# Need your help and opinion ...please!



## chad24 (Aug 1, 2011)

I have several isssues.......1).I am wanting to get a new fishfinder. I want something thats gonna show me 1) fish, 2) structure and 3) allow me to mark little "hot" spots for my next trip and 4) have a color screen.I fish central Ohio lakes and I am completely lost when it comes to this and need some guidance. Second issue.... I already have a old Hummingbird LCR 4 mounted up by my steering wheel and was thinking about placing my new one up front and mount my transducer to my trolling motor. Is this good/bad or possible??? Do I mount it where the LCR is,run the transducer to the same spot as the LCR's trans is (back of the boat) and do away with the LCR completely? Please help me and guide me in the direction YOU would go. Would like to stay around the $200 to $250 price range if possible (or close). I appriciate all of your help. Thank you guys.


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

For down or side imagining, plus GPS I don't think you are going to find one for that price other than second hand. Maybe try eBay. I really like my 597ci HD DI combo unit. Does everything you want.
You need GPS and either side or down imaging technology. Not sure what Lowrance calls it, but thats how Humminbird markets it. I doubt that old LCR stuff is going to be compatible. You want to keep the wires there until you get something new. You might be able to use the old wires to pull the new wiring through.. I wouldn't use GPS at the front but maybe at the helm. I'd keep a more basic unit up front, using a Trolling Motor transducer. My trolling motor actually has a transducer built into it. Called US2. Universal Sonar 2. Compatible with many different units.


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## Shaggy (Oct 24, 2008)

Man I know exactly where your head is at right now. Here's the rub. A DI unit will ultimately accomplish what a SI unit will and is much better than a regular sonar but you need to know what you're looking for and it's general location or else it will take you forever to find it. I'm sure you already know that's because the DI only sees a relatively small area under the transducer. A SI unit can see out both sides of the boat to 180 ft. and paints a picture for you of a rather large area. I recently made contacts with some people who graciously gave me some info about a new lake I wanted to learn. With the SI I found every one of their suggestions and marked 35 waypoints in less than 4 hours. With only DI it would have taken years to accomplish that. I agonized over the $750 I spent on my HB 798ci SI but now I consider it the smartest money I've ever spent on fishing equipment. I know $750 is a lot of money but ultimately it is better than spending $250 and still not having what you really want. Hope this helps and good luck with your decision process.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

For the price range you're looking at the Lowrance Elite 4 would be one you'd want to look at. It's both a GPS chart plotter, and a depth finder, plus its color. Bass Pro has it for $299.99. It's a basic unit but is the closest you're going to find in your price range. The biggest down fall I can see it having is it's screen size. Especially when it comes to running it in split screen mode. Although the picture Bass Pro shows has the split screen stacked on top of each other, rather than side by side so that may make it a little better. 

Since it's going to be your only unit with GPS I'd definitely mount it at the console because you're going to want to be able to see it while you're driving to your way points. Move your current unit to your trolling motor. You'll probably be able to find a bracket to adapt your transom mount transducer to your trolling motor. If not, you may have to buy a new transducer, but I doubt you'll have to do that. 

I've never ran two different brands of depthfinders on the same boat, so there may be some issues with that. I doubt it though. That's a question I am sure someone else can answer. I know how having a certain budget goes, but if you are some how able to double your budget for a unit you'll have a lot more choices.


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