Anyone using the CHIRP sonar on their boats. If so, what do you think? Been doing a little research and it looks like a huge improvement over the standard stuff. Other than the price, that is.

I follow the little birds around, does that count?

If you're catching fish, it counts.

I have the CHIRP on my Raymarine unit and I like it but it has its limitations. Like most things, its ultimate usefulness depends upon what your expectations are.

CHIRP provides unmatched resolution of bottom structure but it's best at shallow depths. If you're fishing structure in water less than 60' you will be impressed. Since I fish almost exclusively saltwater, it is less useful for most of my applications. It has helped me find some shallow Puget Sound wrecks for ling cod fishing though.

I thought about it then decided it wasn't gonna move the fish catching needle very much.

I fish in 300 ft or less 99.9% of the time. I need to know two things from my FF

1) How much water the boat is sitting on top of
2) The occasional affirmation that fish are swimming by.

CHIRP offers no incremental benefit to that program.

At times, catching fish is the only thing that counts.

Research I've been doing says it may not be as effective at showing bottom structure but much better at showing fish.

http://www.thehulltruth.com/marine-electronics-forum/623327-chirp-vs-traditional.html

I'm kinda with Doc in that knowing how deep and seeing the occasional fish is most important. That occasional fish is what keeps the confidence up. Out in the salt, if you can separate the bait schools from the salmon it seems that would be key. Are they on top of the school or below. Not sure how much it would help.

Doc, didn't you go with Garmin? If so, what unit and how do you like it compared to what you

Garmin ECHOmap70.

I like it LOTS better since I discovered the "lock screen" function.

If you need it to talk to other devices, get the NMEA compatible GPSmap740 (or higher) instead.