I currently own an entry level fishfinder...more like a depth finder really. Anyway, my boat is a `91 aluminum V-hull fisher. have a 9.9 for the local lakes, a 20 when I go out to raritan/sandy hook bays, and bow & stern electric motors. both gas motors are tillers. I do enjoy saltwater fishing a lot but my real passion is freshwater...bass/musky mainly but have recently gotten into crappie fishing.
I was orginally looking into a humminbird 597ci HD DIO combo.
http://store.humminbird.com/products/410761/597ci_HD_DI_Combo but upon further investigation it seems side imaging may be the way to go over down imaging. However, i than noticed in my bible (aka bass pro shops 2013 master catalog) that humminbird has a new side imaging unit the 598ci HD SI combo
http://store.humminbird.com/products/604326/598ci_HD_SI_Combo which not only has SI but DI as well.
have to be careful what I spend as the unit will be more expensive than the boat itself. So my questions are...side imaging or down imaging? spend the extra few hundred bucks at have both? And of course any experience on these units from users? Leaning towards humminbird cause they seem to be most reliable AND cost effective, although I'm not opposed to others. I also had a great customer service experience with humminbird and that counts for something with me. one other reason, i'm reading that humminbird may be one of the easier units to operate for a beginner (like myself) who has no clue about utilizing this technology. thx again fellas
