Fish Finders-- Dual Beam Really worth it???

[d.thibeau]

Hi Everyone... Looking for some advice on fishfinders. I have a Humminbird 535 Portable, works good but I keep wondering what I'm missing with Dual beam or Side Sonar.. Worth the Hype? Or is just going old school and using my Fish finder to find deep spots and structure good enough?

[Terry]

I think it's about 50% toy and 50% tool

 

I have found humps and holes and weedlines with side scan

 

I was trolling an old river bed in a lake and with sidescan I could see both sides of the old river and knew right where I was at all times..didn't help me catch fish that day

but I knew right where I was

[Stoty]

If you use it properly... WELL worth the investment.

[mercman]

I always say,depends on your wants and needs. If you WANT to catch fish, then no. If you NEED to spend money, then yes. Dual beam however can be helpful depending on he depth.

It really depends on how and where you fish.That will determine the need for sidescan or down imageing.IMO

[mike rousseau]

I have a 535 on the bow and it's a decent unit for the price... I can mark my jig in 60-80 feet of water with it...

 

But for trolling I like my 597ci hd di... It has 2 beams to choose from... I use the narrow beam in deep water or really steep break lines...but most of the time I use the wide beam...

 

And if I mark something on the bottom and can't tell if it's a weed/rock/fish I switch to down imaging and I can tell what it is...

 

My 597ci hd di sonar gos combo with down imaging option was $700 to my door...