lowrance hook 5 dsi / humminbird helix 5 di

[Allen]

I will say this about the Total Scan transducer of Lowrance.

1. It's like hanging a frigging phalus off the back of your boat, so it's really out there for stuff to get caught on. Thinking fishing line, net, etc. And it sure looks easy to break off!

2. The total scan transducer is NOT good at highway speeds. I think it's rated for 40 mph, but I often lose bottom at speeds much below 40, even on the Toon which is about a 32 mph rig. For that reason, while I love the total scan screens on my Lowrance HDS Gen 3, I also have kept the little POS Hummingbird my Toon came with. On my fishing boat, I have not yet setup a second go fast transducer and depthfinder, but it's on my list of shit to accumulate this spring.

 

[eyexer]

For under 600 (and better than Cabelas and Bass Pro pricing) you can get a Garmin Echomap Plus 93SV. They have stellar built in mapping and are very easy to use. Any space issues you have can be rectified by a good swing arm mount (I recommend Balzout). Call Justin Russell at Russell Marine Products in El Dorado Kansas. I have bought everything for my Livescope build, a Terrova, and GN3 Bird from him. Best pricing by a long shot (including boat show pricing at Scheels in Bismarck). It is well worth a 5 minute call. Tell him Aaron from ND sent you.

They were under $500 in the latest basspro flyer

 

[3Roosters]

I'm going with a helix 5 cuz that is what I have on my paddle boat and I catch blue gills..so there.

 

[RustyTackleBox]

having used/owned the predecessor to the hook, several helix g1 and 2, onix, solix and the garmin 93sv.
garmin would be my choice, they just updated their mapping (it broke devils lake which was good b4 i imagine it will be fixed) it is on par with the humminbird mapping and has the capability of liveview/ panoptix also has a touch screen for $600.

second would be the helix or a little fuck you money thrown at it get the solix the imaging is better than the helix

lowrance graph would be the hds series and that on par with the solix (not run the newer generation but the older ones have had very good imaging but crap mapping for sakakawea)