Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim in CT
My wife is back at work after being home for 14 years (14 long years), and even she is saying we need a boat. Probably picking up a new Maritime skiff 21 defiant.
I don't know much about electronics, but the charter captains I go with almost all use side scan sonar, I assume there's a reason why it's so popular.
I do some freshwater trips with a guide who uses Garmin livesope, it's actually a live video feed of what's happening all around the boat, if you throw a shiner into a school of perch, you can see a few perch break off the school and come attack the shiner. It's very cool. But I assume there's a reason why I've never seen a captain use it in saltwater?
Pro and cons?
I assume we want a trolling motor with spot lock?
Will do a mix of light tackle fishing for bass and blues, and some bottom fishing for scup, sea bass and tog, mostly Eastern CT between the CT river and Fishers Island.
Any advice appreciated.
Looking is so much fun.
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Hi Jim,
The livescope technology is incredible and Garmin just made it better, however the full packages for this technology is very expensive 10K, sidescan plus a spotlock trolling motor is around the same cost depending on what you choose. The primary reason why we don't see livescope in salt water is because of the nature of our quarry. In salt water we tend to move much more than in freshwater (tides, and wind exposure). I do see it's application worthiness for blackfish in regards to finding a giant boulder, but odds are if you're in a boulder field you will be catching no matter what.
Sidescan in saltwater makes the most sense and is way more economical in regards to price over livescope because it gives you the picture of the ocean floor left and right of the vessel and that's all you need. With side scan, you can find fish and/or structure. The best tool without either option is the g3 chip, boston to norfork if your range is the cape and south. this is bottom imagery from NOAA (free online) you could literally set marks without this tech for free with homework, the file is dumbed-down because the imagery file size in full res is gigantic.
Something to consider is if you plan to use your boat in fresh and salt and/or also ice fish. I blind flush mounted my electronics in my boat. While it looks awesome and impossible to steal without cutting out my console and then god willing they try to get it free, my smaller garmin unit was portable in size. I should have used an accessible top mount for it to take it to a tin boat or ice fishing and simply purchased the mounts or Ice pack for it, and rig my boat or ice pack for it's use.
I do do that (my 1890 fishes both salt and fresh, and I ice fish), and NOW my garmin unit for ice and fresh water is portable and wifi connected so I can both import what I need (single marks) or swap the chip and get the same info between units if I used auto contour of a reef or something that is generally marked. Inland I think hummingbird has an edge, salt it's garmin all day especially since Garmin bought out navionics.
If you plan on running at night, radar is wonderful as is a spotlight. Save your $ don't get livescope and put it towards radar and a momentary spot.
Also do not do business with Atlantic Outboards, they are crooks.