Lowrance Recommendations?

[diggyj]

Well I am in the market for a new fishfinder to mount on the bow next to my trolling motor and after taking a recent visit to Bass Pro and also the Spring fishing show I am a bit wiser but I did not purchas eone from the show. Radioworld had some sweet deals on t6he fish finders with map card included for $529 but i want to investigate more and though the prices would be at least the same or better at the upcoming Sportsman show where the will be a exhibitor again.

I have my eyes on the following models but I am still unsure if I want to go with a traditional 2D color sonar or a Down Scan Imaging model with or without GPS:

Elite-5x

Elite-5x DSI

and the Elite-5 DSI

I was told that the DSI models are more for scanning structure and don't really show fish, if they do they will show up as lines and not the conventional fish ID or arches. I am currently using a piece of crap Lowracnce X67c that may or may not work, seems to show way to many fish ID's, model does not show arches. I'm not sure how comfortable I am having a finder without ID or arches. I also currently have the Navionics APP on my iPhone that I do use but it drains the battery so I am using a handheld Garmin for marking Waypoints which I like for my home cottage lake of Rice Lake.

After seeing some screnshot pics of Lowrnace models I now see the fish do show up so I am confused if I am being mis-informed?

Elite-5x

Elite-5 DSI purple are fish

Elite-5 DSI fish on right, where?

So which model would be best for me? I am only fishing Rice Lake all season as my cottage is there and maybe Simcoe once or twice in the fall.

I very briefly looked at the HDS models and for the extra $50 they are, the guy at Bass Pro said they are worth it.

Thanks

Dirk

 

[J'snest]

Dirk:

You didn't mention what type of graph you had at the console. Back in my boat days, I had the best graph at the the console to find the spots when I was in motion. Once I located the spots I wanted to fish I simply used the graph upfront to help me hold to the structure and follow the contours of the bottom or a weed line. Personally I don't think you need much sufistication up front. You can mark your spots on the GPS at the console and also side scan when you are looking for that perfect spot. That's where I would have my maps as well. Once you have picked your spot it its just a case of reading the water with your front graph as you are fishing. That's my experience, but the equipment today is much more advanced and feature rich so the price point may not make a huge difference.

Good luck.............

 

[diggyj]

I dont have a graph at the console, its strictly a stock fish finder that is a piece of crap so i have no GPS right now. To even see it I have to spin it and look through the tinted consloe, hard to see in sunny weather. I hate having to keep turning around to see the depth and wether or not there are fish present.

Dirk

 

[J'snest]

So what I would do is buy a good graph with maps, GPS and all the whistles and put it at the console. Then take your exiating "simple" one and put it up front to hold you on your hot spots and read the water.

 

[Joel52]

Here's my 2 cents on depth finders - I'll call it that because you're fishing Rice lake, max depth is 27'. I use an older (not that much) Humminbird Matrix with a GPS antenna. I usually fish shorelines, so marking fish isn't really the primary purpose. I think in about 10-15' of water, you'll only see what's directly under your boat and most times I seem to catch fish where there isn't any... lol, at least according to my depth finder. It's more about finding bottom structure than anything else - and rocks that eat propellers. A good accessory would be the GPS antenna. It gives me boat speed, so that eliminates those extra accessories. Lake maps aren't that important IMO if you're working with a GPS. You can always find your way home in the dark by following your path out. There's a lot of fluff available (at a cost) with the new units, but will it be useful for the type of fishing you're into or will it just be fluff? That's really what you need to assess... and is the extra money better spent on something useful?
Here's a link to the newer version of what I'm using (pretty much the same):
http://www.basspro.com/Humminbird-718-Sonar-Fishfinder/product/10200067/-1542721
Add the GPS antenna, and you're good to go. It does everything I need a depth finder/gps to do.

 

[diggyj]

Thanks for the replies, great useful info.

Dirk

 

[reefrunner]

Lol at the Garmin handheld paired with a crappy finder; I've been using that setup for years!