Lowrance® Elite-4x DSI Color

[livinisfishin]

Hey im looking for a new fishfinder and this one stands out to me due to the good reviews that i have read about it. It seems like it is the most bang for your buck at that price. Is it worth while to get this unit or should i be spending a bit more money on something better? If any of you have experience with this model let me know what you think of it!

 

Thanks

[10point]

I was waiting for Cabelas to put them on sale and in the mean time found this one that I ordered the other day. This also has traditional sonar which the lowrance did not and has a bigger screen.

 

http://www.rogerssportinggoods.com/humminbird-58-ci-hd-di-combo-fishfinder?manufacturer_id=35

[livinisfishin]

That looks like a nice unit..i would have to save for a little while longer to afford that one.

[scugpg]

Its not a good fish finder because it uses a 455/800 transducer its for structure. You want one with 83/200 to mark fish. You want the non dsi elite or the hds series.

[livinisfishin]

What about a finder like spooled has ordered. That would cover me in all aspects ...ie: fish finder, down imaging and gps.

It is a lot of money for me to shell out on something like that ..but i would also like to get something that is half decent that i wont be replacing in 2 years.

[scugpg]

What about a finder like spooled has ordered. That would cover me in all aspects ...ie: fish finder, down imaging and gps.

It is a lot of money for me to shell out on something like that ..but i would also like to get something that is half decent that i wont be replacing in 2 years.

 

Unfortunately you can't get down imaging with regular elite 5. if you are set on having down imaging you could get an hds(new or used)...also good rebates on new right now.....and save up for structure scan down the road which does down and side imaging.

Edited February 25, 2012 by Spooled

[aplumma]

The higher the frequency the more detail is presented. The difference is actually due to how the signal is processed. The 83/200 is sent out and processed as a cone that is wider as the distance increases from the transducer. The 455/800 is sent out as a narrow cone but processed as a sheet. Both do an excellent job of spotting fish and by learning your unit and getting past the auto settings you can get more information from the unit than some can get from a camera. I am running a HDS7 with the LSS 1 unit and can set it to read the 83/200 overlay ed on the 455/800 and then on one or two separate screens with any two of the 4 frequencies next to it. You will find with time on the water that their are times that the 83 will show a fish while the 200 misses it and vice versa. If you want to get the HDS series as a starting point then go back for the LSS1 unit you will be very happy with the end result. The big advantage will be you will learn what the 83/200 has to offer you before you have to learn how to process the amazing amount of information the LSS1 unit gives you.

 

 

Art

[Roy]

Thanks, very good info, Arthur.

[livinisfishin]

Thanks for the great information so far. I think i need to do alot more research to actually understand what i am getting and what i am not getting. Maybe i should just stick with something simple that only tells me depth , temperature and shows fish. I may be getting over my head with something so advanced for what i really need. I just figured the down imaging would be nice.

[aplumma]

Don't be afraid of the additional information it has it's uses. I sometimes find the unit can mean the difference between a good trip and a great trip. You got to think of it as a tool you don't still fish with a zebco 202 you upgraded to a reel that made fishing more productive and easier to reel in the fish. Same thought pattern for a good depthfinder. You will find the more information on the environment you are catching fish on a particular day the easier it becomes to find the pattern of the fish. I have found on some days the pattern is to find freshwater mussels were the big cats feed and other days it is an area of wood in the middle of nowhere to be the answer. Both are difficult to find using conventional sonar but the downscan tuned correctly makes them easy to find. You also with a good sonar will be able to find the thermocline the key to fishing lakes effectively. I have spent many a day with a long pole tuning the COLOR depthfinder and then poking the bottom to feel what it is made of. I even have gone so far as to lower dead fish of different sizes below the boat to see what they look like on the screen. After doing this you can accurately tune the unit to show the differences between large and small fish. The ability of the more expensive units to hand tune out the clutter and false signals is worth the money in my book. Keep looking and reading all you can then you will have the time to get the unit you want and not just settle for the unit you can afford at this time. The key to being able to catch fish is the ability to collect and understand the clues mother nature gives you and anything that makes that information available to you is worth the time and effort to learn.

 

 

Art

[livinisfishin]

Thanks for the help so far! I still have a couple monthes to go before i can put the boat in so that will give me some time to really research the equipment. I would love to actually see the down imaging units in action as opposed to the demo that you can watch on the unit in the stores.

 

Don't be afraid of the additional information it has it's uses. I sometimes find the unit can mean the difference between a good trip and a great trip. You got to think of it as a tool you don't still fish with a zebco 202 you upgraded to a reel that made fishing more productive and easier to reel in the fish. Same thought pattern for a good depthfinder. You will find the more information on the environment you are catching fish on a particular day the easier it becomes to find the pattern of the fish. I have found on some days the pattern is to find freshwater mussels were the big cats feed and other days it is an area of wood in the middle of nowhere to be the answer. Both are difficult to find using conventional sonar but the downscan tuned correctly makes them easy to find. You also with a good sonar will be able to find the thermocline the key to fishing lakes effectively. I have spent many a day with a long pole tuning the COLOR depthfinder and then poking the bottom to feel what it is made of. I even have gone so far as to lower dead fish of different sizes below the boat to see what they look like on the screen. After doing this you can accurately tune the unit to show the differences between large and small fish. The ability of the more expensive units to hand tune out the clutter and false signals is worth the money in my book. Keep looking and reading all you can then you will have the time to get the unit you want and not just settle for the unit you can afford at this time. The key to being able to catch fish is the ability to collect and understand the clues mother nature gives you and anything that makes that information available to you is worth the time and effort to learn.

 

 

Art