HumminBird's NEW ICE Machine

[RickOnt]

I have heard rumors HB is coming out with a new unit for the Ice,
Anyone confirm or?

Thanks

[evobassfish]

Yes, humminbird ice 688ci HD, 5" screen. Just another open water unit thats been repackaged for ice fishing. You can find it on Cabelas website

[Yankee Troller]

This is a true statement, and the difference is a faster processor than the 597, and a better resolution screen. Guys I know who have used both prefer the 597 over the 55 for a few reasons. It has GPS, it can be used in multiple modes, and transferred between an ice unit and your boat. I have not used the 597, and plan to be using the 688 this Winter.

Here it is:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/Ice-Fishing/Ice-Fishing-Electronics%7C/pc/104793480/c/104735880/sc/110951280/Humminbirdreg-Ice-688ci-HD-Sonar-Combo/1910699.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fice-fishing-electronics%2F_%2FN-1105957%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_110951280%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104793480%253Bcat104735880&WTz_l=SBC%3BMMcat104793480%3Bcat104735880%3Bcat110951280

[dairyman]

Check the "Reeds" web site------------------way cheaper

[DBV]

Checked Reeds and don't even see the ice model.  So, not sure where it is way cheaper?  Maybe the one that is not the ice model???

Check the "Reeds" web site------------------way cheaper

[Yankee Troller]

I didn't see it either at Reeds. They are a great online store though!

[dairyman]

yep,your right it's not the "ice model"---------that being said I use my 788ci both winter and summer,all I had to do was purchase the ice ducer and made my own carrying case.  Summer and winter useage. Figured I saved some "bucks" going that route instead of having two units,one for summer and one for winter

[CamoHunter]

I've been using my 788ci HD for ice fishing, for two years now.  Absolutely love it on the ice!  Use it all year long on the boat and ice.  I've posted some videos and other information about it in the past.  Check out my previous posts if you want to learn more about it.

[evobassfish]

What's the difference between the 688 and the 788?

[dairyman]

I believe its the way the screens are oriented

[Monticatgeek]

What's the difference between the 688 and the 788?

the big difference is the processer. the 688 is a faster processer. the other big difference is that when used on a boat the 788 can be networked to other units via etheret but the 688 can not as it is a stand alone unit. the 700 and 500 series have been discontinued and replaced with the 600. to get networking now you need to step up to the 7 inch 800 series or higher.

[CamoHunter]

Yep, that's why I liked the 788ci HD graphs.  I have the 788 networked to my 998 and to the I-pilot link in the boat.  In the winter, I just take off the 788 and use it ice fishing.
Almost no difference between the 788, 688, and 597 other than number of card slots, processor, and networking capability.  They basically are the same units, with just a few additional features.  Almost all of the menus and sonar graphs will be the same. 
I went with the 700 series to get it networked on my boat. 
Buy a used unit, and you can get it at a very fair price. Between $300-350.

[matzilla]

688hd ci di was on sale at Scheels this weekend for 349 - would be perfect for ice fishing! I'm getting one next spring to pull double duty on the boat and ice

[Yankee Troller]

It is now live on their website - http://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater/Product-Category/ICE/

[spikes]

Would like to see one up close to check it out. 

[BIGCREW]

I like the model with the gps in it that would be a great additional tool, I have a showdown but I have been thinking about getting something like this to add as a second unit

[Yankee Troller]

I've been using the Navionics on my phone for GPS, but if I wipe the phone or get a new one my waypoints go bye bye. The GPS is a great feature!

[CamoHunter]

It is now live on their website - http://www.humminbird.com/Freshwater/Product-Category/ICE/

It's really not anything new.  Sure, there are a couple improvements in the 688, but many of us have been using the 597 & 788 on the ice for several years now.

[JiggerMan]

This is a true statement, and the difference is a faster processor than the 597, and a better resolution screen

I swear I just read that the resolution was better on the 597ci than the 688.  But I can't remember if it was the DI model or the ED.  I have been reading about this unit and the elite 5 chirp and can't decide which one I want for this year.   

[Curley]

I recently screwed up my HB 597hd ci. Tried upgrading to the 688 with down imaging. The unit couldn't get a good gps lock as complained about in some product reviews. Brought it back to Cabelas for an exchange. No problem. Second unit had vertical bars and shut down after 2 hours on the first trip. Humminbird sent me an overnight shipping label to send it back along with the 597 that was out of Warranty. A week later they were back. The 597 worked fine. The 688 would not retain the settings and did a cold start every time I repowered the unit. They had said they found no issues but did an update. In the end it to went back too. A fellow Yakker had posted that there were issues with  early production units as told to him by a rep who exchanged his unit. Left me with a bad taste. I have 2 Navionics chips for Humminbird along with a portable unit setup, plus in that price range no one has a 5 inch screen with similar fetchers. Hopefully They got there stuff together.
Just so you know the 597 has a wider screen, 640x640 as to 480x640 pixel count. With the charts I am able to pick out contours I want to target as well as waypoints and walk right to them and know I am on my spot. Drill a dozen holes and set my type.If the problems are fixed it is a great option for boat owners who can get more out of one unit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqry-rEKxdE

[Yankee Troller]

I swear I just read that the resolution was better on the 597ci than the 688.  But I can't remember if it was the DI model or the ED.  I have been reading about this unit and the elite 5 chirp and can't decide which one I want for this year.

Here are the links to both. The 688 has a higher resolution than the 597.

688 - http://www.humminbird.com/Products/ICE-688ci-HD-Combo/

597 - http://www.humminbird.com/Products/ICE-597ci-HD-Combo/

[Yankee Troller]

Should have my ICE688 by the end of this week, but another feature I noticed over the 597 are the "favorites" buttons. You get the three quick save buttons for your favorite three views. I use mine all the time on the Humminbirds on my boat.

[ChubbyDarter]

Yankee Troller-How is the 688?

[Yankee Troller]

Yankee Troller-How is the 688?

I've ran it for 2 days. Sun up to sun down, and didn't come close to killing the battery each day. Ice has been hard to find in NY, but I'll finally get more seat time with it the next few weekends. I was a traditional flasher guy, and was used to my ICE55. 2D sonar, or graph mode, was a lot of fun. With the Real Time Sonar (RTS) window on the right (basically a vertical flasher) I could see everything in real time, but i also had my history to the left. Not sure I'll ever go back to a flasher. That being said I ran 1/8oz spoons to tiny tungsten ice jigs, and it picked them all up well. I made a video of it in sonar mode:

Ugx0g

My gain is a little heavy, but you can see the jest of it. After the fish hits you can see it picks up the water turbulence.

The GPS is killer  to have especially with Lakemaster chip in it. We finally have a map chip for my area of the country. Since Humminbird owns Lakemaster the two play REALLY nice with each other. I used it's flasher mode a little, but again I really enjoyed the sonar mode. Like all over Humminbird units ease of operation was simple. Menus are easy to navigate.

If you have any specific questions feel free to ask away, or PM me.

[matzilla]

^that 688 is working great!

[C.A.M.O.]

Anymore updates on this Humminbird ICE 688ci HD Combo?
Pro's or Con's 

Thanks in advance! 

[Yankee Troller]

I've run it in 100' of water for Lake Trout, 10' of water for Gills, and 20-30' of water for Walleye. It performed flawlessly in all those situations. I've really only run it in sonar mode with the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen on the right, which is basically a vertical flasher. I've also only run it in 200khz, which is the 20 degree cone (narrower of the two). I have nothing to compare it to other than Marcums LX9, which my buddy has. That has a couple extra little features, for example, telling you how wide your cone is at certain depths. It has hung evenly with this unit in all circumstances, and we fish together a lot. I wish the screen was a little larger, but lets be honest how big is too big for the ice.

I just put the new Lakemaster chip in it for the Northeast. WOW! Those two together give you great detail on the mapping of lakes.

[MadPerry]

I've run it in 100' of water for Lake Trout, 10' of water for Gills, and 20-30' of water for Walleye. It performed flawlessly in all those situations. I've really only run it in sonar mode with the Real Time Sonar (RTS) screen on the right, which is basically a vertical flasher. I've also only run it in 200khz, which is the 20 degree cone (narrower of the two). I have nothing to compare it to other than Marcums LX9, which my buddy has. That has a couple extra little features, for example, telling you how wide your cone is at certain depths. It has hung evenly with this unit in all circumstances, and we fish together a lot. I wish the screen was a little larger, but lets be honest how big is too big for the ice.

I just put the new Lakemaster chip in it for the Northeast. WOW! Those two together give you great detail on the mapping of lakes.

Some of this is a bit unrelated, but I had a few questions.  Are you using the 688 on that yacht you drive around ontario, or a 2nd smaller boat?  Was wondering how deep you are able to track downrigger balls?  Also, have you used the navionics hotspots premium maps?  And how it compares to lakemaster?  Trying to decide between the 2 for use in a helix.

[Yankee Troller]

Some of this is a bit unrelated, but I had a few questions.  Are you using the 688 on that yacht you drive around ontario, or a 2nd smaller boat?  Was wondering how deep you are able to track downrigger balls?  Also, have you used the navionics hotspots premium maps?  And how it compares to lakemaster?  Trying to decide between the 2 for use in a helix.

LOL

No, we have different units on the charter boat. I'm using the ICE688 strictly for ice fishing. This unit has enough power to mark your cannonballs.

I used the Navioinics Platinum+ card in the unit initially, now that there is a Lakemaster NE chip I've gone to that, and the detail is amazing. If you have a Humminbird the Lakemaster chip is your best option! Recently, Humminbird/Lakemaster just came out with chart select. You can download just the lakes you want - https://chartselect.humminbird.com/

That list will continue to grow.

[C.A.M.O.]

Hey Yankee Troller,
thanks for the information and the heads up on the maps....sweet!
I'm picking up my HB 688CI ICE tomorrow, and needed to get up to speed on this for the weekend.

There really isn't a whole lot of feedback I could find on this model yet.

It's to new I guess!