New Humminbird has arrived!!!!

[Rainman]

Just installed a new 1198c si on the boat, Hope I like it since I have always been a Lowrance guy. I have just heard so many good things about Humminbird. I had a bad experience with Customer service from lowrance thank god I only needed it twice. What do you guys all think about The humminbirds? lets not start a pi$$ing match here guys!! Thanks!!

[Esox_Magnum]

Both good brands, I prefer the graphing of my HDS over to HB series personaly, have been fortunate to use both so just personal preference...

[reddog]

I've never stroked a key of a HDS, but am 100% happy with my Birds since I changed over in 08.

I am not of those that have to have the newest software updates as soon as they are released, and I will say that my 997 is still running on 4.75, my 1197 is on 5.75' and my 1198 is n 6.35 and staying there for a while.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

My only beef with bird is they don't offer the look ahead view that Lowrance has. It does little good to see your current position in the middle of the screen when you are motoring across the lake, especially if you have a small screen model like mine.

[ClownColor]

Shouldnt u ask that before its installed in your boat? Jk...i have hds but who cares, you are gonna love it. Its a great unit and you'll get lots of help on this site about using it.

Good luck and congrats

[JohnMickish]

My only beef with bird is they don't offer the look ahead view that Lowrance has. It does little good to see your current position in the middle of the screen when you are motoring across the lake, especially if you have a small screen model like mine.

All of my birds for the past few years have had that. Are you sure it's just not turned on? My last birds have been an 898,958,998,1197,1198.

[TyGuy02]

Can't wait to be in your spot! I'm selling my 14 footer and using the money towards a HB 1198.

Did the introduction of i-link influence your decision? Just wondering since I've been saying for the last 5 years that the next biggest thing in fishing would be if your trolling motor and graph could communicate. I know that influenced my decision! Now just the wait to get my 14 footer out of the snowbank and sold

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

I'm not talking about their birds eye view, but a direct overhead view where you are shown on the map at one edge of the screen and the balance of the screen shows the lake ahead of your direction of travel.

It looks like a standard gps map screen except you are on the edge opposite the direction of travel vs in the center of the map.

[Walleyehunter82]

I too have ran Lowrances for 10 years, and switched to a Humminbird 1158DI this year along with a Minn Kota Terrova 80 i-pilot link. I'm still learning how to use it well but I spent the last 5 days on the Rainy River using it and I'm overly impressed. Everything worked flawlessly between the graph and motor. And I have noticed several differences between the brands and my opinion is that I have made the best technology decsion by far going with Humminbird. Between Minn Kota, Humminbird, and Lakemaster the have the market cornered in all 3 fields! Idk what kinda plans Lowrance has coming in the future but as of right now, I believe they are in trouble if they can't come up with something similar soon.

[Esox_Magnum]

Keep in mind not all of us will utilize the I Link as it don't compliment our fishing styles, and me personaly unless Lowrance goes under will never own a HB and also LM is not best for all situations, tried one and wasnt even close on the waters I fish to my Navionics...Both have features the other dont offer and will always have a market... I do love my Minn Kotas but thats about the only Johnson brand I support....

[B-man715]

Jeez Esox...... we get it. You like using yesterday's technology today You've brought it up in every thread about Humminbird 's for the last year and a half.......

Change can be good. Are you a die hard Chevy or Ford man? Whichever one you like, try driving the other one once in a while. Heck, you might like it

Variety is the spice of life.

You say the way you fish wouldn't benefit from follow the contour? I'm going way out on a limb here, but I'm guessing you like to cast for muskies.

In most lakes the outside weededge shares a common depth throughout the lake. Let's say it's 10 fow in the lake you fish. Wouldn't it be great to push a couple buttons and automatically be offset say 50 feet from the weededge? Then set your speed according to how thorough you would like to cover each particular area.

Your eyes could always be looking for a follow instead of looking at the graph to see if you are getting too deep or shallow for the next cast.

Just a thought?

[zrt6]

+1 b-man

[Kyhl]

What do you guys all think about The humminbirds? lets not start a pi$$ing match here guys!!

I knew this wouldn't go far before the HB sycophants started condemning anyone who dare show a different opinion.

Love my Ipilot and wouldn't be without it.

I can see times where following a contour would be useful but I also don't fish that way very often, maybe a couple times a year under electric motor. It's not worth the investment to me.

To me it's an Apple v Android variance, or old school Ford v Chevy. When I look at Apples I see a toy with cartoonish features. Looking at an Adroid I see a useful tool. They both do the same thing but I prefer not to be patronized with cartoons. When I want to get work done I use a Ford. A chevy works great for delivering flowers or racing between stoplights with style.

I see the same thing with HB v Lowrance. HB's look cartoonish to me.

Case in point, the supposed HB GPS look ahead screen shot posted yesterday. That looks like a lame cartoon to me. It doesn't look like a useful tool. The Lowrance look ahead feature is much more useful to me than the cartoon from HB.

I get that many people prefer the saturday morning animated features of a Apple products and in the end it does the same thing. It's just personal preference. Besides that they do have different options and features but in the end, they do the same thing, they show your location, the bottom, and if there are fish.

The OP asked for both sides of the coin.

[Walleyehunter82]

I understand how some people are just gonna stay die hards with there Lowrance electronics and thats fine. I have been very gong ho about my Lowrance electronics over the years and thought I would never switch. But I'm also a realist and when I see a new product that I think will put more fish in my boat. Well its kinda a no-brainer for me. To me, if I have a product that will let me fish more effiecntly, keep me on the fish longer, and give me a chance to concentrate on presentation more than operating the boat, hell sounds good to me!! The boat basicly runs itself. Like I said Im impressed so far.

I mainly fish for walleyes in northern mn and central mn and know this combo will definately put more fish in my boat! I believe alot of Lowrance walleye guys will be jumping ship this year as well. If they havent done so already. I bought a brand new Lund this year and my boat dealer told my that they have been rigging out the new boats coming in with Humminbird/i-pilot link minn kota combo at least 4/1 over Lowrance! To me if your not keeping up with the times ur falling behind. my 2 cents

[CaptainMusky]

With IPilot you can store tracks up to what 3 miles in length? So with the link you can follow a contour line, I fail to see the benefit of this. You are relying 100% on the accuracy of the mapping software and a precise GPS location. GPS error alone could put you off by 100 feet in certain cases, not even talking about the mapping itself being inaccurate.

Its a neat idea, but I think recording tracks and replaying them is far more useful than wandering an arbitrary contour line that isnt accurate in the first place.

The ONLY way to be precise about this stuff is watch your sonar and GPS and adjust manually.

I dont think this technology would make me a better fisherman, maybe a more lazy one and one that doesnt try to understand what I am seeing on the graph. For those wondering, NO, I would not buy this if it were offered with my electronics of choice.

[3andadog]

Quote:

You are relying 100% on the accuracy of the mapping software and a precise GPS location.

Agree 100%. As a surveyor I asked someone in the Lakemaster booth how they collected their data out of curiosity. I didn't agree with the procedure they used - left too many gaps in the data points. They also don't want to get too close to shallow reefs due to the possibility of wrecking a lower unit. Can't say I blame them either.

At any rate you could very easily run your motor into rock before you know it if you're not paying attention (talking about a like like Rainy).

[Esox_Magnum]

Yes I am a GMC guy also own a Subaru, owned 3 Fords and 2 were money pits...Yes I cast for muskies but if the weedlines at 12' and the 12' waters 100' wide theres alot of stuff you will be missing, same when I troll for walleyes the 12' depth may be 200' wide and as stated just the difference in real depth and mapped depth and GPS offset varies to much... When I troll eyes I'm either in 5' trolling docks or out in the basin where the depth wont change for a mile in any direction.... We also rum HB units on another boat for the simple reason thats what it came with and my partner dont have the funds to replace them, they are ok but not close to the definition of my HDS, maybe a slight slight edge on the GPS to HB, and the fact I have owned 2 different birds in the past that were pretty much worthless...Everyone has their preference, summer mine is Lowrance in the Winter I run Marcum.... I get to see and use about everything out there through friends and fishing partners both on the boat and on the ice and choose what I own by what I find works best for me....

[fowldreams]

I guess the cartoons are for me, never did want to grow up . I switched to the bird because of the link. I am pumped to say the least. The customer service at Lowrance was poor at best. That alone I swore I would never buy another one of their products. But everybody has a opinion. Now let the wait for open water continue.

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Heck guys, just be thankful you can have either of them! Gesh!

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Kyle: Where is the HB look ahead screen shot you saw yesterday?

[delcecchi]

Let me also inject that could easily be people with some sort of economic attachment, such as sponsorship or employment, to either of these companies posting here. I wish those folks would be up front about their conflicts of interest or lack thereof.

Navico (lowrance parent company) is international, hq in Norway.

Johnson Outdoors is more domestic with hq in Wisconsin.

It appears as if maybe the promo budget of one is more oriented to the midwest than the other, judging by the fishing shows on TV.

In any event, fess up guys. If you are getting something of value from one or the other, be honest and disclose it. I know the guys on TV are getting paid.

[CaptainMusky]

Agreed Del there is far too much of the clouded sponsor related posts. Often times honest hard working folk who buy their own stuff and share opinion of a product or service get squelched for doing so. REAL opinions matter about any product or service not those who get to use them for free.

[reddog]

I pay for my tools and my toys.. I just havent figured out which category these fall into.

[B-man715]

No affiliation here either.

Just a weekend warrior switching to the Birds for both soft and hard water seasons. I used to run Lowrance and Vexilar as my main units (but still have them for backup or for a friend to use).

But....... I did get a good price on it from Pro Fishing Supply He has fair pricing on all of the latest and greatest equipment (including Lowrance).

[Kyhl]

Some background on my point of view. I have a utilitarian personality meaning I'm all about function over form. Shiny is money in R&D spent on form instead of function. I'd rather that R&D money was spent on function. Just think how much better the product would have been if they didn't waste time making it pretty.

So as such, I see little value in form.

In that sense, I question anything in electronics that is cartoonish, anything on the street that is flashy, or stereo equipment with lots of lights, gauges, and certifications, ie THX, as suspect as they have made compromises elsewhere in the desing to accommodate the flash while staying under a price point.

What I wanted to point out was that both units will work and it comes down to personal preference. I get that some prefer ease of use or flash over plain jane. It's a person preference. To say that one is better than the other depends on your personal preferences and style of use.