Let's talk side scan sonar for brackish/ salt water

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  • hooligan82

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 2, 2011
    1,359
    Baltimore county
    I'm in the market for a 7"-10" fish finder with side scan sonar for a 19' carolina skiff. Interested to see what y'all think will be the best option. I was looking at hummingbird because the mega side imaging seems to be the most clear. A sales rep at bass pro mentioned Lowrance is better for brackish water because of a difference in the frequency of the transducer.

    Curious to see what you guys are running and why. I chose the 7"-9" because of the ability to upgrade to add an additional transducer down the road if i desire to add 360/ live scan or whatever else it's called by the manufacturer.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     

    tdt91

    I will miss you my friend
    Apr 24, 2009
    10,810
    Abingdon
    I am a bass boater and am around all the brands due to my buddies having the different brands from mine.

    I'm running a Gen 3 HDS touch and it's crap compared to whats out now. Lowrance Live is really a huge advancement but imo the Humminbird Mega stuff is the best. It's like watching underwater camera's.
    If I had the money I'd go Humminbird.

    oh, the guy at BPS is full of shit btw.
     

    BigRick

    Hooligan #15
    Aug 7, 2012
    1,140
    Southern Maryland
    I have both gn2 and gen3 Humminbird mega units. I will say this I looked long and hard at Lowrance when I outfitted my new to me triton. I only went with Humminbird because I’m familiar with it. All the new units from major manufacturers are all good. Your budget will play a major role in what you pick. I dropped 3k for my solix 12 gen3 mega si unit. I feel it’s worth every penny. I fun a helix 10 mega di gen3 at the bow again great unit. You have a tough choice.
     

    hooligan82

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 2, 2011
    1,359
    Baltimore county
    I am a bass boater and am around all the brands due to my buddies having the different brands from mine.

    I'm running a Gen 3 HDS touch and it's crap compared to whats out now. Lowrance Live is really a huge advancement but imo the Humminbird Mega stuff is the best. It's like watching underwater camera's.
    If I had the money I'd go Humminbird.

    oh, the guy at BPS is full of shit btw.
    I thought the same about mega side imaging compared to others but I've only seen videos online.

    BPS has the Lowrance on clearance because they are releasing a new model in January. I think that's why he was recommending Lowrance.

    The helix 9 si+ is the unit I'm leaning towards at this point but I'm interested to hear what others think.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     

    BigRick

    Hooligan #15
    Aug 7, 2012
    1,140
    Southern Maryland
    I thought the same about mega side imaging compared to others but I've only seen videos online.

    BPS has the Lowrance on clearance because they are releasing a new model in January. I think that's why he was recommending Lowrance.

    The helix 9 si+ is the unit I'm leaning towards at this point but I'm interested to hear what others think.

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

    I have a helix 9gn2 in si on my other boat. Nice unit the only issue with side imaging on any unit smaller than a 12" is you will need to zoom in to see fish. I run mine at 60' on both sides for my helix 9. I haven't had much time with the solix 12 due to a wiring issue on my triton that has now been fixed.
     

    hooligan82

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 2, 2011
    1,359
    Baltimore county
    I have a helix 9gn2 in si on my other boat. Nice unit the only issue with side imaging on any unit smaller than a 12" is you will need to zoom in to see fish. I run mine at 60' on both sides for my helix 9. I haven't had much time with the solix 12 due to a wiring issue on my triton that has now been fixed.
    Is this an issue in the gn3 as well?

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     

    hooligan82

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 2, 2011
    1,359
    Baltimore county
    To be a bit more clear I'm not familiar with this river. I plan to use 460 to find structure and map the bottom. Then use mega to find fish after finding structure

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
     

    BigRick

    Hooligan #15
    Aug 7, 2012
    1,140
    Southern Maryland
    Is this an issue in the gn3 as well?

    Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

    The gn3 is suppose to be better but I've found you get more detail running it at 50 or 60 feet to each side at 100 feet you get almost no detail. This is true with all side scan. The bigger the screen helps show you very small objects. I run mine on the Potomac. If you set it at 60 you'll get 120' in total coverage. 60' on each side. Also you won't be able to scan at any speed faster than 6 or 7 mph. I only use is idling around. It will not work at speed.
     

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