Fish Finders Guide

I first thought about doing this Humminbird 1197 review shortly after buying it last March. But I really wanted to get to know how to use it and learn the ins and outs of this machine before writing about it. I’ll tell you right up front that I’ve owned and used fish finders since I was a teenager back in the late 70′s and early 80′s. They have sure come a long way since those old Lowrance whirling thingamajigs!

What’s the Difference Between a Humminbird 1197 and a Humminbird 1198?

I was a little put out with Humminbird when I saw they came out with a new model called the Humminbird 1198. I wanted to know what the difference was between it and my less than one year old 1197 model. I mean, I had just dropped 3 grand on a “fish finder” when the company comes out a few months later with a new model. What’s up with that?

As it turns out, I had nothing to fret about. The difference between these two fish finders are minimal. I was told that the Humminbird 1198 has a slightly faster processor in it and a different screen. The people who I’ve talked to that have owned both locators say they can’t tell the difference between the two. (this was 3 people I know, not a crowd!)

Installing the Humminbird 1197

One of the things I did right after ordering my new fish locator from Amazon.Com is to go to Humminbirds website and read all I could about this fish finder. I downloaded the user manual and tried to become familiar with it before it arrived. I knew I’d be wanting to get this bad boy installed on my boat and in the water and I didn’t want to spend that precious time reading a manual. I guess you could call me a little impatient on things like that. Kinda like a kid at Christmas!

When the unit finally arrived, I took it out of its package (which it was packaged very well) and checked for any damage. I then took out the bag of brackets and bolts and familiarized myself with everything. I had determined that I would use the RAM-D-111U-C for the Humminbird 1197 to mount the unit in my boat. So I had that already mounted to the boat and waiting for the bracket from the new 1197.

Once I had that mounted, I then chose the location for the transducer. After mounting that, I chose a location for the GPS receiver. I mounted this as near as I could to my transducer, which ended up being on the corner slightly above and to the side of the transducer. Why do you want the GPS receiver near the transducer? Because when you’re marking structure with your locator, you want your waypoints to be as accurate as you can get them. If you had the GPS receiver on the console, you could be 8 to 12 feet off depending on the length of your boat. That can put you off the fish on some structure.

First Impressions of the Humminbird 1197

From start to finish, the installation took about an hour. I’m not the fastest worker. I tend to fit things several times before drilling a hole or taking something apart. So your installation time could be more or less if you decide to do it yourself.

That afternoon, I headed out to a river about 15 minutes from my home. After I got on the water, I turned the unit on and allowed it acquire all of its information.

I have to tell you, that first screen view of the side imaging feature was a beautiful site. It nearly brought tears to my eyes! (sorry for the water spots on the screen)

I ran back in a cover, down the river, up the river and back into another cove. All the while watching the 1197 and fiddling with the controls. It was a lot more user friendly than I had expected. Probably because I had taken the time to read the user manual before the unit arrived.

As I motored around, I kept playing with all the buttons. I twas truly amazing to see what this unit could do. The images on the screen were sharp and very clear. Since I knew where some old rubble was, I headed out to check it out. I’ve seen this rubble pile on traditional fish locators for years but I was shocked to see it with the down imaging and side imaging feature of the Humminbird 1197.

The drop down menus were a thing of beauty as well. They made operating the unit and changing a range of features very easy while motoring along (by the way, do as I say, not as I do. You shouldn’t adjust the unit while moving, keep your eyes on where you’re going )

To say I felt like I had wisely spend my money smart was an understatement!

That was the Spring. I used the unit quite a bit throughout the Summer, Fall and even Winter (to find big Blue Cats).

The Humminbird 1197 Review – One Year Later

Over the past few months, I’ve learned a lot about this unit. One thing I did so I could use it at home was to buy a Black & Decker VEC026BD Electromate 400 Jump-Starter. Why? Because this is nothing more than a portable 12v battery pack with 12v cigarette sockets. I wired up an extra power cord and added a cigarette plug end to it and then used an extra transducer (standard, not side imaging) and plugged everything in. With this setup, I could sit at my desk and run the 1197. I learned a lot about this machine sitting at my desk fiddling with it!

The more I used this machine, the more fish I found and the more structure I located and learned to read. I was amazed at all the stuff I had been running over in order to get to my “hot spots”. Now I have many more “hot spots” that no one knows about! Another benefit I found with the side imaging is that I could slowly motor by docks and see which ones had brush piles beneath them! I would then mark these and come back and remove some nice fat Slab Crappie from them!

I also used this unit during the Fall and  Winter to locate holding areas where big Blue Catfish loved to hangout. It was responsible for some of the best Blue catfishing I’ve ever had in the Fall & Winter! Not to mention the good Bass action I had over the brushpiles I located back in the Summer. The GPS unit on the 1197 makes it easy to mark brush piles, or anything else for that matter, and come back to them later on.

I do have one complaint and that is the notorious “donut” glitch on the GPS maps. Whenever you get below .5 mph, instead of the boat icon on the GPS screen, you’ll get a circle, indicating that you’re not moving when in actuality you are. From the rumors I’ve heard Humminbird is suppose to be working on this. But for me, it was really a none issue because I rarely go anyplace less than half a mile an hour.

To end this Review of the Humminbird 1197, I’m going to try and run down many of the features of the unit for you.

Features Specifications of the Humminbird 1197

Humminbird 1197 Specifications

• 1500 ft maximum depth. If you’re fishing deeper than this, you’d better have a bigger boat!
• 10.4 inch 4:3 LCD screen. It’s like having a Big Screen TV in your boat! You should see the heads turn when other boats pass. But it makes it easy to see the screen without straining your eyes.
• Temp & Speed Sensors built in. The menu bar at the bottom of the screen is customizable and you can set it to show the items you want such at water temperature, depth, time of day, location via GPS, Speed, Heading and probably a few things I’m forgetting!
• Waterproof design. I’ve been caught in several storms and this unit hasn’t leaked even a little bit
• High definition side imaging and dual beam plus. The amount of detail this unit will show you is downright scary. I can now actually see individual large fish as well as schools of individual Crappie. Even after a year of hard use, it amazes me!
• 50 Channel GPS. If you fish on a large lake, or visit unfamiliar lakes, then you can rely on the built in GPS with the UniMap feature to get you home. My unit came with the Navionics Premium maps as well and I think they’re worth every penny. You can set waypoints, or just follow your route back to the ramp. It really gave me a peace of mind on large lakes and rivers that I’d never been to before. Getting lost on a huge lake sucks and now I don’t worry about it anymore!
• Drop Down Menus. These are nice and big so they’re easy to read for people like me with aging eyes! The control button is very easy to use and you don’t have to be a techie to understand how to operate this unit. Humminbird has went to great lengths to ensure that people like me can operate it!
• Dual SD Card Slot. Something I haven’t mentioned yet is that you can perform screen captures on these units, which are saved to the SD card, and then take them home and review them on your computer! How freakin’ cool is that? I have to tell you, it’s sweet! If you decide you want to upgrade your maps, you can buy premium maps and use the SD card slots to use them.

There are a lot of other features that come with this unit. I’m sure I’m missing many of them.  But the biggest benefit that I’ve had from this unit is the amount of time I actually spend catching now and not ‘guessing’ where the fish are at.

Where’s the Best Place To Buy the Humminbird 1197 or Humminbird 1198?

I bought my from Amazon.com because their prices beat those of any other places I found, including Bass Pro and Cabelas. And I don’t mean by just a few dollars, I mean by a LOT! Amazon was quick to ship the unit. I had it in a few days and was out on the water the same day I received it. Their customer service is second to none. If you’re on the fence about whether to upgrade to a high definition side imaging unit, I can’t tell you enough how much it has helped me find and pattern fish. My freezer hates the extra fish, but I love it. And I can’t recommend the larger screen size enough either. Trust me folks, it’s worth the extra money in every way!