Fish Finders for Bottom Profiling

[starsplitter]

Greetings. We are trying to see bottom topography on a turbid river. Does anyone have experience using fish finders for bottom profiling? Any recommendations on units? Thanks.

 

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[ScubaFinder]

I would go with a new Humminbird Side Imaging sonar unit like the 1197C SI or 997C SI, both of these units also have down imaging and standard high resolution bottom sounders built into one unit and one transducer. The imagery is excellent, especially at river depths. The turbidity of the water column has little if any effect on the imaging resolution. There is much software out there to convert these files into file types that can be read by many different programs for viewing the data in a variety of styles, like bathymetry, sonar mosaic, and others.

 

[FISHEYE]

I recently got a lowrance elite 5 DSI down imaging sonar and when i tried it out at the marina off the stern of my boat i could see 4 feet into the sand.I saw a buried pipe and a metal bucket with a handle.The bucket was 4 feet in the sand and the pipe was 1 foot.I dug down and got the metal pipe.

 

[FishFood]

I recently got a lowrance elite 5 DSI down imaging sonar and when i tried it out at the marina off the stern of my boat i could see 4 feet into the sand.I saw a buried pipe and a metal bucket with a handle.The bucket was 4 feet in the sand and the pipe was 1 foot.I dug down and got the metal pipe.

I use one of these for inshore hunting (spearfishing and detecting) from my kayak. Lowrance's DSI units are very functional and the 5" screen is the smallest I'd go...wish I had the $$ for the 7" screen model at the time. I've never used a Hummingbird FF, only Lowrance.

 

[Alex Burke]

I recently got a lowrance elite 5 DSI down imaging sonar and when i tried it out at the marina off the stern of my boat i could see 4 feet into the sand.I saw a buried pipe and a metal bucket with a handle.The bucket was 4 feet in the sand and the pipe was 1 foot.I dug down and got the metal pipe.

Holy cow I didn't know they did that, could one be used on land? Sorry if this is a silly question I'm a land lubber.

 

[Darren in NC]

Fisheye, how was the density of the sand at the marina? I can only assume it wasn't compacted, but fairly fluid.

 

[FISHEYE]

There was no silt and it wasn't like sugar sand and it was slack tide.

 

[gsxraddict]

I had a Lowrance HDS 8, The color sonar will really show you the bottom compositions, and the side scan imaging will show you exactly what is there.

It and the Hummingbird are fantastic.

 

[T Hunter]

Which do you think is better for side imaging ? Will the humminbird look through the sand or mud ?

 

[old man]

Which do you think is better for side imaging ? Will the humminbird look through the sand or mud ?

T Hunter, I think R Gecy would be a good one to answer that question

 

[starsplitter]

Thanks for all the responses. We don't expect much in the way of compacted sand/silt for subbottom profiling, but all of your suggestions/comments are very helpful.

 

[T Hunter]

Thanks I will give him a call.

 

[pvet7521]

The best by far, without a doubt. Is the lowrance X 16 paper graph recorder. Gives you a paper printout and can be adjusted to penetrate sub bottom. There are better units you could buy if price was no object but a basic unit there is no better.

 

[T Hunter]

What the price of an X 16 ?

 

[Red_desert]

The best by far, without a doubt. Is the lowrance X 16 paper graph recorder. Gives you a paper printout and can be adjusted to penetrate sub bottom. There are better units you could buy if price was no object but a basic unit there is no better.

I was on a boat once at Lake Eirie. The graph paper recorder was used to follow walleye schools suspended about halfway point over an average depth from surface to bottom of 30 ft. They took time to show me the way it works. You can really see the large walleye just off the bottom about 4-6 ft. It maps out the bottom along with anything else that might be there.

 

[Darren in NC]

Here's a Lowrance X-16 in excellent condition on ebay...

Lowrance x 16 Paper Graph Complete Unit EXC Condition | eBay

 

[pvet7521]

Way too much, keep your eye out and buy 2 for less than 50 bucks each, the wheels and band wear out 2 will give u spare parts. I got readings 30 ft sub bottom in the Arthur Kill, showed pipeline at 5 ft

 

[T Hunter]

Thanks Darren.

 

[JT]

If anyone is interested in a paper graph I have an Eagle Mach 1 (made by Lowrance, similar to the x16) complete with the mounting bracket, transducer, and power cable. I think I also still have a couple of rolls of graph paper for it. If anyone is interested I'm willing to let it go.