Fishing Forum

[black][size 3]I was up early this morning, flipping thru the channels, and came across a 30 minute infomercial for a Hummingbird fish finder.[/size][/black]
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[size 3]This unit advertised, had all the bells and whistles, the main feature being side imaging. Being new to this feature, I watched with interest, and in my mind, could see what a large advantage it would be on both my boat which has good electronics, but also on my pontoon boats. [/size]
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[size 3]Fly fishing from a toon requires a unit that will identify depth, bottom structure, and suspended fish. The little Bottomline fishing buddies that I have do just fine for this purpose.[/size]

[size 3]As I watch the TV, my mind is rapidly going thru all the uses for this little baby. I can use it on my pontoon boat, on my Lund, I can see fish in the area that I am casting to, Hell, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread. The idea hits me, look in the Cabela's catalog for more information and the price. Ah yes, the price.[/size]
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[size 3]This wonderful little item is priced at $1200.00. My excitement dies, and the image of ownership slides back into a compartment of my day dreams. But for anyone with really deep pockets, this unit is the cats meow.[/size]
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[size 3]If anyone uses one of these, I would be interested in their assessment of it.[/size]
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[cool][#0000ff]There are many sonar units on the market with "sidefinder" capability...for much less money.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Regular sonar systems are good for watching bottom contour and depth and for finding the depth at which the fish are holding. But, when you are fishing for shallow suspended fish, having the potential to know which direction to cast...and how far...can definitely improve your odds. Great for fly flingers in shallow water or for finding schools of suspended crappies, wipers, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a general rule, anything you see on a TV "infomercial" is going to carry a larger price tag...and a lot of that price is the result of the cost of advertising.[/#0000ff]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The new Humminbirds are pretty incredible. The are far and away better than anything on the market. We're talking imaging, not just side finder capabilities! You really have to see then to believe them![/size][/black][/font]
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[cool][#0000ff]I got some info on them at the ISE. No doubt about it, they are state-of-the-art. Ideal for a well-appointed boat but OVERKILL for tubing and tooning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How many will you be installing on the Boomerang?[/#0000ff]
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We checked these out at the ISE, pretty cool, but yeah, I could buy a LOT of equipment and pay for several trips for the same price. Wait a few years, the price will come down--like most electronics and computers.
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You can buy those on Ebay for $899.99 NIB

Slayer
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]At the current price? Not many. I definitely would like to try them in a vertical jig application though. If they did what I think they could do, it would definitely put it higher on the "must have" priority list![/size][/black][/font]
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Get one! Take a chance. Be the field tester!
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I'm not sure I'm qualified to be a good field tester. Now on the other hand, an individual, such as yourself, could unequivocally, give it the testing it deserves (and, of course, report back with your results to deserving individuals, such as myself)! And, after your buy it, I would be more than happy to buy that year old color Lowrance from you at a fair and reduced rate! LOL![/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I have talked to a few folks that have seen them in action and they say they are nothing short of amazing! They are so good that they would be almost as capable at finding bodies like those used in Strawberry at 10X the price tag. You know that there is some MAJOR software crunching going on there to produce that type of imaging. Just think, Jim, not only could you use it for guiding, you could also do search and rescue on the side![/size][/black][/font]
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