Cheap Down Imaging vs Better Quality Sonar

I've been lurking here for quite some time and this site is great! I have a tinny that I have plans to modify utilizing the wealth of info on this forum. But I do have a question regarding my first project with the boat, a fishfinder: What would be better, a cheaper unit with down imaging (like a Humminbird Piranhamax 197c DI) or a unit with more options like a flasher mode(which I would like for jigging), split screen capability, etc, and I'm sure better quality 2d sonar (like a Garmin Echo 301c). I have at max to spend $150 due to some hefty medical bills at the moment and I'm open to your superior intellect in this topic. I fish In Idaho in water from 5' to about 70' if that helps any guidance. I fish utilizing about every method there is for fish and for several species from crappie, blue gill, perch, trout, bass, catfish, Kokanee, and whatever else I can find here. Back to my question, will I be able to mark fish with either of these budget units? Will cheap down imaging work or am I better of with a traditional sonar with more options? I've researched my brain out and have resorted to asking a question. Any help is appreciated and thanks for helping a noob! Happy trails.

My .02
Down imaging does nothing more than help you interpret what you see on the 2d sonar. If I were you, I would learn the in's and out's of reading 2d and get a nicer unit rather than spend it on down imaging.

I'd rather have the DSI. But I fish several places that are full of trees. Being able to see the trees will help me fish them better.

Thanks for the input guys! I'm pretty torn between the two. I am sure the Garmin 301c will do a better job on sonar mode and I really like the flasher mode for jigging, but the allure of the down imaging on the Humminbird 197c di is pretty tempting. As soon as I convince myself that I want the Garmin, my intrigue with the Humminbird comes back. It would be nice to differentiate between trees and branches from vegetative clutter but it would also be nice to see my jig on the flasher mode. Too bad I don't have more cash and just get a ff that does it all . I am leaning towards the Garmin at the moment and will just have to start on my education in reading sonar data. Any more input or experience with these features for a tinhorn considering sonar would be welcome. Thanks again for taking the time to help out and happy trails.

i spent 600 on a humminbird with all the bells and whistles,after using it for 2 seasons,a plain jane fishfinder would have worked just as well.i should have spent the money on a really good bow mount trolling motor.the imaging looks cool but doesn't really help much,and gps is not much good on a 20 hectare lake either.

I spoke to the guy at BPS at length. He explained all the different units. Hands down it appeared the Lowrance units were the best. There were some points of other units that were better, but all around the Lowrance was best. Also if you turn the sensitivity up in sonar mode, you can see the lure.....and fish!

IdahoFishtracker said:

Thanks for the input guys! I'm pretty torn between the two. I am sure the Garmin 301c will do a better job on sonar mode and I really like the flasher mode for jigging, but the allure of the down imaging on the Humminbird 197c di is pretty tempting. As soon as I convince myself that I want the Garmin, my intrigue with the Humminbird comes back. It would be nice to differentiate between trees and branches from vegetative clutter but it would also be nice to see my jig on the flasher mode. Too bad I don't have more cash and just get a ff that does it all . I am leaning towards the Garmin at the moment and will just have to start on my education in reading sonar data. Any more input or experience with these features for a tinhorn considering sonar would be welcome. Thanks again for taking the time to help out and happy trails.

Click to expand...

With a standard sonar you can see your jig with 2d sonar if your settings are dialed in correctly. You don't need the flasher. I run Humminbird SI units and rarely use the DI option. One thing to take into consideration is DI(and SI for that matter) doesn't work unless the boat is moving. So, if you're anchored, DI is worthless.

Thanks for all of the tips guys, it's nice to hear real experience from people who have actually used this stuff instead of some part times sales jockey that my novice knowledge surpasses. That's good to know down imaging doesn't work when anchored, I had no clue! So the flasher mode is no good then? I guess the right side of the screen in standard sonar mode will tell you the the same info, making the flasher mode irrelevant? I saw a flasher in use when I went ice fishing with a buddy and thought that would be awesome for jigging from my boat. I was considering a Lowrance Elite 4x with the plain transducer because it seems to have most options I was liking on the Garmin but with the ability to add a di transducer next year after money gets freed up a bit. So I am still hemming and hawing on which one to pop on. The Humminbird 197c di plain 2d sonar seems to be cheesy compared to the Garmin and the Lowrance, but it's hard to tell from just from their advertisement screen shot pics. What stats should I place at a higher priority to determine the quality of the sonar? Are all 83/200 frequency transducers created equal or are there subtle diferences? I know some have a difference in cone angle which changes the area "seen" on the screen. Sorry to bother you guys and hopefully someday I can return some info to repay the assistance. I am a much better predator hunter and archery hunter than I am a sonar guy! Thanks to all and happy trails.

I just found out my amazing wife has been hoarding away some cash for my fish finder and now my budget is up to $200! Now I can get the features I want. I have it narrowed to the Garmin 301dv w/downvu and the Lowrance elite 4x Chirp w/down imaging. Any opinions or experience with these two or am I going to get people into a Ford vs Chevy debate? Garmin has 3.5" screen and Lowrance has 4.3" screen, is that enough to make a difference? I can get the Garmin for $189 and the Lowrance for $199. I live in the middle of nowhere and don't have any retailers available to personally see either if these finders. Thanks again for the assistance!

Oh, and Huntinfool, that's a sweet profile pic!

Just got the Lowrance 4 hdi gps combo with lake view chip & cover delivered to my door for $200 from Overtons. Check it out! Live up in north east so wait til spring to try it out.

Lowrance would have my vote. I've got a Humminbird 798 that does both down & side imaging and I never use the down imaging, but I do use the sonar. If you use it a lot for ice fishing you might want to think less about flasher/imaging features and see what the least expensive option with GPS charting is that you can afford.

You can chart out the break lines and structure features during the open water season and mark your waypoints then go exactly above that boulder on the edge of the 25' drop leading to the flat and put your bait right on the suspending winter fish rather than in the neighborhood & wait for them to wander around. Even in the open water season the combination of the sonar and the charting is what I rely on the most.

Side imaging is really nice when you're on new water to find all the feature changes beneath the water, but once you're fishing water you've been to before you use your waypoints to know where certain items are before you pass over/by them and light them on the sonar.

Thanks for the heads up on the Overtons deal Bassman and the advice regarding the navigation Onthewater! I hope the weather turns more kind in your neck of the woods for soft water fishing! We've had much warmer winter than normal this year, I even caught my first fish ever in February using a boat(no ice)! Back on subject I do have a Garmin Etrex 30 with a mini sd card that I have my hunting maps on. I was thinking about putting a ram mount for my gps in my boat next to where I'll mount the fishfinder and look into a sd card loaded with some lake charts. But it would be nice to have it all in one unit! I am interested in the down imaging because there have been a few occasions I've wound up with an anchor fouled up in some timber on the bottom and it would be nice to be able to make a few passes and get an idea of exactly what is going on down below. The down imaging would be more for learning what exact features lurk beneath than finding fish, but I guess it's possible to decipher between a downed tree, rocks, and thick weeds on a sonar if I put the effort into learning, right?

DI is much more useful overlapped or side by side with traditional sonar in my opinion. It helps break marks up so when you see a 2D mark you can see what it actually is on HDI, and also can separate targets to see fish suspending just off the bottom or in brush piles. GPS even on little lakes is awesome. Lowrances have a track back feature. You can circle your little lake all over then scroll back through everything you marked looking at it in both 2D and HDI. When you see something you want to fish you mark it and your GPS shows you that location on the map. Then you can position yourself to fish that spot. I will often mark way points for everything I see that looks interesting and pass over a couple times from different angles to really understand what is down there. Then every time I go to the little lake I mark sure I mark those spots every time looking for fish to see when the fish hold there and when they move.

If you log this data on a smaller lake you can really build a pattern of spots that are productive during certain seasons or weather. Also Lowrance has made more of the insight genesis stuff free. Downloading social shared maps is cool and helpful.

BassmanET said:

Just got the Lowrance 4 hdi gps combo with lake view chip & cover delivered to my door for $200 from Overtons. Check it out! Live up in north east so wait til spring to try it out.

Click to expand...

I am indebted to you! I just popped on the Lowrance and what a deal! It's got everything I wanted, including down scan, mapping, and the whole 9 yards! Can't wait to put it to work! Thanks again! This site is AWESOME!!

MarsAngler40 said:

DI is much more useful overlapped or side by side with traditional sonar in my opinion. It helps break marks up so when you see a 2D mark you can see what it actually is on HDI, and also can separate targets to see fish suspending just off the bottom or in brush piles. GPS even on little lakes is awesome. Lowrances have a track back feature. You can circle your little lake all over then scroll back through everything you marked looking at it in both 2D and HDI. When you see something you want to fish you mark it and your GPS shows you that location on the map. Then you can position yourself to fish that spot. I will often mark way points for everything I see that looks interesting and pass over a couple times from different angles to really understand what is down there. Then every time I go to the little lake I mark sure I mark those spots every time looking for fish to see when the fish hold there and when they move.

If you log this data on a smaller lake you can really build a pattern of spots that are productive during certain seasons or weather. Also Lowrance has made more of the insight genesis stuff free. Downloading social shared maps is cool and helpful.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that tutorial! It makes me even more jacked for my Lowrance to get here! That's sweet that I can go back and mark a spot in my tracks as a waypoint. Pretty dang awesome! I can't even begin to tell you guys how appreciative I am! This site rocks! Hopefully I can pay the help forward sometime on here. I'll make a new thread later with pics and a review to report my findings! Thanks again guys!

BassmanET said:

... Live up in north east so wait til [strike]spring[/strike] June to try it out.

Click to expand...

^^ That's more like it...I live in CT and I can tell already this is going to be a depressing year for fishing the river behind my house.


On topic though, check out YouTube for how-to videos on operating your unit. I know Humminbird has a technician who does on the water demonstrations of all their different features and posts to YouTube, Lowrance must have someone similar.

That's one of the main reasons I got mine. Being able to finally see what structure is down below will help me to understand how/why the fish are relating to this structure. I plan on using mine in fresh and salt. I have a spot the I kill the redfish at. But I hang up a lot. It'll be nice to see what's down there.

Plus being able to mark a track in a stump field where I don't hit a stump will be VERY helpful.

The flasher will work when anchored. Imaging will not

Here is by far the best example of how to use sonar when vertical jigging. Doesn't matter what brand you own, it's about setting it up properly and learning how to use it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJP4UqsWNv0

This video is a good basis explaining how sonar works and a basic set up https://youtu.be/kPXomXW6ioE

huntinfool said:

That's one of the main reasons I got mine. Being able to finally see what structure is down below will help me to understand how/why the fish are relating to this structure. I plan on using mine in fresh and salt. I have a spot the I kill the redfish at. But I hang up a lot. It'll be nice to see what's down there.

Plus being able to mark a track in a stump field where I don't hit a stump will be VERY helpful.

Click to expand...

That's along the line of thinking I was doing, except instead of stumps, rocks to avoid in the Snake River when I go to set up my decoys in the dark when I go duck hunting. Thanks again for the tips everybody, the videos were quite informative and gave me a better grip on how to adjust the settings!