Side Imaging

[TurnUpTheFishing]

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?

Like Deitz said when starting out just drop way points on things you want to get a better look at. With side imaging you dont need to be right over things to get gps coordinates. When starting out you may have a hard time telling is something a fish, a rock or some other debri? You may see something and just scratch your head saying what is that? Are you going over big rocks, gravel or weeds? All these can be answered quickly by dropping the camera.

One big tip Ill give is dont start scanning over 100' and try to keep it less than 60 starting out. You'll get larger images and have an easier time interpreting them. When I started out I was driving around with it at 150', I saw stuff and it was really cool but I was missing so much. Now I rarely scan more than 80', normally I have it around 60' to either side. Just look at Reddog's images as an example, nothing is over 100' scanning range.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks guys!!! I've got the underwater camera, guess it never occured to me that I should be using it in the open water.... Now I'm lusting after the SI more than ever!!!!

[Hester]

Love the pics you guys are posting.

If you have any of a good weedline, could you put them up too.

Thanks

[Craigums]

I played around with the SI a little bit this weekend. I noticed there is an option for "chart speed" that ranges from 1-10. Were do I want that set?

i should mention its a humminbird unit

[mabr]

As close to your boat speed as you can get. I think i keep mine around 3

[kt]

One thing that I found really helpful, was to side image certain spots that I have had a lot of success on in the past just to see what was all in the area. Then I'd look for similar looking areas while scanning other sections of the lake. Sometimes those sweet spots would really pop out at me on the screen other times they weren't so obvious.

That technique also helped me find some other likely holding spots when the fish didn't seem to be on a hot spot. For example, one of my better spots on a certain lake is an indentation in the weedline created by a rockpile. After scanning that area I was able to find some extended hard bottom areas that were well off the actual weedline. There have been times when the fish weren't on the indentation but were holding out a ways off the weedline on some isolated boulders.

I have never used my camera in conjuction with the Side Imaging because I just got the camera this winter. I am really looking forward to spending some time this spring finding some new spots with both tools.

[KickNBass]

I played around with the SI a little bit this weekend. I noticed there is an option for "chart speed" that ranges from 1-10. Were do I want that set?

i should mention its a humminbird unit

I always had my HB at 10.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

keep chart speed even with boat speed. I usually have mine around 2 or 3.

[Prairiefire]

Does anyone know if you mount the SI transducer to the bottom of a jack plate will it read bottom depth when the boat is running on plane?

[Deitz Dittrich]

mine does not... I have a switch on my dash to go to a through hull ducer.

[NTW]

Same here

[Reid G]

I actually have a "Y" connection between the two, and the unit automatically makes the switch to the thru-hull, when I get on plane.

[Cecil]

Same here. They made that update in about 2008

[thatoneguy]

I need to get that Y connection and thru-hull ducer. It's very annoying losing the bottom and being able to see what's under you at speed!

[TruthWalleyes]

KT, for best images set your chart speed to your boat speed. When fishing very slow, i'll often times speed up the chart. Typically i'm running chart speed between 1 and 5, 1-2 while fishing, and 2-5 while searching.

[luckycrank]

I actually have a "Y" connection between the two, and the unit automatically makes the switch to the thru-hull, when I get on plane.

magically switches on plane? I have a y cable also mine switches when I change the veiw to traditional sonar ,which is what I use when on pad. and when using SI view/DI views it uses the sidescan. ducer. unless I am using the traditional sonar veiw off pad.

[Hoffer]

Reddog

I enjoyed the pics. I am seriously thinking of getting one - but I just dont know if I can wrap my head around what I would be seeing?

Quick question. How did you know the fish in the pics were walleyes and in the other pic rough fish? Can you identify that just from the pics? To me it just looks like little blips here and there

[Bassburch]

Just bought a 798ci... got it all installed and taking it out tomorrow for the first time!! I figure the MS river is a good place to see a ton of sshtuff on the side imaging and get used to IDing wood/rock/fish etc.

[reddog]

Reddog

I enjoyed the pics. I am seriously thinking of getting one - but I just dont know if I can wrap my head around what I would be seeing?

Quick question. How did you know the fish in the pics were walleyes and in the other pic rough fish? Can you identify that just from the pics? To me it just looks like little blips here and there

If you really look at each image, there are tell tale differences that you will get better at reading. Look closely at each image. Pick out a specific shadow that is printed well, and you can tell.

Plus, thats what I was catching at the time..

[BLACKJACK]

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.

Can you call up previous screen captures on your SI unit??

Using Deitz's example, if I cruise a lake for an hour, capture 10 images, then go back to Image/spot number 1, and start lowering the camera, it would be nice to be able to pull up Image #1 and compare it to the camera view - I'm certainly not going to remember what I took the image of an hour ago.

[thatoneguy]

yes, you can.

[CHM]

Good info here! I have a 798. I like to cruise weed lines, points, etc. and take a recording. Then I can look it over back at home and mark spots that I want to try at a later date. It helps to have a big SD storage card.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Good info here! I have a 798. I like to cruise weed lines, points, etc. and take a recording. Then I can look it over back at home and mark spots that I want to try at a later date. It helps to have a big SD storage card.

How big of a card?