I've put out some Boo Piles your welcome to come find. They have about 4 sticks in a bucket and they are tough. If you don't pick up the bucket, it over.
Glad you like your Bird...

keith




Not saying anything about the quality of the unit. It is very clear and works great. Just think if they are calling it a HDS-7, it should be a full 7".

Do you have the LSS-1 or LSS-2. This is where screen size come into play. If you don't have SI then screen size will not effect you until you do.


keith

+1 on the advice. I just upgraded from Lowrance DSI up to HB 898cSI on my pontoon. Like Bobcat said, everything in one box, and I love the three soft keys. Images are fantastic.

Maybe a little input from Crappie Fishing Guides and Instructors like Cliff Spindle, Benny Dabney, Ernest Paty, Mike Wilson, Carey Thorn, Guy Skinner, and (I think but am not certain) Chuck Rollins on their Humminbirds they use would help.

And our most recent website jigger......Lane Palmer. I believe he also uses the HB 898cSI.

The Lowrance DSI is not in the same league as the SI & DI. It is closer compared to you D-2 Sonar, but with a better image. I don't know why they don't offer the DSI in place of the D-2 Sonar. It gives what looks like to me the exact same information, except in a different visual format. The HB DSI or Lowrance DSI are not even close to the DI of Hummingbird or Lowrance.



keith

I think a SI of any brand in the hands of a good fisherman is a AWESOME tool. I use 997ci in one boat and a 998ci in the other. I always take both in the boat just in case one breaks because without one, I might miss a pile that someone else built.

Pick one and learn how to use it

Biggest mistake you can make is not backing up your unit. When its gone, its gone.

Humminbird PC is a must.....

I see that Guy nor Chuck have responded to this so I'll just add that they both have HB's on their boats and HB's only!
Isn't it amazing they can still find a crappie on occasion?
Maybe that's why I am not in their league yet...maybe I need to convert to the dark side with them?

Keith, I have the gen2 7 w the LSS-2.

Good Deal, it should show you all you need to see. My brother has the HDS-5 Gen-1 w/LSS-1, and makes it work. He has learned how to work it, so the size is not a major dis-advantage. Like at this time of year if he is wanting to look for deeper Brush Piles. He will set the HDS to read 1 side only. then gets in 10'-13' (Close To Boat House) of water to cruise in. Sets the distance for 100', out which ever side he is wanting to look. The other side doesn't matter to him, because it is 10' or less, and the goal is deep brush piles.

Now he is able to get a good look at the bottom from 10' out to what ever the water depth is at a 100' of distance. In his case, with his 5", he is looking at the same size Picture as I do with my HDS-10, scanning both sides. He covers the full bank line, then changes screen to DI & GPS, and goes back and looks at what he has marked. If it is something he wants to keep, he gets a BETTER mark on the structure, then deletes 1st mark and any other mark that doesn't pan out.

I get a little carried away about the Screen Size thing every now and then. I forget that not everybody is retired, kids have moved out, don't haft to by school cloths, etc etc etc. You have got a Unit that will do everything you need it to do, show you more fish than you can catch, and take ALL the guess work out of what you are seeing.

Just keep in mind that there is always 2 way to skin a cat. Whoops, hope I don't get deleted for that... Just keep your distances in mind ALL the time. If you are looking at boths side of the boat, keep the distance at about 60', this should still let you see a object good enough to mark. I run my HDS-10 at 100' when I am scanning both side of the boat. It is easier to follow a line if you stay close to the Boat Docks, instead of trying to follow 20' of water.



keith

Keith was good enough to invite me out with him on Palestine yesterday morning and it was a great trip. Not that we put a dent in the crappie population (it was tough fishing with my lead protective clothing on). Cooter obviously had more money than most as he has three, count 'em, three locators on his Tracker! Two on the bow and HDS 10 on the console. Felt like I was in a space shuttle.
He put us on some of the best looking brushpiles I've ever seen and I know they were there as I lost about a years supply of Jigum Jigs to the brush. We tried just about everything but, the fish just wouldn't cooperate. Visited with some other guys at the ramp as we left and they had the same outcome we did. We tried deep, shallow, everywhere inbetween. We tried every color combination and fished slow and fast and nothing worked.
Plus the 5 mph wind was putting white caps on the lake...didn't know it was that strong...and I know it wasn't more than 5 mph as that was the forecast.
But, we finished the day right...Keith introduced me to the cafe in Edom...you have to give it a try if you ever head down that way...it is fantastic!
Thanks for a great day Keith, hope to get a repeat trip sometime soon.

OkieBob,
I can sure relate to the comment,"the fish just wouldn't cooperate". I can go to the same brushpile on Sandlin that I 'limited out' on yesterday, and then the next day...........notta........nothing.
Still learning the secrets of my new HB 898cSI, the images are simply amazing. Had passed over a lot of brushpiles, using my previous Lowrance Elite 5 DSI (BTW the Elite 5 is for sale $400.00, 6 months old. Anybody interested, PM me) Glad I made the switch to HB SI. Just my $02. ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS UNTIL COOL WEATHER??? WAITING!!!

With statements like this, it is going to be hard to get another invite. I have already got one fishing buddy (BeltonBanger) that I have had to rename (DICK). Would hate to haft to come up with another title for you.

Yeah, the wind was tougher than they were calling for, and if that was 5-10 MPH the WhiteCaps wasn't aware of the weathermans forecast. I just hate it when the lake don't pay attention to forecast.

It really doesn't cost a lot of money to outfit your boat with Units like mine. I WON my HDS-10 w/LSS-1 at a Beauty Contest I entered and took 1st Place. The HDS-7 was won at a Spelling Bee that I entered and won 1st Place. The Elite 5X-DSI which I won at a Chili Cook-Off which I placed 3rd, and was Robbed. But the bottom line is you don't haft to have a lot of money if you have any TALENT.

I really hated not catching a bunch of fish, due to I used up most of my Hunting & Fishing Stories to help the time go by. But hey, a man has to do, what a man has to do. Maybe next time the fishing will be better and won't need as many stories.

Had a great time myself. The best thing is if the fishing isn't that good. Lunch is always a different story.



keith

HDS7

thanks for all your input and so this is what I went with HDS 8 ( thats what i was able to afford) and I had a 798 si i put that one in the front. now i just have to learn how to use the HDS thanks again yall

Best of luck with your new unit. Congrats!