side or down imaging

[Timber]

Is it possible to use side imaging, or down imaging, from a transducer mounting on the bow mount electric trolling motor? I was told that a side/down imaging transducer should only be mounted on the transom of a boat, and used on the console. Would "down imaging only" be a better choice if mounted on the bow mounted electric trolling motor?

[Nick Kuhn]

Side imaging only works well when traveling at a slow clip in a straight line. If you are going too slow and make a zig-zag type of line, the image will be pretty poor. This is less of a factor on down imaging, but if you want a clear picture, the trolling motor is not the place to mount these ducers.

[delmuts]

Thanks Nick! I had been wondering about where to mount mine also! I had noticed that the pictures on Hum. site were at the transome. Now i know!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Nick is spot on... I have seen it work well up front.. but again, its best to go in as straight line.

[reddog]

If I were a new user, I would concentrate my efforts on learning Side Imaging on the console with a transom mount transducer. Get efficient at setting your unit up correctly and deciphering what it is telling you.

Then and only then would I make the move to SI on the trolling motor.

What I can tell you from my experience, is that it is an extremely effective tool up front. No, I dont use mine to "scan" in front of the boat very often, because the trolling motor is "too quick" for a good scan.

With that said, if you are truly looking for good (quality of viewing) SI screencaptures from the trolling motor, you will be very disappointed.

If you are able to process what your trolling motor mounted Si unit is telling you, you will be one happy camper, I guarantee it.

If you cannot process what it is telling you, then forget it.

I for one, will never be without it on the front. What you think it can do in a walleye application, it does exceptionally well!

Again, its in the settings, and the ability to read what its telling you.

[Timber]

How about just "down scanning" on the front bow mount? Humminbird has come out with some units with just downscanning. If there's a learning curve to these things, how does one go about learning? Are there some books, seminars, etc. where one could learn?

[reddog]

Down imaging, like 2d sonar would be fine on the front.

Keep in mind that the down imaging crystals are very narrow, unlike your 200/83 khz traditional sonar, so you have to pay closer attention to what it is showing you, in regards to fish. Its not going to show up like a big traditional arch in DI, but it will be much more defined and easier to read as far as structure is concerned.

I watched Doc Samsons HDS video last week, and there definitly is some merit in having a Humminbird user purchase or view this DVD. Of course, you can skip the whole first half of the video, because of the unit differences, but the second half, particularly in regards to Down Imaging is great information.

[SimilarIsland]

No, I dont use mine to "scan" in front of the boat very often, because the trolling motor is "too quick" for a good scan.

Reddog,

I have read that "scanning" in front of your boat is difficult without a cable driven trolling motor because you can't control the speed of the sweep. Any comments on that?

[reddog]

I guess I would agree with that, because you could slow the sweep down, whereas with an AP or Terrova,(even faster turning ) it goes too fast, and starting and stopping is not good for the picture quality, even if done in little jumps.

Also,like Nick and Dietz said, slow and steady is the correct way to view side imaging,( if you want or need a quality image) not herky,jerky, like trying to follow a contour line with alot of adjustments.

Like I said, its ALL about being able to read what the unit is showing you, irregardless of the quality of the picture.

I'M not saying it cannot and is not being done. Im just saying that it is not "my" primary reason for using it on the trolling motor..

[tsande00]

Would the down imaging work for ice fishing? Or do you have to be moving like you do with side imaging?

(I'm not too familiar with the technology)

[Nick Kuhn]

Would the down imaging work for ice fishing? Or do you have to be moving like you do with side imaging?

(I'm not too familiar with the technology)

It wouldn't show you anything you couldn't figure out with just a simple flasher. You guys might be best off hopping in a boat with someone who has these units so you can see it's limitations. The best way I can describe what happens when you move to slow is it's like trying to take an action shot with a 10 second exposure time.

[reddog]

Again, Ill agree with Nick about taking a ride. There is nothing else like seeing it unfold in front of your eyes and having someone explain what you are seeing.

You dont have to be going 3 miles an hour to see fish. You only have to be going 3 miles an hour for a good picture to show up on the screen.

Heres a totally crappy picture in regards to picture quality.

but I think its an awesome screencapture.

The lines on the right are my units crosstaking to each other, which I dont really care if it happens, as long as I can "see thru" their conversation.

Heres a slow motion SI/DI picture.

Again, Im not going to win any awards for a great side imaging screencapture, but I dont care if your sitting still, it will show you something.

Also, its a rumor that SI wont work at high speed. Granted, My right side is working better than my left side at speed, but Im pretty sure that could be corrected, if I wanted to work a little at it.

If you want to go 3 to 5 mph, that is where SI or Structure Scan will truly shine at. Trolling for structure.

[eyebjim]

The last image looks like the straight stretch of river in pool 4 south of red wing? Dunes.

[reddog]

The last image looks like the straight stretch of river in pool 4 south of red wing? Dunes.

Same thing, different river.

[PerchJerker]

Lowrance and Humminbird both have units this year that do down imaging and would be GREAT units to use on the bow trolling motor. You can choose from combo units that include a GPS, or from FishFinder-only units with no GPS.

There is a key difference between those units --- the Lowrance unit does down imaging only, the Humminbird unit does down imaging and conventional sonar.

I had Down Viewing and Side Viewing in my boat last year, at my console and in my bow, and can let you know from first-hand experience how I like to use them.

I use both the side imaging and down imaging views at my console, but more side imaging than down imaging at my console. I used side imaging when I was trolling crankbaits, but other than that I didn't use side imaging when I was fishing ---- I use side imaging to look for places to fish.

I use down imaging in my bow, and I use down imaging when fishing from my bow. I have tried side imaging from my bow but as many others have pointed out, I don't find it very effective at all due to boat speed. But the more I fish with down imaging in my bow, the more I like it. Personally I still like having the conventional sonar view available too, but I find myself using down imaging more and more. And that is with the transducer mounted on the transom --- having the transducer on the bowmount motor would be that much sweeter!

I hope that helps a bit.

You can see the Lowrance and Humminbird Combos with GPS and down imaging HERE and you can see the Lowrance and Humminbird Fishfinder units with down imaging HERE.