Lowrance Elite Chirp Fishfinders - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Murray · 12-15-2015, 07:34 PM

Would like to hear how many of you are using this fish finder and how you have configured it. Seems like taking advantage of the chirp technology is the way to go. With that said, my 50/200 transducer offers high chirp, low chirp, high/low, and non chirp options. If anyone has on the water experience in comparing these various options, it would be great to hear your results. If there are enough users out there, we could probably save ourselves a lot of time by sharing info within this thread.

Raskal311 · 12-16-2015, 06:17 AM

Interested in this info as well, my elite 7 chrip with 50/200 455/800 ducer should arrive any day.

Murray · 12-16-2015, 06:58 AM

cool. I have been doing my homework so let me know if you have any questions. My first hint is how to take it out of demo mode. Make sure you have the Yes box highlighted in Blue. I struggle with colors (somewhat color blind) so had to call tech support to discover I was actually pressing the No key. I also ended up having to update the firmware to ver 4 since I locked up the system. Lowrance tech support is very good and walked me thru the procedure and answered all of my questions so far. I will be using the Simulator mode today to experiment with the various settings. It simulates a real time environment allowing you to see what your changes do to the display. I got the elite chirp 5 so your 7 should probably make the fish jump into your lap. Ha!

spicolly · 12-16-2015, 07:09 AM

I bought the Elite-4X CHIRP with the 83/200 455/800 kHz transducer last year...before it came with GPS. Big miss by me as it was my first FF and I didn't realize how useful/valuable GPS was until I started fishing with people who have them.

Regarding the unit, I recently ran into intermittent power issues. Once it powers on, it hasn't lost power. I have played with it all week in my garage and have not been able to recreate the issue...it has powered on just fine without making any changes. However, a few times in the last month I've got out on the water and it wouldn't power up until an hour into my trip on the water. Very frustrating. Here's the post describing the issue with some possible help from the community: http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=27785

From a functional unit, I like it a lot. I switch back and forth between a single and double panel view, depending on what I'm doing (ie., looking for bait, structure, unidentified stuff, etc). I like the downscan capabilities, and have actually seen my line go down and hang out with fish...which is kinda cool.

My opinion, if you want to stay on the lower pricing end, it's a good unit, esp since Lowrance has added GPS on the Elite-5.

Raskal311 · 12-16-2015, 08:58 AM

Have you guys felt the 83/200 455/800 transducer is sufficient in 200 foot of water?

spicolly · 12-16-2015, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raskal311

Have you guys felt the 83/200 455/800 transducer is sufficient in 200 foot of water?

I haven't gone off shore...mainly stayed inshore @LJ., NW corner, etc...maybe got to 140' - 160' over the summer and it worked fine for locating structure on the bottom. Recently fished inshore at Carlsbad off the power plant and didn't go deep at all. Also fished outside the harbor in O'Side...never got to 200'. So, for the fishing I have done, the 83/200 has been fine for helping me to find bait balls, structure, fish arches, etc. I haven't used a 50/200, so I unfortunately cannot compare it. I do clearly see lots of fish in the shallow MLPA when launching at LJ, which really hurts.

hiramehunter · 12-16-2015, 11:52 AM

is Chirp a good option for over 300'?
I usually fish from 200 - 340' range. Would chirp be a good option for that too?

Chuck D · 12-16-2015, 12:20 PM

50/200 is way better then the 83 for deepwater. Have had both and the 83 hardly works in deep water. It is made for better resolution in shallow water applications.

acorad · 12-16-2015, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck D

50/200 is way better then the 83 for deepwater. Have had both and the 83 hardly works in deep water. It is made for better resolution in shallow water applications.

Great info in this thread!

Chuck, how deep is "deepwater" you are talking about?

200? 400? 1000?

Andy

Chuck D · 12-16-2015, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acorad

Great info in this thread!

Chuck, how deep is "deepwater" you are talking about?

200? 400? 1000?

Andy

I would say deepwater for me is over 150ft. Anything this deep and more that 83 is almost worthless.

YakDout · 12-16-2015, 01:23 PM

Ive had both 83 and 50. 83 had problems around 150. New hds unit with 50khz is what im running now. Ran over deep spots in la jolla canyon and got readings over 1000 feet. Youre going to lose detail at that depth now matter WHAT you have. But my 83 wouldnt even see the bottom in that kinda stuff.

acorad · 12-16-2015, 01:29 PM

Thanks Chris & yakdout.

momo fish · 12-16-2015, 01:35 PM

The man has spoken.. X2..

I ran both types in the water and anything in the mid to high 100's the 83 doesn't show you much bottom structure compared to the 50.. High chirp works great but at times I find using just 200 sufficient in shallow water...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck D

50/200 is way better then the 83 for deepwater. Have had both and the 83 hardly works in deep water. It is made for better resolution in shallow water applications.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Raskal311 · 12-16-2015, 06:29 PM

I spoke to lowrance several times before ordering and every rep said over 100 feet the 50 is a must but my buddys 83 seem to read ok at 175 feet. I'll do a side by side compare with his as soon as I can.

Murray · 12-17-2015, 03:12 AM

Believe Down Scan Imaging is good to go for depths under 300 ft. Is anyone using Down Scan Overlay? If so, can you share application and results? I do not fully understand this feature.

JohnMckroidJr · 12-17-2015, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiramehunter

is Chirp a good option for over 300'?
I usually fish from 200 - 340' range. Would chirp be a good option for that too?

That would depend on the frequency of the chirp sonar. Low frequency (50Khz) is better for deep water, and higher frequency (200khz) is better for shallower water. The best high end sonar boxes are all chirp today, it is a newer technology that uses multilple frequencies simultaneously to produce sharper detail than conventional sonar.

Fishin' Magician · 12-17-2015, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murray

Believe Down Scan Imaging is good to go for depths under 300 ft. Is anyone using Down Scan Overlay? If so, can you share application and results? I do not fully understand this feature.

I know that this is for a slightly different unit, but this is a video for a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI and in it they discuss how to use the Down Scan Overlay feature over your sonar. I found it to be pretty useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSH-XE4vVuY

Murray · 12-17-2015, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishin' Magician

I know that this is for a slightly different unit, but this is a video for a Lowrance Elite 4 HDI and in it they discuss how to use the Down Scan Overlay feature over your sonar. I found it to be pretty useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSH-XE4vVuY

very helpful video. wondering what colors to choose for us la jolla guys when using the downscan overlay feature. did not notice simulator depth but my simulator is very shallow compared to what we fish in la jolla. thanks again for the input.

Raskal311 · 12-17-2015, 06:23 PM

Ohh crap

Lowrance transducers:

Compatible (Fits Lowrance Ready housing):
000-0106-72 HST-WSBL 83/200 Skimmer Blue Connector
000-10976-001 HDI Skimmer 83/200 + 455/800
000-10260-001 DSI Skimmer 455/800
000-0106-48 HST-WSU Uniplug 83/200 Skimmer

Incompatible (Too large for Lowrance Ready housing):
000-0106-77 HST-DFSBL 50/200 Skimmer
000-11302-001 Airmar TM150
000-11062-001 Airmar P66
000-10977-001 HDI Skimmer 50/200 + 455/800
000-10802-001 StructrureScan HD

surfisher · 12-17-2015, 07:06 PM

I currently use the Elite 7 Chirp on my boat, 50/200 and 455/800. The Downscan will read all the way to 300'. I have marked schools of yellows on it to that deep, but using chirp or 200khz is my preference. Takes a trip or two to dial in (like any fishfinder), and will take a little getting used to reading the downscan, but what I can say is it makes finding bait 100x easier, and you can distinguish game fish way easier. They will show up as a bright dot (thicker dot for bigger fish) instead of your normal boomerang like the high chirp will show. When you meter a bait school, there will be a hundred tiny little dots. Super nice to use!!!

12-15-2015, 07:34 PM	#1
Murray Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Vista Posts: 326	Lowrance Elite Chirp Fishfinders Would like to hear how many of you are using this fish finder and how you have configured it. Seems like taking advantage of the chirp technology is the way to go. With that said, my 50/200 transducer offers high chirp, low chirp, high/low, and non chirp options. If anyone has on the water experience in comparing these various options, it would be great to hear your results. If there are enough users out there, we could probably save ourselves a lot of time by sharing info within this thread.

12-16-2015, 06:17 AM	#2
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	Interested in this info as well, my elite 7 chrip with 50/200 455/800 ducer should arrive any day. __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

12-16-2015, 08:58 AM	#5
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	Have you guys felt the 83/200 455/800 transducer is sufficient in 200 foot of water? __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

12-16-2015, 01:29 PM	#12
acorad Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Agoura Hills Posts: 166	Thanks Chris & yakdout. Last edited by acorad; 12-16-2015 at 02:42 PM.

12-16-2015, 06:29 PM	#14
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	I spoke to lowrance several times before ordering and every rep said over 100 feet the 50 is a must but my buddys 83 seem to read ok at 175 feet. I'll do a side by side compare with his as soon as I can. __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

12-16-2015, 06:58 AM	#3
Murray Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Vista Posts: 326	cool. I have been doing my homework so let me know if you have any questions. My first hint is how to take it out of demo mode. Make sure you have the Yes box highlighted in Blue. I struggle with colors (somewhat color blind) so had to call tech support to discover I was actually pressing the No key. I also ended up having to update the firmware to ver 4 since I locked up the system. Lowrance tech support is very good and walked me thru the procedure and answered all of my questions so far. I will be using the Simulator mode today to experiment with the various settings. It simulates a real time environment allowing you to see what your changes do to the display. I got the elite chirp 5 so your 7 should probably make the fish jump into your lap. Ha!

12-16-2015, 07:09 AM	#4
spicolly ..... Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 135	I bought the Elite-4X CHIRP with the 83/200 455/800 kHz transducer last year...before it came with GPS. Big miss by me as it was my first FF and I didn't realize how useful/valuable GPS was until I started fishing with people who have them. Regarding the unit, I recently ran into intermittent power issues. Once it powers on, it hasn't lost power. I have played with it all week in my garage and have not been able to recreate the issue...it has powered on just fine without making any changes. However, a few times in the last month I've got out on the water and it wouldn't power up until an hour into my trip on the water. Very frustrating. Here's the post describing the issue with some possible help from the community: http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ad.php?t=27785 From a functional unit, I like it a lot. I switch back and forth between a single and double panel view, depending on what I'm doing (ie., looking for bait, structure, unidentified stuff, etc). I like the downscan capabilities, and have actually seen my line go down and hang out with fish...which is kinda cool. My opinion, if you want to stay on the lower pricing end, it's a good unit, esp since Lowrance has added GPS on the Elite-5.

12-16-2015, 11:52 AM	#7
hiramehunter Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Near Palos Verdes Posts: 198	is Chirp a good option for over 300'? I usually fish from 200 - 340' range. Would chirp be a good option for that too?

12-16-2015, 12:20 PM	#8
Chuck D Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Bay Park Posts: 559	50/200 is way better then the 83 for deepwater. Have had both and the 83 hardly works in deep water. It is made for better resolution in shallow water applications.

12-16-2015, 01:23 PM	#11
YakDout Brandon Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: San Diego Posts: 2,345	Ive had both 83 and 50. 83 had problems around 150. New hds unit with 50khz is what im running now. Ran over deep spots in la jolla canyon and got readings over 1000 feet. Youre going to lose detail at that depth now matter WHAT you have. But my 83 wouldnt even see the bottom in that kinda stuff.

12-17-2015, 03:12 AM	#15
Murray Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Vista Posts: 326	Believe Down Scan Imaging is good to go for depths under 300 ft. Is anyone using Down Scan Overlay? If so, can you share application and results? I do not fully understand this feature.

12-17-2015, 06:23 PM	#19
Raskal311 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Santa Ana/Westminster Posts: 1,256	Ohh crap Lowrance transducers: Compatible (Fits Lowrance Ready housing): 000-0106-72 HST-WSBL 83/200 Skimmer Blue Connector 000-10976-001 HDI Skimmer 83/200 + 455/800 000-10260-001 DSI Skimmer 455/800 000-0106-48 HST-WSU Uniplug 83/200 Skimmer Incompatible (Too large for Lowrance Ready housing): 000-0106-77 HST-DFSBL 50/200 Skimmer 000-11302-001 Airmar TM150 000-11062-001 Airmar P66 000-10977-001 HDI Skimmer 50/200 + 455/800 000-10802-001 StructrureScan HD __________________ Kevin Yellow PA12

12-17-2015, 07:06 PM	#20
surfisher Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 388	I currently use the Elite 7 Chirp on my boat, 50/200 and 455/800. The Downscan will read all the way to 300'. I have marked schools of yellows on it to that deep, but using chirp or 200khz is my preference. Takes a trip or two to dial in (like any fishfinder), and will take a little getting used to reading the downscan, but what I can say is it makes finding bait 100x easier, and you can distinguish game fish way easier. They will show up as a bright dot (thicker dot for bigger fish) instead of your normal boomerang like the high chirp will show. When you meter a bait school, there will be a hundred tiny little dots. Super nice to use!!! __________________ Last edited by surfisher; 12-17-2015 at 07:12 PM.