Side Image Required??

Hello. I am looking to upgrade my electronics from my old graph to something new. My old chart did not have any side imaging and I want opinions of the need for side imaging. I like to fish for striper and have had good luck finding them with normal down image. Side Imaging looks like it adds some additional capability but comes with quite a bit of additional cost. Is it really worth it to help find striper?

I don't know anything about striper fishing, so someone else will have to comment about the importance or lack of for that technique.

I find side imaging very useful for locating structure such as brush piles, underwater lay downs, sunken bridges, etc.

I use it more for locating bait, structure and cover than fish. Once located I will go back over them with down imaging looking for fish. Because of the distances side imaging can see, it should cut your search time down considerably vs just down imaging.

yes it does help for striper fishing but not a necessity. Stripers are usually in large schools so any schools of stripers that show up on side imaging will also usually show up on the 2d as well. What si does is it can make it a little easier to follow the fish and allow to cover more water while searching areas.


I would not have ever seen this small school of stripers without Si. The loer unit was blocking the left side but the fish were on the right.