast enough to register on the GPS (so probably < 0.3mph). You will also notice that I am nowhere near a marked waypoint, having drifted off while messing around with getting the camera ready, casting the area, or enroute from one waypoint to another. The brush that is shown in either picture, was "found" while drifting ... and since it represented a similar image to what I'd seen when hovering over the brushpiles that I had waypoints marked on, I just quickly took pics of them and then proceeded to continue my fishing.

That particular trip was primarily to check the accuracy of the GPS coordinates that I had manually entered into my unit (at home). Once they proved to be pretty much dead on ... fishing took priority. The pics were just an afterthought.

I equate these images with being similar to what I've experienced from 2d units, while basically stationary over a target, since they both render horizontally stretched images across the screen ... due to the ping constantly reading the same echo point. It does, in fact, show that there are single branches rising above the main pile or sticking out from it ... and at what depth. I like the DI version better, for the simple reason that it shows greater detail. I would expect any of my previous 2d units to have shown a "blob" of pixels, which wouldn't have shown that amount of detail/separation. Granted, I never had any "high end" 2d units ... but, even after seeing the 2d images posted in many of the threads on this forum, I still wouldn't be "sure" of what they were ... if they didn't have a DI image next to them.

I never anchor, and rarely tie off .... so I'm not dependent upon my unit to give me constant images of what's below. I'm usually positioning or re-positioning the boat with the TM ... or moving along at a speed that's conducive to whatever method I'm using at that time. More often than not, that would be casting a jig or slow trolling with two or three rods with minnows. Occasionally I may even be vertical jigging, but not while stationary ... usually at around the same speed that I slow troll (<0.7mph) I don't actually "Spider Rig" fish, in the sense that my rods are not over 10ft long & are not out ahead of the TM ... but, are in fact angled out to the side of the front seat. I get to see the depth changes, and the beginning edges of brushpiles I'm approaching, just prior to my leading rod's line/bait coming upon them. It's not a perfect system ... but it's what I have, so I make the best of it, hopefully without having to give up using any method I'd like to, or have to, use to present my bait in the most efficient manner.

... cp

thanks,
I could use a perfect fish finder, for not too much money

None of them are perfect. The only way to get perfect would be military grade sonar and I doubt you can get it even then.

Originally Posted by brettw

thanks,
I could use a perfect fish finder, for not too much money

Couldn't we all !!! But, they don't exist.

I paid a little over $475 for mine, but it came with a TM mount adapter (~$20) & an extra power/tdx cord (~$80). As I understand it, the ones being sold "now" contain the TM adapter. I've also recently seen them for around $300 & change ... but were running in the $500-600 range when I bought mine (Feb 2011) from a site member.
I have never paid more than $150 for a depthfinder, in my life ... but, considering what this unit can do, that my previous 2d units cannot, I felt OK with the deal/price.

Hope you find a unit that does what you want it to do !! Just don't expect "perfection" from any of them, and you won't be so disappointed in their capabilities. Remember, the more capabilities they have, the longer the learning curve to operate them at their greatest ability. That camera photo of the screen was taken way before I learned how to "set" the unit up, and doesn't compare to the screenshots I've taken since. And believe me, I've had "better" images on the screen ... I just didn't take the time to reach down & punch buttons, to capture those images (I was paying more attention to my rods/lines, because they're what catches the fish !! )

... cp