Wow AWESOME!! New Hummingbird HDSI technology

I've visited with two boaters on the ramps so far that got that unit, and both regret laying the money out. I figure they need some classes on using it, or need to read the manual several more times. Both continue using their older units, more familiar with what it shows. We might be seeing those on EBay for bargain prices from folks not wanting to spend any more time figuring them out. So far neither have seen anything dramatic like bridges, sunken boats, etc. They see a tree then lose it in the dark middle no data zone when moving closer. The assumption is if it's disappeared you are over it.

Any sonar/GPS unit on display is going to have display data showing non-stop hoardes of fish arches, and the Humminbird is no exception. Once you get on the water you just won't see much of what the demo showed. An advantage you should see is a wide spread view that can catch fish normally outside a typical 20 degree transducer. I guess once you get close enough to fish them you have to switch to the classic straight down view like we're used to.

I'll stick with my two LMS332Cs unless I come across a deal too good to refuse.

Jim

Working for the Corps of Engineers I'ver been in on many search incidents using underwater cameras. I wouldn't consider one without a high watt lantern or an infrared setup. In really clear water the images are pretty good shallow until you get down around 20', then it's too dark without lighting, showing only what's within 2-3' of the lens. Sometimes it's just a gray cloud, sometimes totally black in low light, and occasionally like watching fish in an aquarium.

I'd love to try the humminbird side scanner over something really interesting like a sunken ship, but so far nobody has spotted anything in Lake Ouachita that comes close to the amazing screen captures you can find on the internet. What I've seen so far looks much like regular sonar, only the side scan is grayscale, and brush piles are hard to spot compared to bright red stacks on regular sonar. Once you learn what to look for a simple $400 sonar-only unit with high resolution (480X480) will get you the same information. I'd say if you are mostly fishing a shallow natural lake you'd be highly disappointed over spending $2K for sonar. All you'd really need is a 60 degree transducer in shallow.

Jim

At what point and time do the pro tours begin to start outlawing certain technologies. Other sports have, NASCAR, especially this year, for example. In lakes with heavy pressure, technology such as cameras, side view sonar and fish callers, could put fishing in jeprody in the future. And there is the age old guestion: Have the fishermen actually gotten better, or has the equipment just made it look like the fishermen are better? Every major sport goes through this evolution(oops--creation). Baseball, golf, horse racing, auto racing and now fishing have or will have to answer the question. In baseball, the balls are juiced, in golf the balls are made to go further and the clubs made to hit strieghter, in horse racing certain drugs can enable a horse to run with out bleeding. But in all sports, at a point in time, rules are made and enforced to limit the amount of mechanical enhancement that is allowed. Are we getting close to that point in fishing? I have no answer or opinion, but I have begun to question if the technology could put our sport at risk. I always hate questions of ethics because they make me think, and that gives me a headache.

Gary