Quote Originally Posted by Hoytman86 View Post
My understanding of the sidescan is that it doesn't work well in the shallow water on the western end of the lake. We had it on the old boat but rarely ever used it. I'd imagine it'd be great for finding perch schools in the deeper water but it's not a necessity by any means.
I've always heard the opposite. Side scan is helpful, but not when you're typically in 25+ foot of water. Shallow water, areas with structure or reefs is where it's helpful. It's hard to see fish marks on side scan in 30 some feet of water IMO. Downscan is a different story though.

Have side scan on my personal boat (got a great deal at the time) but don't use it on Erie.