Fish Finder for 2013

I am very happy with my Lowrance Elite 5 combo. I can see a 1/4 oz jig on the screen at 40 feet as I was jigging it up and down.  I moved away from permanent goop in hull to water bath for the transducer.
I was missing a lot with the goop method.  I didn't care for the DSI when I was doing my evaluations.

I've also been using the water bath method using duct seal, and it's very convenient to me. What didn't you like about the DSI? From everything I've seen (online), it seems to provide great detail, and while it doesn't seem to be as effective at marking game fish, it does show baitfish and structure with amazing detail. However, this is all based off of what I've read, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

I fish the salt 70% of the time.  I needed a unit that distinguished hardness of the bottom, show good bottom contour readings, show big fish and school fish, distinguish vegetation (kelp) from a school fish. The Elite 5 does that for me.

During GS6 I was next to another kayaker with a basic B & W unit and he yelled at me that there was a school underneath us.  I looked at unit and the marks were color green (kelp).  I told him its kelp but didn't believe me.  He dropped his gear and got snagged.  Then he tells me; I am getting that same unit.

If I can do it again I would get the Gold unit with Navionics so I can locate more structure.

I'm also looking for a new FF to replace my Garmin 200. I'm leaning towards buying the Elite 5 DSI "Gold" with the Navionics pack/card preinstalled here: http://www.thedigitaloasis.com/LOWRANCE-ELITE-5-DSI-GOLD-COMBO-WITH-TM_p_3779.html

I'm on the fence about dropping $450 for a FF/GPS. I've read mixed reviews, and it seems that everyone either loves it or hates it. If anyone could give me their opinion on the unit, I would greatly appreciate it!

only reason I didnt buy that unit is it doesnt switch from 2d to 3d and vice versa.I like lowrance but I went with the humminbird because of that reason.if you don't need a 2d to 3d unit than that's a great unit.well worth tge investment. I spent 600 on mine

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If you can hold out a bit longer, you should start to see the 2013 units rolling out before summer starts.

Bill

Fisherman's Warehouse in San Jose has all the units for demos even HD models up to 10 inch screens.  If you're in the area try them out.  Just make sure the unit is set to original factory settings.  They get practiced on a lot.

Went ahead and bought the Elite-5 DSI Gold with the map pack for $450 shipped. It should be arriving sometime next week, so I'll let you all know what I think of it. Thanks everyone for the advice!

If you fish freshwater, spend the extra 50 bucks for DSI. If you fish saltwater, get the non-DSI model.

If you fish freshwater, spend the extra 50 bucks for DSI. If you fish saltwater, get the non-DSI model.

I fish both. Primarily the Delta and lakes. I have yet to hit the salt, but come May 1st I'm gonna be all over it! I think I made the right choice getting the DSI, but only time will tell.

I just got the elite 5 DSI gold about 2 months ago for my pro angler 12 and I love it! Amazing detail rockfishing the Sonoma coast I can see and mark all the pinnacles and see all the big schools of blacks/blues suspended off them. I just go until I find a school, mark it with a waypoint and catch fish off it until I feel like moving! Works every time! Man I would like to upgrade to the new elite 7 hdi though for the extra size and dual sonar abilities - that thing is the ultimate yak graph!

Thank you everyone for all the great advice. Sounds like for someone who does a little of both salt and fresh water having both 2d and 3d is the way to go... (not going to buy both )... hopefully Lowrance will introduce something like that for 2013. I like the best of both worlds.

For those who have the 3d/dsi does it make it less of a difference than d2s in terms of coverage?

Thank you everyone for all the great advice. Sounds like for someone who does a little of both salt and fresh water having both 2d and 3d is the way to go... (not going to buy both )... hopefully Lowrance will introduce something like that for 2013. I like the best of both worlds.

For those who have the 3d/dsi does it make it less of a difference than d2s in terms of coverage?

Dave like I said earlier lowrance now has the best of both worlds with the elite 7 hdi! Check it out it's awesome!