Besides Marcum,any LCDs out there with Dual Beam with 8 or 9 Deg Transducers?

[350 Mag]

I would like something like a Lowrance Elite 5 or Hummingbird 597 but the cone angles are too wide.  I fish deeper water with drop offs and want to see those bottom hugging fish better.  20 deg. just don't cut it.

What are the options out there?

Anyone fish with either the Elite 5 or 597 and if so do you fish deepwater or dropoffs, and what is the dead-zone like?

[roverman]

Yeah I noticed that right away when I started looking at them at the beginning of this year that the Humminbird 597Hd Ice unit only come's with the 20 degree / 60 degree transducer. It seems odd they wouldn't have made it with like an 8 or 9 degree and 20 degree transducer to be geared more towards ice fishing. The 20/60 transducer is the same size transducer they use for there summer boat units??

I still cannot find much if any info on the Humminbird 597Hd Ice unit after a season of use? I have searched this forum and others and there is still very little info out there on peoples reviews and experiences using these 597hd Ice units. Either not very many people bought these units yet or no one that has one posts up on here or anywhere else with there experience with these.

If anyone that owns a Humminbird 597Hd Ice unit reads this and wants to post up there personal experience/ review on one that would be great! Thanks.   

[icecube]

I bought a 597ci Combo. It is pretty much same thing as 597HD ice unit. I have used mine on the ice and I love it. GPS on it with Navionics is great in my area. Great for points and humps and such. I usually don't fish deeper than 30 feet on the ice though. But I know exactly what is going on down there. No delay or any thing. You can zoom in also in deeper water. I fish in 60 ft. of water in summer and no difference.  I have 2 Vexilars also and have no problem going to the Humminbird 597 especially because of the GPS. I like it and am very happy with it.