Crankhead

I thought I'd pass on a little FYI. I attended the Humminbird seminar at the Skeeter Boat Center in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin last weekend. The seminar was given by Jason Halfen (www.jasonhalfenoutdoors.com) of Humminbird. Jason went over how to read both the side imaging and the new down imaging. It was really informative and a great seminar. I know BassPro has some Humminbird seminars scheduled for the Spring Classic. If anyone has knowledge of any Humminbird seminars please post the information.

Thanks for the tips. I did look at Pelican and the 1520 model looks like it might work. Has anyone been able to put 2 units in a Pelican?

I've got a Humminbird 997c & a 788c gps/sonar units. When they are not being used on the boat, I'd like to find a hard case to keep them in. My buddy has the 788c and got a hard shell Flambeau reel case that works great for him. I've looked at a bunch of reel cases (Flambeau, Plano) but haven't found one that will actually hold both units. The 997 is about 12" x 6 1/2" and the 788 is 7 1/2" x 6". I'm open to all ideas.

I agree that these updates will eventually be able to be downloaded. But it's easier to have everything in the manuel when I'm in the boat. I'm just passing this info so everyone knows there's an option to getting their manuel updated. I also want to tell everyone that the Humminbird customer service was fast. I ordered the manuel and got it 2 days later.

I bought a 997c SI last June and just updated the unit with the new down imaging. My original manuel doesn't have all of the updated info I downloaded into my unit. And there is no 997 updated manuels from Humminbird online. So I ordered a 998c SI manuel today from Humminbird's customer service. I Just thought I'd give others who have the older 997c another idea of how to get the updated manuel info thats not available online yet. The cost was $15.95.

I'm looking at buying either the 2010 LakeMaster Digital Series card or the Navionics Premium 3D card. I have a Humminbird 997c SI Combo. At Cabela's, the marine electronics manager says that hands down LakeMaster has the best detail and is the one to buy. So I'm looking for anyone who can give some advice about both cards.

CoachCarter, I've always had Lowrance but had so many problems the past couple of years that I switched to Humminbird. I've got the 997si combo (console) and the 788ci w/quadra beam (trolling motor). They are fantastic units. skunked_again's picture of the down imaging unit mounted at the dashboard shows the correct location for that unit since you need to be moving straight @2-4 mph for the down imaging to work at its best. If you want another forum to help understand HB's side imaging, go to: http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/. Good luck!

Is there anybody who tournament fishes who has used both Lakemaster & Navionics? I'd like to know for your money, which system gives you the most for your money?

I've got a Humminbird 997 C NVB and I want to update my unit with a new 2010 chip. I'm looking at The 2010 Lakemaster/Humminbird Digital Chart Series Pro Map Wisconsin or the 2010 Navionics Hotmaps Platinum Wisconsin. I'm looking for any input on the difference between Navionics and Lakemaster. If you were buying a chip, which one would you choose and why? Thanks for the info.

Does anyone know if Humminbird has seminars in the northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin area?

I've used the RT shad weightless just skimming it across the top. But have not t-rigged it with a weight. How would you fish the shad with this set up?

The water temps on the lake I fish are around 57-58. I've thrown topwater and got nothing. Is it too early in the season to use topwater?

I came across the lucky craft wander while looking for something else. It caught my interest after reading that it was designed to sink like a senko & was one of lucky craft's 1st lures. I've used it a couple of times just twitching it & caught 4 fish. Has anyone else used this bait? Are their any other ways I should fish this lure? I did check both the lucky craft 2009 catalog & their website but the wander isn't listed. So any ideas other than twitching?

It sounds like your 797 is at the console and not the trolling motor. From what I've read, you pretty much need to be traveling straight at 2-3 mph for best results. Did you find this to be true?

One of my Lowrances needs to be replaced. So I'm trying to decide if I should take the plunge and buy the new Hummingbird side-imaging units. I've looked at the Hummingbird 798ci & 997c units. They look like the same units except the 997 has an 8" screen and costs a $1000 more. The new Hummingbird would be on the trolling motor. I'd like some reviews from anyone who has purchased and used either of these units. It's a whole lotta money and I've only seen reviews from the pros that have tried them out. Anyone out there have one of these units?

Maybe the correct way to ask all of you are: what would be the 3 areas of this lake you would target & the 3 baits and/or lures you'd use?

Going out Saturday for the 1st time this year. This whole week has been storms every day and temps in the low to mid 40's. The rain stopped late this afternoon. The forecast for Friday/Saturday is suppose to be mostly cloudy with some sun and the air temps creeping up to 63 by Saturday afternoon. The lake I'm going to is deep & clear and the water temps today were 46-48. Do you all think its to early to hit shallow water on the north side of the lake? Any other tips?

I was reading a fishing report on a lake I'm going to this later today. In one of the fishing reports they were talking about all the success they had catching big bass using Uncle Josh jumbo porkers. I've never heard of this bait so I went online to the Uncle Josh home page but couldn't find it either. I did send a IM on the fishing report asking what exactly is the name of the bait and how do you rig and fish it. Plus I'll call the local BPS and Cabelas once they open to see if they carry this bait. If I can find it, can someone explain the different ways to rig this bait (I was guessing jig & pig) and what technique for fishing this bait in stained water? Thanks.

color it's a 522

I've got a Lowrance gps/fishfinder. Is there a easy way to explain how to detect the thermo-cline on my unit?

I went out Monday evening/night and did ok. I caught 8 bass (biggest was 3 1/2lbs) and 2 northern. I caught 3 of the bass (including the largest) on yamamoto flappin' hog black w/red. The rest were caught on RC DD RT's. I'm heading back out tomorrow, hope the bass continue to be more active.

I was watching John Gillespie's Wisconsin Waters & Woods show yesterday when he was fishing Michigan's UP with guide Eric Haataja. Eric was fishing wacky worm style with a jig & gulp bait. I always thought you fished wacky worm with a round hook. Has anyone else tried this with say senkos?

I don't understand how you can catch bass (largemouth & smallies) all spring & summer using soft plastics and then fall hits and nothing. And all you hear is that you have to use live bait and cranks to catch the bass. I always fish at night but switch to daytime by mid Oct. And in the past two weeks, I have fished soft plastics both during the day & at night and my catch rate is way down. I'm not even getting that many hits. So what kind of changes should I make? Since I'm fishing during the day, I figure maybe since I don't use a fluro leader with the braided line the bass can detect the line. So last time out I set up 2 poles exactly alike, one with a fluro leader and the other just braid. Results: hits about the same and I only caught 1 bass. So what is it? The lake hasn't turned yet, the water temp was 64 two days ago. Do others have success with soft bait or do most of you switch to live bait? I'd like to get some advice as to how others adjust.

What about the bass starting to feed for winter. Does most or all of it occur before or after The lake turns over? I always thought the water temp was in the low to mid 50's range for turnover to kick in.

I bought mine through Bass Pro catalog