down imaging does diddly best I kan tell ...
just another picture of 2 d sonar .....
side imaging is pretty kewl ....
I have seen sum that use it well ...
...if I were to purchase another graph ....
and keep in mind I use a 2 d sonar eagle mark whatever el cheapo
I might consider side imagining ....
but in no way shape or form would I drop a dime on down imaging
I think its really a waste of your dollars myself ....
as far as screen size goes its like a previous post sed ....
buy the best scope you kan ...never mind the rifle ....
same applies to screen size ....
and of kourse this is all just opinion to sum degree
we ketch tons a crappie with cheap sonar units all the time

if you have never used DI, you should not critique it Ketchn...

the ability to distinguish structure from fish is great...

Yes, SI makes a big difference. I have a Lowrance HDS 7 and HDS 5. I use only the SI function and never sonar (in fact, I don't even know how to use sonar). The quality of the images on the screen alone makes it worth having. Plus it helps see to each side of the boat.

Now, with that said, you will have to take some time to learn it. I have been using it for a year and still have a bit of trouble reading the screen. But it has definitely helped me find fish.

Just a litle info for you, Benbrook marina is "un-usueable" several months a year due to "low water" levels, so that time period your boat would sitting on your trailer on top of the hill in storage lot, If you are un able to launch often, i wouldnt pick benbrook at all. I dont know much about joe pool, so cant help you there, Eagle Mountain may be a good choice for you also.


Oh, and i wouldnt trade my SI?DI unit for anything

Get as big of a screen as your pocket can stand! You have a PM coming also!

quote=Ketchn]down imaging does diddly best I kan tell ...
just another picture of 2 d sonar ...

Is that the joke of the day?

You are way off on the capabilities of DI, I don't think I could fish with out DI. I can pin point every fish on a BP or standing timber. Just ask anyone who knows how to use it. Geeeez.

brother i bin in a bunch a boats with it ....
i promise "we" have used it more than mine ...
i just don't see much of an advantage myself ....
myself and pnsp chatted about this before and we both think in similar fashion on this subject
....if i never used it i wouldn't have an opinion

the joke a the day to me ,,,
is folks that kant ketch w/o this equipment sir ....
or was that mam ???

each to their own Ketchn...

totally sir ....i aint "downing" anyones equipment sir
and or use of sed equipment ...
its just my opinion and everyone knows i don't fit the norm in here anywho ....
no offense intended towards you sir .....
i think its like everything else ....
....we need different opinions that vary so as not git misled on what we "need" to ketch crappie fish ....

They use lasers and stuff for vision correction. I have a good friend in his mid 80's who can see better now than when he was 20. Those small screens have a zoom feature as well.

Ketchn was sharing first hand knowledge of my DI unit. Now that I got the transducer fixed it gives me a real pretty picture of the brush. But a good 2d graph will show you stuff on the bottom too. I manage to see the brush ok with my older 2d graph. And the single beam on it being much narrower didn't miss much of anything on the bottom and showed the thermocline very clearly. Problem was the width of the beam was 1/3 of the depth. So most of the time I was looking for structure only covering a 6' wide area.

When I retire and the kids are out of school the new boat is priority one. Is that why I see dads cry sometimes at graduations? Don't fall into the trap of believing you can't catch fish without the latest and greatest. It makes it easier but it's not impossible without it. A fisherman who is dependent on a high dollar graph is about as accomplished as a baker who can only make a cake with a Betty Crocker cake mix.

As for the rifle scope. The advice is spot on. I learned the hard way. But I'm a better shot now because I practiced. I can shoot iron sights way better than before. And I can catch crappie on just about every trip using my 5" graph. Yes, I spent more money on a scope.

I'll buy a new and bigger unit when it doesn't cost as much or more than the boat I'm mounting it to. Until then I'll just keep catching fish and wishing I had a bigger boat and graph.

Let me add this. It may be more important to have Down Scan and regular sonar than side scan, but the side scan sure make searching a lot easier and if you want to find bream beds nothing will replace what a side scan will do. Once near target Down scan is easier to see everything because side scan doesn't show everything that Down does.

What They Said!!

SI in the back of the boat, DI in the front. Find it with the SI, fish it with the DI (or other quality graph)..
Huey

I can catch without it but I can catch a whole lot more with it. Too many advantages not to have it IMO. I guess we are all not as great a crappie fisherman as those that don't need it but I do my best with what I am given. Maybe I'm the joke of the day then in your eyes.