Side Imaging

[Craigums]

How many of you guys use Side Imaging?

What do you use your SI for most? (ie: rocks, weedlines, transitions?)

Does anybody have any screenshots of your typical weedline or transitions from a SI unit? We've all see the images of Trees, Sunken bridges and barges. But I'm curious to see what more common structures look like.

I haven't gotten a chance to get out and play with my SI yet and just want to get a little jump start so I know what I'm looking at.

thanks,

Craig

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Use mine for all of those. Weeds/weed lines are pretty obvious I feel. Watch some youtube videos.

Get yourself an underwater camera and it will help you interpret what youre seeing a lot quicker.

[Deitz Dittrich]

ill echo what tutf said.. get an underwater camera.. When i first got my SI i spent a whole day Side imaging stuff, putting waypoints on it and then dropping the camera to see what exactly it was...

at this point, I would not own a boat without SI, far too valuable to me.

[Wayne Ek]

It's like a Vex or Marcum... never leave home without it. SI makes finding those bottom transitions from mud/silt to hard so easy, they just seem to jump out at you on the screen. Good advise is to take a couple of days, no rods just the camera and SI. You are going to be amazed.

[blakjack23]

I wouldn't leave home without it

I use it to find everything...bottom transitions, rocks, weedlines, drop off, humps, you name it and the SI can find it.

[smalliehunter]

What is so special about a transition from one type of bottom to another? Do fish (bass) hold there?

[Fisherman45]

What is so special about a transition from one type of bottom to another? Do fish (bass) hold there?

Smallie those are my most valuable spots on the transition from one type of bottom to another got to get me a SI unit . I only have the Down image now.

[smalliehunter]

so what just work it with a jig? Do i want to work right were it transisions or all around it? I am finally mounting my 1198 on the bow so i will find and fish these spots with ease.

[Wayne Ek]

Not to change the subject matter; What bait you work a transition with depends on water depth, structure, submergent veg. and time of year. The SI let's you pinpoint small transitions and large ones. The small ones may only be good for one or two fish... or they could be honey-holes that just keep reloading. For bass,with SI you can run a shoreline and see... yes literally see structure that others without SI miss. Things like cement blocks, lawn chairs, tires, brush piles, panfish beds and so much more. Never leave home without it.

[reddog]

I have found that SI has shown me that it doesnt have to be structure that fish relate to. I have found that texture differences are alot more important that structure differences..

Heres how texture differences show up.

notice the depth and the texture between the right and the left.

Now, I turned the boat into the texture and am crossing over it.

and this picture shows that I am on top of it, and the depth has changed from 8.1 to 6.8.. Yes, you could see the raise in 2D, if you were paying attention, but there is no way that you would see the texture changes with 2D and it would be doubtful if it would show up well enough in DI to know that it wasnt the depth change that was holding fish, it was the texture.

[funbilly]

would you be able to see the texture change on down imaging.

[Nick Kuhn]

Soft to hard bottom is really easy to see on DI. It will go from a deep blue to almost white. DI does pick up quite a bit, but you need to go right over the top of what you are looking for.

[reddog]

More texture screencaptures.

Walleyes in the texture, and yes, I am turning the boat at the time this picture was saved.

Washboards:

[reddog]

DI/2D/SI rough fish.

Walleyes, I widened my range from 70 feet to 100 to wee how big of a school it actually was. Shoreline is on the right side also. Having side imaging will make you fish shallower..

Walleyes from the trolling motor. (note speed)

Walleyes at 7.1 mph hour

SI at 25 mph. Evident in this photo is interference/obstruction on the left side, but what is apparent, is that if you can get your transducer set properly, the sky is the limit. I have a new boat that just showed up (WX1850 Skeeter) and I am going to rig this boat with dual transducers, one left and one right.

2D/DI/SI Paddlefish with 800 khz and an inverted color pallete

[Craigums]

Red,

In your first post pictures 1,2 & 6. What are those texture changes representing? Are those weeds?

also you say SI will make you fish shallower...Can you elaborate?

thanks alot,

Craig

[reddog]

Red,

In your first post pictures 1,2 & 6. What are those texture changes representing? Are those weeds?

also you say SI will make you fish shallower...Can you elaborate?

thanks alot,

Craig

Those are not weeds, it is a shale bottom, and that is how the river has carved the shale. But, if those were weeds, it would show up the same in SI only you would see the weeds rising up in the water column (dark blue area)

When I said SI will make you fish shallower, I based that on a walleye application. Bass fisherman typically fish skinny water anyway, unless they are offshore.

I dont have any actual weedbed pictures, as I dont fish that time of the year. My fishing season consists of Christmas to Easter, then my boat goes into storage. You may say I'm a little unconventional, as I'm storing my boat about the time most guys are making their first hook for the year.

Using SI to mark a underwater point:

[bassfshin24]

Man I would love to be able to afford a side imaging unit. Well I guess I could afford one but try telling that to the wife haha. No way would she understand spending a $1000+ on a sonar unit.

[reddog]

Lots easier to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission!

Transitioning from soft bottom to hard. The harder the bottom, the lighter the screen gets.

Wanna see how a rock pile/bar really lays?

Wanna use it to diagnose how well your dredge operator is doing?

Wanna use it to inspect bridge footings?

Or, if you just wanna pass the time and look for odd stuff on the bottom of the lake. I have no idea what this is.

Looking for a used car or truck?

[bassfshin24]

HAHA...I'm not sure that would work for me. I just cant believe how far technology has come. I could really use SI on Mille Lacs to find some hidden rock bars. Ill just have to make sure when I'm looking for a new boat in the next couple years it is already setup with SI.

[Craigums]

Anybody use SI on Mille Lacs? I bet it would be amazing for scoping out rock piles.

[bassfshin24]

We're on the same page Craigums!

[Craigums]

HAHA...I'm not sure that would work for me. I just cant believe how far technology has come. I could really use SI on Mille Lacs to find some hidden rock bars. Ill just have to make sure when I'm looking for a new boat in the next couple years it is already setup with SI.

you beat me to the punch with the Mille Lacs thing. I got lucky the SI came with my boat.

[BLACKJACK]

Use mine for all of those. Weeds/weed lines are pretty obvious I feel. Watch some youtube videos.

Get yourself an underwater camera and it will help you interpret what youre seeing a lot quicker.

Can you expand a bit on how you use your underwater camera to figure out the SI?? I know that using the underwater camera in the open water is kind of a pain, just wondering what your technique is and how you do it?? Anybody else want to share how they use their underwater camera?

[Deitz Dittrich]

blackjack-- I just mark spots on the gps that look cool on the SI and try and figure out what exactly it is by dropping the camera down.. Pretty soon you no longer need the camera and trust what the SI is telling you.

[hockeybc69]

Quote:

I know that using the underwater camera in the open water is kind of a pain,

I think quite the contrary. Its very easy to use in open water.

I use mine in calm to choppy water. Sure the camera goes up and down if its windy, but its really not too bad.

One thing to keep in mind(at least this is my take), you dont watch tv on the camera. Its used to identify something fairly quickly. Sure sometimes I use it for entertainment purposes and spend a lot of time scanning an area. But the vast majority of time I use it for a quick sanity check and tuck it back away.