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Thread: HELP with fish finder selection!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    I.E.
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    Default HELP with fish finder selection!

    Looking for suggestions about a fish finder, I want to get a 5" screen, in color, complete with CHIRP, down scan and if possible side scan, GPS is a must as well. I do not want to spend more than $500 if at all possible, I currently have 4 different Lowrance fish finders, a black and white 3 that has GPS, a 5x black and white, these are on my 1995 boat, on my 2016 boat I have a 4 elite CHIRP and a 5 Elite CHIRP in the bow. the old boats 5x is not working so well so I want to upgrade it. I had planned on selling the 1995 Spectrum, but now that I have discovered the river at Blythe, I find that my 17' Spectrum is ideal. I have already upgraded the seats, rewired the entire trailer, and most of the motor, replaced the shift and throttle cables, had the Carburetor overhauled, and added a "Macs River Runner" to the Skeg and propeller Now the only thing that I think that I need to make it even better is a new up to date awesome fish finder. Hoping I can get some suggestions before the first Tuesday in May.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    san clemente
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    397

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    I don't know if a 5" screen is big enough to take advantage of all the features you listed. If I had down scan, side scan, sonar, and GPS I'd want a screen big enough to split into 3-4 sections to see them all at the same time. Seems like it would be a pain to switch back and forth. If your budget is the biggest issue maybe look for a deal on eBay or Amazon. Personally I don't see much difference in performance in different brands just buttons and interface so stick with a brand you are familiar with if you can. The three that fit your criteria the best are:
    elite 5 ti; has a touch screen for easier menu navigation
    Elite 7 CHIRP; larger screen and my pick for that price range
    Hook 7 not much different than the elite 7 but has less sonar frequency settings
    http://www.lowrance.com/en-US/Produc...-Chartplotter/
    The Elite 5 Ti is the only one of the three that has structure scan(side scan) so you might prefer that one if that is that important to you. If you go that route though I recommend the 7" $200 more but when you start splitting the screens that 5" is going to get awful small awful fast.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Riverside CA, Topock AZ
    Posts
    249

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    Heard good things about the Humminbird HELIX, with si comes in right a $500 for their 5'' whith may be to small for you, a 7'' runs about $200 more, it has no chirp but if your going to be using it on the river with 90% of the less then 10' deep not much need of it,,, all I have read about chirp its real benefits are in deeper waters,,, not going to see much on any finder in 5 foot of water looking down,, the side imaging is of much more benefit,, pretty much all a conventual FF is going to give you on the river is depth and water temp,, the GPS is going to be your most useful tool especially at night,,,

    in the pic running 22 mph in 3.8 ft of water and the had been running in 2.5ft to 5ft and those kind of depth are more often then not , water temp was a nice 84,, and also in the pic right above the ff along the far shore is where I got the flat in my avatar
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    Last edited by riverbud55; 04-08-2016 at 10:34 PM.

  4. #4
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    Nov 2015
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    So what benefits will I lose with the "Hook 7"

  5. #5
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    Nov 2015
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    What is the big difference between the Elite 7 ti and the hook 7? I suppose that I can afford the 7, if it is going to really make my fishing more successful. The other question is what is the big difference between the Elite 7 Ti "downscan" imaging and the Elite 7 Ti "StructureScan". I am looking to make the but tomorrow from Bass Pro Shops. I want to have my boat all ready to fish the river from Blythe next weekend, I need to buy 2 more seats and the fish finder, I should wait until May to get the additional 15% savings, but I am really impatient... As usual.

  6. #6
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    Nov 2015
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    Well, I ended up getting the hook 7, I considered the fact that this boat will mostly be used on the river @ Blythe, and I believe that the deepest part is like less than 25 feet, so I really don't see the need for all the extras that I was at once thinking that I needed, now I will just have to figure out how to mark my original location on the river and learn how to use the GPS to get me back to the point of origin. I will be using the depth finder a lot looking for the cat fish holes. I'm going to take along an AC plug and see if I can convince a striper to take a bite...

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Devore Heights, CA
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    3,524

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    If you have tracking turned on you will leave a trail like Hansel & Gretel on your GPS screen, just follow the crumbs/trail back to where you came from. I have never erased my tracks from some lakes and it looks like the LA freeways. The track feature is very helpful when fishing the Delta with literally 100's of backwaters and canals to navigate through and back.

    With two boats I would have bought the more featured unit and swapped them back and fourth between the two boats.
    Last edited by DEVOREFLYER; 04-11-2016 at 07:11 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
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    I.E.
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    Once again, I thank you and am in your debt. Just how do I turn on the tracking feature?

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Devore Heights, CA
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    3,524

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    When you are on the Chart/map page on the screen go to setup. You should find "Trails" and turn it on. It may be already set to on from the factory. My manual isn't handy or I could look it up to be certain but I believe that to be correct. It is not called tracking but "Trails".

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Devore Heights, CA
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    3,524

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    Quote Originally Posted by DEVOREFLYER View Post
    When you are on the Chart/map page on the screen go to setup. You should find "Trails" and turn it on. It may be already set to on from the factory. My manual isn't handy or I could look it up to be certain but I believe that to be correct. It is not called tracking but "Trails".
    Correction: When you are on the Chart/map page on the screen press menu go to setup. You should find "Chart Data" find "Trails" and turn it on. It may be already set to on from the factory.
    Last edited by DEVOREFLYER; 04-12-2016 at 07:10 AM.

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