Ok, think I have the bait tank issue solved! Thanks for all the input. Now, my next purchase has to be a new fish finder. I’m looking for something with GPS, good bottom reading capability & of course shows fish, structure etc. All the normal things you need to help find the striper! What brand & model would you recommend in the less than a grand price range? Thanks for your help once again!
Sea Pro SV1900
Merc Verado 150
“Play Therapy II”
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=147145
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
Thanks for the link!
Sea Pro SV1900
Merc Verado 150
“Play Therapy II”
http://www.thedigitaloasis.com/
… it’s my Wife’s fault we HAVE to fish !!!
2005 Sea Pro 2100cc / Yamaha 150hp 4-Stroke
I have used the digital oasis site recommended by Lawcrusher. Very good prices and FAST shipping!
quote:
Originally posted by RiffI have used the digital oasis site recommended by Lawcrusher. Very good prices and FAST shipping!
X2
So is everyone using Lowrance? Is that the best option or are there others? Thanks!
Sea Pro SV1900
Merc Verado 150
“Play Therapy II”
I would say your in Lowrance country…lol…prob 95% of people who post on here use lowrance. Couple use hummingbird and I only know of 1 who uses garmin. Its just what we use. All are good and all get the job done. Its just a matter of what u feel comfortable with. I cant give any info on anything other than lowrance because thats what I feel comfortable with and have always had on the boat. I went from an eagle cuda 192 to a hds7 so I am still living the high life compared to what I started with…
“All fisherman lie. And if they say otherwise, then they’re lying”
“Sea~N~Stripes”
21’ Hewes Craft Custom
115 Evinrude
I have a 787 C2 humminbird. It’s about 7 years old and has done nothing but work. Only complaints are the maps can be slow to load initially and the mph at speeds below 1mph. It will bounce around from .2 to 1 mph when I’m going .4 mph. It’s old technology and they have improved dramatically since then. The only thing I don’t like about Lowrance is the day the warranty is done they will not touch it. You spend all of that money on a unit and if something happens after warranty it’s garbage.
Wellcraft V-20 sportfish with a 200 Evinrude
I have had Lowrance equipment for the last 20 or so years. Before that I was on the Humminbird Field test staff. I changed because Lowrance back then completely out ran Hummingbird in the use of new technology. Now, not sure that is true…all of the manufacturers are putting technology to work for them and they tend to leap frog each other every 3 years or so…now to your question. The newest technology is the Chirp technology (compressed high intensity radiated pulse)which has the best target separation and resolution at even extreme depths. Instead of sending just 1 single frequency, CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies ranging from low to high. CHIRP sonar technology then interprets frequencies individually upon their return. Since this continuous sweep of frequencies provides CHIRP with a much wider range of information, CHIRP sonar is able to create a much clearer, higher resolution image. Soooooo…I would advise that you look into units with this technology as it is the newest on the market. All manufacturers have this technology including Hummingbird, Garmin, Raymarine, Lowrance and others. But bottom line, if you buy anything else your buying old technology so spend your money wisely…hope this helps…
Fishing is a prefectible art…in which nevertheless, no man is perfect – Gifford Pinchot
Ice Blue Pathfinder 2200
“Kemosabe”
<’}}}><
I use Humminbird but I fish with a lot of guys who have Lowrances. Both have their supporters.
As Chip said, both are good units and as long as you buy the biggest screen you can afford I think you will be happy.
I’ve never heard anyone say “I sure wish I would have bought a smaller screen.” The details get washed out on a small screen so it’s worth saving up to buy a big one. Been there, done that.
The electronics themselves are proven. It comes down to the options that you might use like side scan, trolling motor interface, mapping, etc.
quote:
Originally posted by LimitoutI have had Lowrance equipment for the last 20 or so years. Before that I was on the Humminbird Field test staff. I changed because Lowrance back then completely out ran Hummingbird in the use of new technology. Now, not sure that is true…all of the manufacturers are putting technology to work for them and they tend to leap frog each other every 3 years or so…now to your question. The newest technology is the Chirp technology (compressed high intensity radiated pulse)which has the best target separation and resolution at even extreme depths. Instead of sending just 1 single frequency, CHIRP sends a continuous sweep of frequencies ranging from low to high. CHIRP sonar technology then interprets frequencies individually upon their return. Since this continuous sweep of frequencies provides CHIRP with a much wider range of information, CHIRP sonar is able to create a much clearer, higher resolution image. Soooooo…I would advise that you look into units with this technology as it is the newest on the market. All manufacturers have this technology including Hummingbird, Garmin, Raymarine, Lowrance and others. But bottom line, if you buy anything else your buying old technology so spend your money wisely…hope this helps…
Fishing is a prefectible art…in which nevertheless, no man is perfect – Gifford Pinchot
Ice Blue Pathfinder 2200
“Kemosabe”
<’}}}><
Bill, does the CHIRP technology buy you much fishing at the depths we normally fish on the lake?
I haven’t really checked any pricing lately, but I would guess there may be some really good deals on any remaining new pre-CHIRP units.
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki
PT - people can go round and round which which tech to get much like everything else … Basically though you should get what suits you best …
Our setup was purely by a series of good fortune and calamity … but the end result suits our needs just fine …
What we basically have (without getting into the back stories) is TWO Lowrance units …
The first unit is a Lowrance Elite-5DSI …
This unit has a 5" screen with a GPS Chartplotter and Downscan (400/800) ONLY … there is NO SONAR with this unit … I bought it on the forum and (I think) got a pretty good deal on it … I use this unit for Chartplotting/GPS purposes 99.9% of the time and it works great …
SIDE NOTE: Do NOT waste your time (and money) getting a bundled Navionics chip - the bundled chips do NOT have Lake Murray on them … Just buckle down and buy the chip direct …
The second unit is a Lowrance Elite-7HDI …
This unit has a 7" screen with Sonar (50/200) and Downscan (400/800) ONLY … This unit does NOT have GPS/Chartplotting (that is the “Combo” unit) … I purchased this unit from the Digital Oasis and we use it for Sonar (50/200) 99.9% of the time and it also works great …
The beauty of having two units on a center console is that if I’m driving the trolling motor from the bow of the boat then I can turn the 5" around to face me while I’m doing it and still have the sonar unit facing the back of the boat where all the rods are …
Also I get far more screen real estate than the boats with only one unit … My 5" is pretty much dedicated to the map and my 7" is dedicated to the finding of fish versus others with single units who have to split their screens up in order to follow it all …
Side note here … The Elite Series screens are bigger than the HDS screens for the same models … i.e. the 7HDI has a 7" screen whereas the 7HDS has a 6.5" screen … but the HDS has newer internal tech than the HDI …
So now we have 2 Lowrance units on the boat with full Chartplotting, Sonar, and Downs
Striperskiff, if I thought chirp technology was the bad boy on the block and would help me to increase my fishing capability I probably would have two but since my HDS-12 Gen2 Touch does everything and more than I need to find Stripers, no I wouldn’t step up…but if I was starting out, I would really consider it…I have personally seen one in action at the coast and the target separation was phenominal…that being said, haven’t ever caught a Striper in 265’ of water on the bottom…and you are absolutely on target…the HDS prechirp units are going to drop in price significantly…
Lawcrusher- I agree with you…a friend of mine has the Elite 7HDI and it is a great unit and in my opinion a great unit for Stripers for the buck…and you’re on target about getting the biggest screen you can afford…
Fishing is a prefectible art…in which nevertheless, no man is perfect – Gifford Pinchot
Ice Blue Pathfinder 2200
“Kemosabe”
<’}}}><
Thanks for all the great ■■■■■■■■. It helps to get great advice before dropping big $$ on one of these. Guess its like anything else, you get what you pay for & do it right the first time! Do you guys feel line the side imaging is necessary and helpful? I’m guessing its is on most of the new 7’s and chirp tech models. Time to gas up the boat! Headed out early in the AM. See you there!
Sea Pro SV1900
Merc Verado 150
“Play Therapy II”
I bought mine from this place and If you’re interested in something like an Elite-7, I believe this is as cheap as you will find it.
http://www.hodgesmarine.com/mobile/Product.aspx?id=22662
'07 198 DLX Carolina Skiff
FS90 Suzuki