Looking for a Dsi fish finder

[Knoc]

I have been looking into buying a DSI fish finder. The ones that have caught my eye are the Lowrence mark-5x (and the elite) as well as the Hummingbird 596c Hd Di. The hummingbird is a little more than I would like to spend, but if its worth it, then I would kick in the extra funds. Does anyone have any opinions on these and what they would suggest? Or is there another one that I might have missed or overlooking that is a good dsi unit? I would like to keep it around the $500 mark or cheaper, but will kick in a little extra if its worth the money.

I dont really need one with a Gps. I mostly fish the same lakes that I know pretty well. And if needed, I always have a hand held gps.

Any help would be appriciated!

[Knoc]

Also, I have read on a couple forums that with the Hummingbird 596+ series you are able to see a jig head. So a person could use it for ice fishing as well. Any experiances? Good, bad?

[WalleyeChaser]

You will be very pleased in the ease of use of the humminbirds! Lowrance also makes a good unit but there is a lot more steps involved to do simple steps on the bird. And if customer service is of concern than its bird hands down. I have owned both brands and even though I have not used humminbirds cs but twice it was a lot better experince than lowrances which I used numerous times if you can even get a hold of them or a timley response back. Just my .02 cents but I feel you get what you pay for.

[eagle_3464]

I was in the same boat as you just a couple of months ago and asked a similar question. Of all the replies there was some talk about the Side Imaging. At the time I was looking at the 596 just like you. Based on suggestions and tons of research on my own I stuffed a few extra bills in and bought the 798hdSI. I would highly, highly recommend you look this route as well. I couldn't be happier and yes, the SI will change the way I fish. A few days ago I was fishing 40+ ft and you can easily pick up a 1/4oz jighead with fathead watching the rise and fall as you jig. I like what you can do with the LakeMaster on HB highlighting certain depths. The SI works great when trolling flats with cranks. If I mark a fish to one side or the other I can adjust my course and/or mark the fish as a waypoint and go back and catch him. You will also pick up weed edges, rocks, dropoffs, etc to the side that you can also scroll a cursor to and again mark a waypoint to construct a course that hits all these fish holding types of structure increasing your chance of success on the water. This is how SI will change the way you fish. Get the 798HDSI. I got mine for a good price through a sponsor on this site.

[Brad B]

I run a Humminbird 597c HD DI. it is the same as the 596. the only difference is the 596 doesn't offer GPS and the 597 does. A 597 can be had for around $650.00. I know it is $150 more then you want tospend but the GPS is nice to have(just add a lakemaster chip later).