I run a lowrance hds7 touch on my console and an elite 7 on my trolling motor. For simple navigation you can get by with almost any unit. If your in the marsh like Delacroix where one wrong turn will get you stuck then the only choice is lowrance.
This is not because the lowrance is a better unit. It's because standard maps has topo chips available for the lowrance units.
Your mapping needs will dictate what unit to buy. There are other map chips available but they all suck for around here because the marsh changes too much.
Tradition sonar and down imaging won't do much to show you fish in shallow water. Let's face it, if your boat is in 7 feet of water and the transducer is actually a foot under the hull draft then no specks are gonna be hanging around waiting to show up for a cool sonar pic with that big floating UFO above them.
Side imaging is only good for about twice the depth your in. I mean it sounds neat but that's the practicality of side imaging. If your in 7 feet of water then you'll make out stuff 14 feet from the transducer. Subtract from that the distance of the edge of the hull to your transducer and you will realize that at the end of the day the only way you will see trout is if you run over a retard fish.
Don't get me wrong. I like having sonar/electronics and would hate to fish without them. Just get your expectations right.
Just FYI, I'm gonna sell my elite 7 and mount a humminbird Onix on the bow. I'll keep the lowrance for navigation on the console.
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