I saw you out that day, that is a cool bridge to look at...

Having side imaging and knowing how to effectively use side imaging are 2 totally different deals.

+1 on what Mark just said. At first, I couldn't interpret what I was looking at, due to everything being "sideways." I used the excuse that my brain didn't fuction in three dimensions, only two One day on the water with someone more experienced will cure that learning curve. The continuing education is up to you, and the curriculum is challenging!

Here's my take on SI. If you fish tournaments or fish for a living, it is an absolute must. Particularly for deeper structure and boat docks. Bridge pilings, too

Flip it over to scan one direction and bring in the distance in the last two apps and you'll be amazed at how fast you can identify the good and eliminate the bad water. In either of those scenarios, you're gonna get the carp beat out of you if you don't have SI. Deep, too.

For the casual fisherman like me, SI is not a necessity. It's a luxury that will improve your enjoyment of your time on the water. And it will help you eliminate down time in unproductive areas. If you can afford that luxury.

For the average guy, SI is not worth the investment IMO. You'd be much better off with a flasher and one really good color graph, with DI capability.

This question is not really on the subject matter however there are so many good responses that I know someone will have an answer for me....

I have a HB ci HD, my question is...
I have two coordinates, Lat. 32*42.351 and Long. 95*33.287, is it possible to "plug" this into my HB and create a way point before I actually go to the lake?

Thanks, just an old man who doesn't quite "get it" when it comes to computers.

Absolutely! Go out to your boat, turn the unit on, and navigate through your options until you find the one for this function. Then plug in the coordinates and drop them onto your Navionics or similar mapping program.

You can also bring your unit in the house, connect it to your computer and do the very same thing, in the comfort of your AC.

Personally I am still learning how to use SI effectively. I am a shallow angler by choice but have gotten a lot better at deeper stuff. Its a learning process that I will keep working on as i know the payoff is worth the effort. I don't think slapping a SI on a boat is a cureall cause fact is lots of guys will tout it as a game changer or that it will pay for itself but it will take a commitment to learn.

p.s. - I'm not much on instruction manuals either, GT. I find that today's modern electronics have all of that info built in, if you'll simply toggle through the options in your Menu screen and then the subsets behind any page you select. If I were near a unit, I'd tell you the exact function to select to drop those numbers. Sorry that I'm not.

The day that I quit learning something new on the water, is the day I'll find a new hobby, Mark. The knowledge gleaned (thus far) is what makes it so much fun!

one of the best fishn toys ever!!! By all means if you fish alot you will truly enjoy havn si or di.

I agree Fouz. Half the fun is learning it then the other half is putting it to use. I struggle at both consistently...LOL

Most of us do, Mark. Why you think I only fish one or two fun tournaments a year, with the rest of my time split between public and private waters that I know well? Cuz I sukk at fishing, that's why!

Thank you very much Fouzman, I can't remove my depth finder so as soon as it cools off I will give it try, thanks again!

You're very welcome, sir. Not that I provided you any earth shattering info.

Type this gent's name into our "User List" at the top of this page...Doug Vahrenberg. Doug is the H'Bird rep and helps lots of our members understand and get the most out of their Birds. He's not been on in the past couple days. He may be fishing as a Co in the Bass Cen. Open or off practicing for an upcoming event. But he WILL answer your PM when he checks in.

You'll find that User List icon between "My Stuff" and "Calendar."

I have gotten somewhat comfortable with SI in the past few months, I can now go out and fish some deep water areas with some confidence that I am not fishing "dead water". Like stated before, at first I did not understand it, with a year of studying SI and 200+ days on the water, I am getting somewhat comfortable with it.

It's fun to see fish then catch them! lol

You sukk at Sand bagging bro.....