This year I decided to give Side Imaging a try again. Two years ago I had a 798ci HD SI unit from Humminbird installed on my Hobie Adventure. I installed the transducer on the rudder and the unit itself sat on the front of kayak in the mast hole. Because of the distance it was difficult to make out and not being able to reach the unit without getting out of my seat was an inconvenience.

My 999ci HD SI was installed in a Hobie PA14 right next to me (left side) where I can reach it easily to make adjustments without having to stop pedalling. I chose to have two transducers attached to the Humminbird Y-cable that easily hooks up the two cables inside the hull so there are no extra holes to be drilled. The HD SI transducer was installed on the bow of my kayak using the YakAttack Transducer Ram Mount combined with a DIY Bracket that I had fabricated. The Y-cable and a sonar transducer for the 999 were purchased as they do not come standard with the unit. The sonar transducer was installed in the Hobie Lowrance wet box using the Humminbird bracket (Hobie accessory). This will give me the option to not use the Side Imaging Transducer if I am going in shallow water in tight areas that would possibly interfere with transducer. I can still get temperature and sonar readings from the traditional sonar transducer.

The Side Imaging is a great tool for the type of water I fish on Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. Finding rocky areas or structure is much easier when you can spread out your search to almost a 500' path. Vegetation and grass will not always be in the same spots form year to year and looking for new holding areas on the lake are key to finding fish.

With the unit being next to me installed between the side boards and my seat on the Hobie PA14 make it easy to adjust and fine tune the unit for what you are looking for. This is also the best way to learn how to use and utilize all the features of your Combo Fishfinder.

Of course spending over $1,000 for a GPS/Combo unit is not for everyone. Considering some of the guys I fish with have multiple rod and reel combos worth over $500, I choose to put the extra money in my electronics mainly because of the type of water I fish. Having the large, bright, HD screen makes it easy to plot waypoints as I am fishing a hot spot and it helped me in a recent tournament to fish an area and set up a drift that kept me on fish for most of the day.

When fishing an area that you aren't familiar with, having a GPS/Combo unit with good sonar, Down Imaging and Side Imaging will help you find structure, and fish holding areas that charts and maps sometimes will not.

The Hummibird 999ci HD SI is a good unit with a 8" display that will make it easier for most Kayak Anglers find fish if you spend the time to learn how to use it's features.