Northwest Fishing Reports

I really want to get a new fishfinder. I did a little bit of looking around and cant decide between lowrance x-125 b/w with a bigger screen and 2,400 watts peak to peak or hummingbird 343c with a smaller screen but color and 2,400 watts. both run about 280$ or maybe jump to x-135 for 349$with 4,000 watts b/w

Thanks

I just bought the Humminbird 585C this spring and love it. It has a color screen which is great. Peak to Peak power is 2400 watts. The color screen I now believe is a must. It shows the thermocline very clearly in blue and vegetation in green and brown. This is very helpful when looking for bottom weeds where trout may be feeding just above the weeds.
Since buying this, I have learned a great deal about the structure of the area lakes and where the thermocline usually lies. The unit discriminates bottom structure very well.

http://store.humminbird.com/humminbird- ... 300-1.html

I got my Humminbird 585C at The White Elephant in Spokane. I think that I paid $295.00 for it. They had the Plano Model 1435 case there also, which ran about $20.00.

http://www.ramseyoutdoor.com/products/d ... LDIN&rid=3

The unit fits in it perfectly and is totally air tight. So much so, as the barometric pressure changes, you hear air movement when you open it. Kind of like opening up a fresh can of coffee.

For me, this is the perfect setup. I think you would be very happy with this unit and case.

Marc Martyn wrote: The color screen I now believe is a must.

couldn't agree more. both are excellent finders/sounders. i went with a lowrance myself, but color FOR sure. i spent a fair amount on mine, and it is a very small screen, but color. it really helps with all aspects marc mentioned. In my opinion, better to get a smaller screen w/color than a huge one B&W.....good luck!!

Definetly save up and get color. X-135 is old school in my opinion. I have a LMS-480M with GPS and wish I could just splurge and get a newer color GPS Lowrance.

I have 2 Lowrances and a Hummingbird.I have 1 question about Depth Finders.Why do all the fish head in the same direction?If it is supposed to be so precise why cant they show what direction the fish are really heading?

quote=racfish]I have 2 Lowrances and a Hummingbird.I have 1 question about Depth Finders.Why do all the fish head in the same direction?If it is supposed to be so precise why cant they show what direction the fish are really heading?[/quote]

I think you've been staring at your screen too long.

racfish wrote:Why do all the fish head in the same direction?If it is supposed to be so precise why cant they show what direction the fish are really heading?

try going in reverse racfish.....then the fish will swim backwards!!! :shaking2: :jocolor:

Funny you mention that.Ive found that for Sockeye and King trolling I sometimes troll backwards trying to slow my troll speed down.

racfish wrote:I have 2 Lowrances and a Hummingbird.I have 1 question about Depth Finders.Why do all the fish head in the same direction?If it is supposed to be so precise why cant they show what direction the fish are really heading?

Have you tried trolling around the lake in the opposite direction?:geek: :joker:

for a serious response from me. Fishfinders give more intel when set in the "arch" mode instead of the "fish symbol" mode.

A number of things can give off a signal big enough to be shown as a fish symbol but only a fish will show an arch. A ball of bait if thick enough will show as a fish symbol but if the fishfinder is in the "arch" mode the bait will show as small dots.

zen leecher aka Bill W wrote:for a serious response from me. Fishfinders give more intel when set in the "arch" mode instead of the "fish symbol" mode.

A number of things can give off a signal big enough to be shown as a fish symbol but only a fish will show an arch. A ball of bait if thick enough will show as a fish symbol but if the fishfinder is in the "arch" mode the bait will show as small dots.

Well i never thought about that!!
i have the lowrance 125 and it is ok i really want to buy the LMS 522C with Internal GPS
here is a link

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... Cat=SEARCH
&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=LMS+522C&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=LMS+522C&noImage=0

would like to get that one before i take my boat into the sound.

I know my response didnt seem very serious but I really was.On my Hummingbird in particular.It shows contours of the bottom and even the approx size of a fish,yet it dosent really show the flows or direction of an area.Zen you explained it pretty good so even I understand that.The more solid the object the better it shows up.

racfish wrote:I know my response didnt seem very serious but I really was.On my Hummingbird in particular.It shows contours of the bottom and even the approx size of a fish,yet it dosent really show the flows or direction of an area.Zen you explained it pretty good so even I understand that.The more solid the object the better it shows up.

Rac, I meant I was switching back to serious. I liked the one about fish all swimming the same way.


The more solid an object the better it shows (Rac's remarks).... this is true. Also objects with swim bladders show up differently. Those are the ones depicted by arches.

Color fish finders make things easy to tell apart as the denser signals are assigned different colors from softer signals. This is what makes a ling cod on a rock bottom show up differnt from a log/rock/or lump of mud. A black and white fish finder would assign these as different shades of gray...not easy to tell apart.

I have a hummingbird and really like it but the guy at where I get my boat serviced said that Lowrance last longer because they have a cord to attach them and not pins like the hummingbird does. FYI

EB

spokanebassman wrote:I have a hummingbird and really like it but the guy at where I get my boat serviced said that Lowrance last longer because they have a cord to attach them and not pins like the hummingbird does. FYI

EB

Thats all professional opinion really,I have the 343c and i like it alot, i remove everytime i park my boat its a nice piece of electronic that i dont just reef on and yank off i see no issues with the pins at all,ive really been using it alot and learning with it i have located bait balls and seen larger fish below just off the bottom thinking those might be smallies well drop the dropshot and yes bam i was right smallie 0 sparky 1:cheers: so its all in the confidence you build with your gear.