Side imaging has not changed the way I fish but it has greatly improved how successfully I do. Probably the most useful tool I have ever used to locate fish in open water, structure (timber) and relating to bottom structure. You can cover so much more water in such a short period of time. The key is learning to identify fish with it, once you convince yourself that most all of those little white popcorn specs, checks, cottony puffs, lines, and squiggles are actually fish. You will find yourself only fishing where the fish are and being able to stay on them because they cant move from below you without you knowing what way they went. Just my 2 cents on it.

I could write an essay on side scan and honestly it wouldn't be any use to anyone but me, lol. You can pay for a sonar trip as well, but I don't know if it would help in a few short hours. I have set up several and it seems they all have to be tweaked a little differently. The best advise I know it's to get on schooling fish and sacrifice a great day off fishing. When you get into a large school of fish its the best time to adjust your graph and get those great images you see posted here. Then don't change it. That will be what you look for the rest of the time you fish. There may not be as many as when they were schooling, but you will be able to tell what fish look like and go from there. From then on it is just hours on the water and time and experience with your graph.