Marine Electronics Q&A with BOE Marine - What to do...

Hello Jim..

Firstly, I fish mainly in the salt, and often over 200' deep for halibut and such.

I'm looking at getting an HDS 7, and I'm wondering if I should get one without a stock transducer, and then buy a higher end Airmar to go with it. I read that the max output on the HDS units is only 250w, but that it's somehow different than other finders?

So would I be well off to get a 600w or 1kw ducer? What would the performance enhancements be? Airmar states that the T6M260 is some 50 times clearer than a 600w p66, but how much better is a p66 than whatever ships stock with the lowrance ...?

My other thought is to get an HDS 5m and a furuno 620, and although that would set me back a few more pennies, I'd have separate units in case one goes down...

I'm ok spending somewhere around 2K, and with a CC boat, I don't really have room for much than mentioned above more anyway.


thanks!

I'm not sure how having 2 units will help if 1 goes down. The HDS-5M is not going to be very good at finding fish and the FCV unit will not get you home. I think keeping it all in one is the way to go plus the HDS FF is much better than the FCV unit. For bottom fishing you are best off with more power and a narrower cone angle. The TM260 is the king of the hill in both regards and would be a perfect match for an HDS unit for the type of fishing you intend to do.

Wow, you consider the HDS as a much better FF than the Furuno 620. I've heard alot of great stuff about that unit. I know a few who have gone the airmar transducer route and love it. What do you think about the wide beam transducers like the TM270W for Salmon and trout in the great lakes?

I have never been on teh great lakes, and my fishing skills are marginal at best. So I don't have a clue what you need to find Salmon or trout on the great lakes. However, if these fish are typically suspended and especially near the top 100' the TM 270 would be ideal.

I do consider the HDS unit to be superior to the FCV-620 for most people. It really depends on the application though. I sell and recommend the FCV-620 multiple times a day so I am a fan of it as well.

TMH,

In my experience with halibut you don't see them with the fishfinder. The main function of it is to find the holding spots where they will be hanging out. Lings are the same. You are really looking for the structure. You can also see baitfish balls with any of the modern equipment.
I have a raymarine setup, my buddies have lowrance, garmin etc. We all find fish. I guess what I'm trying to say is that any of the units you mentioned will work well. If you get an all in one you have to split the screen when working an area. That can make it harder to see if you are at the transom backing into the current with a kicker So get the biggest screen you can afford. What l like to do is find the spot I want to fish using the sonar. With lowrance and raymarine you can put an X on the sonar screen as a waypoint. It then shows up on the chartplotter. Then go back and back into it with the kicker. If you run a flasher on your tackle you can see it in 50 hz mode and guide it down to the spot, provided it's not too deep for the sounder to pick it up. It's harder with depth and current but a little practice and it can be done solo.

Thanks for the great advice.