Yet another depth finder question

[RUGER]

Humminbird HELIX 7 CHIRP SI GPS G2 Fishfinder and Chartplotter

I looked this one up and it is on sale at Bass Pro for $599.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/humminb ... May2018_HM


Through some bartering I have a chance to get one without spending any actual cash money and getting it for quite a bit less than that price due to the price of what I am bartering blah blah blah....
ANYWAY....

I actually had a Helix 5 and I liked it but never got a chance to actually learn anything about it due to a trolling motor / transducer wire related incident. :bash:
I do know the 5's screen was way too small for my old eyes and the 7 has got to be better, right?

Primary use will be locating bream / shellcracker beds and being able to see if they actually have fish on them or not. (The white dot deal in the center of the beds) The white dot deal is the most important to me.

Looking for / at structure and locating fish such as bass and maybe crappie.

Will this unit do all that?
Also, do you have to buy any kind of card for it to work? I care nothing about mapping, like showing the river channels and all that stuff, I will never use any of that. I just want to be able to mark & save spots.

 

[X-Tennessean]

It will serve your purpose well but as stated before BIGGER is better when it comes to SI and detail!

As far as the mapping cards.....it is not needed but in all honestly a very valuable tool once you learn how to utilize it whether it be Navionics or Lakemaster, they both have certain aspects that make each unique. A lot of anglers use both for that reason but also depending on your graphs, personally I use Lakemaster because it "links" with my Humminbirds and trolling motor.

You possibly could still use your H-5 as a dedicated mapping unit to free up screen for SI on the 7, an ethernet cable links the two and you should be able to share waypoints between them.

Keep an eye out for a Helix 10 G1, the prices have dropped considerably with all the new units out and would be a better fit for you IMO.

 

[RUGER]

HOLY COW !!!
Just for kicks & giggles I looked at a helix 10 with "mega imaging" ????

LOL I bet that is nice :shock:

So basically the "regular" imaging is already outdated. LOL

 

[wobblegobble]

I bought two elite 5 lowrance 2 years ago and thought I was in business but found out about a week later that the new technology I thought I had was old lol

 

[TNReb]

Just a heads up regarding the mapping...

Some of the smaller lakes like 1000 Acre Lake may not be on the Navionics and Lakemaster cards. Check before you buy so you have proper expectations.

With side imaging, screen size and resolution matters. I'm still learning to use mine.

If it's a used unit (not new in the box), hook it up and see how you like it. If it's brand new, you may want to see if you can barter your way to a 9 or 10" unit. They're not necessary, but I think you'd really appreciate the difference.

Another tip... when using side imaging along a bank or structure, set it to only show one side of the boat. You see more detail this way.

 

[WTM]

all of the si units now will show beds with fish in them. i believe that unit is non networkable. hummingbirds will shows beds in shallower beds than others. i saw a pic of beds in 1ft of water with the helix. all of those helix units now come with free base mapping. all brands have a feature called right side/left side view. you can set it to that and scan 60ft and it will show up larger on the screen. when i scan banks from 10ft i use that feature. keep in mind you will need to piddle with the contrast and sensitivity to pick up fish returns better. that unit is 455khz only which is not andeal breaker because imo that freq shows fish better and can scan at longer distances than 800khz.

better not sit on it too long or they will be all be sold. thats about 100 bucks of retail price now.

 

[WTM]

also keep in mind that the further you are from the bed, the less likely you are to see fish. ie. scan a bed at 100ft, no fish but scan the same bed at 50 ft and you see fish.

 

[bluball]

It will serve your purpose well but as stated before BIGGER is better when it comes to SI and detail!

As far as the mapping cards.....it is not needed but in all honestly a very valuable tool once you learn how to utilize it whether it be Navionics or Lakemaster, they both have certain aspects that make each unique. A lot of anglers use both for that reason but also depending on your graphs, personally I use Lakemaster because it "links" with my Humminbirds and trolling motor.

You possibly could still use your H-5 as a dedicated mapping unit to free up screen for SI on the 7, an ethernet cable links the two and you should be able to share waypoints between them.

Keep an eye out for a Helix 10 G1, the prices have dropped considerably with all the new units out and would be a better fit for you IMO.

Good advice,dont forget lowrance insite mapping.Thats why i utilize all 3,navionics,lakemaster and insite.They all have a place and time to be used if you fish alot at different places.

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

 

[bluball]

also keep in mind that the further you are from the bed, the less likely you are to see fish. ie. scan a bed at 100ft, no fish but scan the same bed at 50 ft and you see fish.

When most beds have one fish why look.I look when im bored and when practiceing trying yo poc out fish[emoji4]

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

 

[bluball]

also keep in mind that the further you are from the bed, the less likely you are to see fish. ie. scan a bed at 100ft, no fish but scan the same bed at 50 ft and you see fish.

You can also cursor to bed and zoom in,it helps

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

 

[Smo]

also keep in mind that the further you are from the bed, the less likely you are to see fish. ie. scan a bed at 100ft, no fish but scan the same bed at 50 ft and you see fish.

You can also cursor to bed and zoom in,it helps

Sent from my SM-S907VL using Tapatalk

I have found the zoom feature really helps on the smaller Helix 7 unit.

I'm still in the learning process with mine.

Could one of you Guys post a screen shot of a fish on a bed ?
Does it show a shadow? Just a white dot ?

Thanks op:

 

[RUGER]

Could one of you Guys post a screen shot of a fish on a bed ?
Does it show a shadow? Just a white dot ?

Thanks op:

Here is the best one I could find.
If you zoom in on it you can see the white dots.

 

[RUGER]

This is a little better pic.
You can see them pretty good in the top right corner.

 

[river925]

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-echo ... P5578.aspx

Just an idea

 

[WTM]

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Garmin-echoMAP-CHIRP-93sv-with-ClearVuSideVu-Transducer-LakeVu-HD-Ultra-Bundle-P5578.aspx

Just an idea

they have the stock 93sv chirp without the map upgrade for $629.00. the HD upgrade is nice but the only difference is dynamic lake offsets, satellite imagery, preloaded side vu scans, etc. the mapping that comes with the unit is quite good in itself.

 

[river925]

i see that... i agree with standard maps being pretty good, i am running a pair of them ... I did not notice that offer when i quick searched for units.. I had found this site when looking for mine.. got lucky and caught one for 599 at BPS

 

[WTM]

i see that... i agree with standard maps being pretty good, i am running a pair of them ... I did not notice that offer when i quick searched for units.. I had found this site when looking for mine.. got lucky and caught one for 599 at BPS

yeah they were $679 when the bass pro deal was on, then when bass pro ran out gps store ran them for $629. actually a little better deal than the $599 price, i think with no tax and free shipping.

 

[Smo]

This is a little better pic.
You can see them pretty good in the top right corner.

Thanks for posting the pics.


That's pretty amazing that you can see the depressions of the beds.

 

[RUGER]

This is a little better pic.
You can see them pretty good in the top right corner.

Thanks for posting the pics.


That's pretty amazing that you can see the depressions of the beds.

You see the little white dots? That is what amazes me.
No dots, don't waste your time.


Sent from my LGL52VL using Tapatalk

 

[Smo]

Yep , clear as day. Thanks again