On this image the biggest boulders are next to smooth bottom.
Side imaging sonar pictures.
To the left and right of your location.
Side imaging sonar uses a razor thin beam that projects deep into the water to both sides of the boat with broad coverage across the bottom.
The return image for this slice is then added to the images taken immediately before and after to build an incredibly detailed view of the lake bottom.
Side imaging finders are better in shallow water and cover a wider range.
Reading the side imaging on your fish finder can be really confusing if you don t know what you re looking at.
Side imaging produces nice images of how boulders really look like and i use it to find key spots that i miss with 2d and down imaging sonar.
This image is a boulder reef.
Your decision has to be founded on certain cases of use.
Whether you are choosing a side imaging fish finder or a down imaging fish finder the occasion is what will determine the one to pick.
Side imaging sonars also referred to as side scan sonars are a set of sonar system that was developed to create an image of large areas on the seafloor effectively.
And even if you do know what you re looking at but you don t fully understand how your device works you might wildly misinterpret where structure or a school of fish actually is.
Although side imaging looks like photos it doesn t depend on light or darkness.
The best part is that natural structure submerged wreckage and even bait fish can be clearly seen when using side imaging.
In the end you just can t pick a sonar type over the other.