Some Advise?

[wuteversbitin424]

I'm setting up one of my boats with newer equipment and i was wondering how everyone has there's and what they have. I'm going to put on new fish finders and i want to put a gps combo at the wheel and was wonder about good quality but not breaking the bank. also if it benefitial to have two and put one up front and one at wheel and where the best place to mount sensors and is. any advice and personal experience is greatly appriciated!!

goodluck and be safe!!

[Dutch]

Since you are in Springfield I recommend that you go to Bass Pro and look at the various units that they have. Ask questions and have them demonstrate the functions of various units. Today's units are pretty complicated if you get into structure scanning.

For me a good gps is a must so that I can pinpoint cover and return to it time and time again. For that reason I run 2 gps units with that are connected via nmea 2000 network and ethernet cables.

As for transducer mounting if you have a fiberglass boat mount the stern one inside the bilge area. Put the bow unit's transducer on the trolling motor.

If I weren't going to have 2 units, mine would be at the bow as that is where I spend hours and only minutes at the helm. I have a 20' boat and for years ran one unit at the bow with 2 switched transducers.

[inshore]

all I can say is get the best you can afford. I run a hb 998 at the wheel and hb 597 on the front. the 998 I use to locate fish and structure mostly for deep fishing. I use a good map (navionics) and have a sd card with all the brush piles and other structure on it. whatever you get learn to use it. the new units are great but takes time and practice to get the most out of them.if you don't deep fish go with a good unit on the front.

[wuteversbitin424]

Thanks guys for the advice. most likely going to go with two and for sure want to have the maps and gps. sounds like late nights learning and late nights and weekends working to save up but it'll be worth it. I've been fishing in a 14ft aluminum with a 25hp for the last 5 years. don't get me wrong caught a ton of fish on it but its too light and narrow. its time to get the bigger fiberglass boat fixed up. thanks again

good luck and be safe

[carolina-rig-01]

In my opinion GPS at the console is a must and GPS at the trolling motor is very close to a must but in reality you can get by without it if you're really in a bind and have to pick one or the other. The reason I consider the GPS at the console a must is really two fold. First of all it's an added safety aspect. Don't be that guy that runs too fast in dense fog or other bad conditions just because you can see the map on your GPS, but it does help you keep your whereabouts in conditions where it's easy to lose your bearings. Also if you save something like a deep brush pile or what have ya on your GPS at the console you can always go to it and then mark it with a marker buoy and then use your trolling motor to fish it. To me, that would be easier than trying to find it with your GPS up front and then marking it.......just seems like it would be a lot faster. Of course if two GPS units is possible then that is the way to go. Also the closer you can mount your GPS puck to the transducer for that unit the more accurate your unit will be. I have an 1198 at the console and a 997 and 788 up front. My GPS puck for my 1198 is mounted on the back of my boat almost directly above my transducer and the GPS puck for up front is mounted within a foot or so of being directly over the transducer.

Get a good chip too, Navionics Platinum is really good and worth the extra money over the cheaper ones in my opinion. If you go the Humminbird route then take a good look at the Lakemaster chips too. I can't speak for them much yet because I just bought a few a couple weeks ago but from all the research I did online I think they will easily replace my Navionics chips.

Look into a RAM mount or something similar as well, it makes it really nice to be able to re-position the units when the sunlight angle changes. Also with all the money we tie up in electronics it makes a lot of sense to be able to quickly take them off and lock them up when you come off the water.

As for brands, obviously I am partial to Humminbird. There are a lot of horror stories about Lowrance and their customer service. I haven't ever been in a position to find out for myself but I can tell you that I had a great experiece from dealing with Humminbird on the one occasion I needed some customer service.

Have a lot of fun in your search, the quality and features in electronics has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 5-10 years and you can get a lot of features in mid priced units, not long ago that wasn't the case. If side imaging is in the budget you will be blown away at how much stuff you will find that you have fished over for years and never knew it existed.