Lowrance X515C df

[vacabill]

Plan on buying lowrance X515C df, would like to know if, anyone has one and what their experience has been. Plan on using in the san francisco delta (catfish, stripers), the bays (sturgeon,striper, halibut) and as far out to the farallon islands (salmon, rock fish). or for that type of use and price range 500.00 is there a better one.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Lowrance X515C df

I think it is a good unit but you should know that the transducer that comes with the Dual Frequency unit is a narrow cone angle. The 200Khz is a 12 degree cone angle and the 50 khz is 35 degrees cone angle. They are good for deep salt water.

Since can not fish Rock fish over 180 feet and all the shallow waters of the delta and bay you may want to also buy a second transducer. The 200 KHZ single frequency will work and is a 20 degree transducer. For the flats of San Pablo bay and Suisun bay and delta the wider transducer I think is a better choice.

I fish all the delta and Suisun, San Pablo, and San Francisco bays. For Salmon and Rock fish we usually fish out of Bodega Bay.
I have two transducer for my single Frequency 192 Khz unit. One is a 8 degree and worked good in salt water out to 450 feet but up in the shallow of the bay is just not wide enough to locate fish quickly. My other transducer is 192 KHZ 20 degree and is the only transducer I have used since the rock fish depth restriction. When it was limited to 120 feet and even now that they raised to 180 feet the 192 khz 20 degree transducer works better.

Farallon Islands can not really legally fish for rock fish at this time however I have not heard of Fish and Game enforceing the issue. Still the current regs say if have a rock fish on board can not transit water over 180 feet and no way to come back from the Farallon Islands without going over 180 feet.

Anyway think about getting the single frequency 200 Khz 20 degree transducer for the shallow delta and bays.

 

[vacabill]

Re: Lowrance X515C df

Thanks for the reply, I will try and find a fishfinder with that transducer. I really don't plan on fishing over 200' anyway. Forgot about the new regulations on rock fish. Maybe I will just go to bodega bay, and hook onto the back of your boat,,problem solved.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Lowrance X515C df

Some of the better stores will trade transducers and may even give you a price break of about $50 for the single frequency. Also the X510 C is the same unit with the 200khz transducer but only has 300 watts of RMS power. The 300 watts may not be enouch power at 200 feet of salt water.

On the Rock fish it is getting better. Three years ago could only fish 120 feet deep and where we go was really bad. What it did was say all the people that fish not have to fish the same area very close to shore. At Bodega the water drops off to bodega cayon 3000 feed deep very fast so ment all the legal rock fishing with in 3 miles of shore. At the same time dropped the number of hooks from any number you wanted down to 2. Fish and game will often meet you at the dock and check all your fish for for legal size and make sure you do not have any of the zero retention fish. It really hurts me to put back a dead fish and just wast it but that is now the law.

 

[vacabill]

Re: Lowrance X515C df

So, BOATLIST, are you saying get the X515C, but, get the single freq. 200khz transducer with 20 degree cone, if possible? I thought this was going to be easy, I've been on here, more than I've been with my wife. I sold my last boat in 92 a 25' skipjack, at that time I had a graph fishfinder, just bought an older boat 85, 25' searay, so I'm getting back into it. With the skipjack I use to go out to pioneer seamount, about 60 miles for tuna, but not going to do it with this boat.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Lowrance X515C df

Yes the X515 C df has 500 watts of RMS power and would work good out to 200 feet. The 200 KHZ transducer gives much better detail and seperation than the 50 Khz transducer. The 200 is good out to at least 200 feet of salt water. The problem is the 200/50 khz dual transducer has a 12 degree cone angle for the 200khz part. So if you in 30 feet of water in San Pablo bay looking for Sturgeon the transducer is only going to cover about a 5 or 6 foot circle directly under the boat. The single Frequency 200 KHZ transducer is 20 degree and will cover about a 10 foot circle under the boat.

I think the X510 C would work for you and it is a single frequency 200 Khz. My only consern is it's only 300 Watts RMS power and you may not be able to see small rock fish at 200 feet. If you are not in a big hurry May want to wait for the winter boat shows and ask specific question like can I see rockfish at 200 feet with the X510 C. Problem is some of the people at the booth will tell you what they think you want to here. The party boat Skippers at the show seem to me to be pretty honest if you ask questions after their show.

What I can tell you is my boat has 375 watts of RMS power and a 192 khz transducer and deeper than 250 feet of water I can not see Rock fish with a 20 degree transducer. I had to go to a 8 degree transducer and it will see rock fish out to 400 feet.

Lowrance and Eagle figure if you buy a dual frequency unit your are going to be fishing deep sast water and the transducer that comes with it is perfect for deep salt water. The problem is when you go up into the shallow of the delta and San Pablo bay and Susisun bay you really need a wider angle transducer. You can buy the other transducer and add it to the transom of the boat if your have room then hook up the best one for the area your fishing, but is more cost and takes more room on the back of the boat.
Hope this makes since to you.