Recommend a fishfinder

[NorthJerzyG]

Lately, I've been thinkin about picking up a Lowrance Elite5x DSI. Seems like it would have all the right features at a middle of the road price from what I've seen.

There are two versions of the same one. The more expensive model, Elite5 DSI, has gps and chart plotting which I don't think I'd really use much anyway.

Anyone have one or ever use one?

[dboyd101]

I have a 4x dsi and love it. and i have used the gps before when i can't see ANYTHING in the fog. helped tremendously. i think the 5 is just a widescreen vs the 4...save about $150 w/the 4xdsi vs the 5xdsi

[NorthJerzyG]

Thanx for heads up. And even with the smaller screen you can still see all the detail?

[flyboy1]

Is there a fish finder that actually shows exactly whats on the bottom in detail... like almost you can tell what kind of fish is on the scanner...?

[jimmythegreek]

the 998SI I have tells u everything but what kinda fish is there once u use it a bit and understand it. Nothing can tell u what breed of fish but one can guess pretty well given placement, water body, and location. I cant beleive the stuff I see on the side imaging, its sick

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by flyboy1

Is there a fish finder that actually shows exactly whats on the bottom in detail... like almost you can tell what kind of fish is on the scanner...?

yes and no. they aren't saying "that's a yellow perch, that's a bass", but they can tell the difference between sizes and body shapes of fish. when you learn to read the raw sonar return data, you can easily judge the size of fish, see schools of bait, structure, etc to determine the info you need and make a pretty accurate assumption as to what you are seeing. IMO they all work best when you turn off the 'fish id' modes and just view the sonar feed directly, so a nice high resolution screen is good for that.

[dboyd101]

njg - Small screen doesn't bother me. I have bad eyes from working on a camp and have no issues. you can change the contrast too so that definitely helps. many different options. it's good stuff. hope that helps!