Humminbird® Introduces New SOLIX™ Series with Cross Touch and the Industry’s Biggest Screen Size! The revolutionary Humminbird SOLIX Series combines 12″ and 15″ displays with Cross Touch® Interface alongside groundbreaking innovations like MEGA Imaging™, CHIRP Digital Sonar, AUTOCHART® Live with vegetation and bottom hardness mapping, Bluetooth® connectivity and i-Pilot® Link™ navigation.
Offering the biggest display in the market – up to 15 inches – the SOLIX boasts technologies designed to make locating and catching fish easier. A truly innovative product, SOLIX delivers game-changing sonar, imaging and mapping capabilities in the largest fishfinder anglers have ever seen. In true Humminbird fashion, these technologies are packaged in an easy-to-use interface and system that can make any angler better.
Unprecedented screen innovation SOLIX is setting the bar for the angling sonar category in display size with two variations – a 12- and 15-inch screen model. Both come standard with Humminbird’s Cross Touch® Interface, letting anglers operate the unit via touchscreen or keypad, all while customizing the screen with up to four independent viewing panes. Cross Touch allows anglers to use the SOLIX either as a touchscreen or with the keypad for easier control in rough water conditions. Individual panes can be zoomed or moved to different screen locations based on angler preference or fishing situation. According to professional bass angler Gerald Swindle, SOLIX gives him a serious advantage over his competition and the fish he’s after. “The size is amazing and allows me to see crucial screen information from anywhere in the boat. Plus, I can set up my panes to simultaneously show me MEGA Side Imaging, MEGA Down Imaging and how I’m oriented to key structure. I get all of that in a glance, so I know that every cast is a productive one,” said Swindle. Never-before-seen image clarity SOLIX units come in two versions. One is equipped with GPS and CHIRP Digital Sonar, the other adds Humminbird’s game-changing MEGA Imaging. This is the first Down and Side Imaging technology to enter the megahertz range with performance that’s nearly three times greater than traditional 455 kHz frequencies. It results in the clearest, sharpest imaging returns ever. Anglers can choose MEGA Side Imaging for an incredible view to the left and right of their boat, while MEGA Down Imaging gives crystal clear pictures of what is beneath the boat. Both carry a range that covers the most popular fishing depths. When asked to explain MEGA Imaging, Humminbird’s brand manager Ray Schaffart said, “The screen detail is so defined that that in some cases you can literally see each individual fish and make out their head or tail in the sonar shadow. Natural bottom structures like rocks and stumps almost look like photographs, while man-made structures like shipwrecks, road grades or sunken bridges, offer up imagery down to the individual beam. After people see it, they just can’t believe it.” All SOLIX models include CHIRP Digital Sonar, firing more pulses than traditional transducers over a given period of time. More pulses mean more information, improved target separation and superior image clarity at greater depths. The next generation in mapping Also standard on all SOLIX models is Humminbird’s expanded AUTOCHART® Live technology that creates and saves structure maps on any body of water.  AUTOCHART Live identifies and maps depth, bottom hardness and vegetation. Anglers know that fish relate to depth, weed lines and transition points in bottom type – for example where a soft, muddy bottom transitions to firm sand or rock. By collecting all that data on an AUTOCHART Live map, Humminbird helps anglers keep their boat in the strike zone on productive structure. Fishing takes another huge step forward when AUTOCHART Live is used in conjunction with i-Pilot® Link™ from Minn Kota®. With both technologies cooperating, an angler can tell his Minn Kota trolling motor to “follow” a specific AUTCHART Live contour at a set speed, and with the press of a button the boat will precisely follow the exact path. Now, anglers no longer need to guess where fish-holding structure is located. They can precisely follow the weedline, bottom hardness or depth contour, and stay within easy casting distance of their target. Unsurpassed connectivity Bluetooth is built into every unit, allowing anglers to sync smartphones to the on-board SOLIX. Text messages, missed calls, signal strength and other notifications appear right on the Humminbird display, so phones can stay safely in pockets where they belong for hands-free fishing. It creates a flawless on-board network of electronics and connectivity. For plug-and-fish networking, high-speed ethernet provides easy connectivity to Humminbird 360 Imaging, Minn Kota i-Pilot Link, Humminbird CHIRP Radar, and additional SOLIX or select HELIX units. The new units are fully compatible with Humminbird LakeMaster® charts, SmartStrike™ and Navionics® Gold/HotMaps™. Versatile mounting options SOLIX owners can mount their large Cross Touch screens inside the boat dash, on the included gimbal or directly to an optional RAM Mount for multi-directional viewing. Mark Gibson, Humminbird director of R&D, summarized the new Humminbird SOLIX technology by saying “SOLIX is the combination of decades of dedicated development in everything from the transducer to the touchscreen. It’s the best of the best and the most advanced fish locator ever created.”
Please be sure to go to www.humminbird.com to view the new SOLIX web pages.Thank you for your continued support of Humminbird and we hope to be there with you on-the-water in 2017, helping you land that record fish.

Profiles in Brightness: Humminbird^® HELIX™ 9 & 10

 

 

Racine, WI (July 8, 2016): Although strategic planning, R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and sales are all responsible for the HELIX success story, Humminbird^® brand manager Jeff Kolodzinski also credits end-users for leading the company down the right path.

 

“The ease of operation and a brighter, easier-to-read screen are the hallmark of the HELIX platform. It’s funny how some things remain. This was the very same feedback that we got decades ago when Humminbird launched the first color fishfinder and it remains true today. ‘Keep it simple and make it easy to read.’” 

 

 

 

 

Based on this feedback, Humminbird launched HELIX 5 in November 2014, adding HELIX 7 a few months later in 2015. The latter culminated in Humminbird’s fifth consecutive “Best of Show – Electronics” win at ICAST 2015. Voters championed the HELIX 7 for its ultra-bright screen, pro-level features, and real-world pricing. And dealers reported strong sales from day one, many selling units as fast as they could stock shelves.

 

“I’ve been selling marine electronics for 24 years, and the Humminbird HELIX is by far the most colorful, brightest and easiest to read unit I’ve ever seen. I can teach someone in the store how to use one in a matter of minutes. And they continue to outsell other fishfinders by a considerable margin. There’s big angler demand,” says Wausau, Wisconsin, Gander Mountain store manager, Tom Keenan. “I know when I rig a HELIX on someone’s boat, they’ll be able to read the unit and see structure and fish.”

 

 

Outdoors retail expert Tom Keenan is also a winning walleye pro who relies on HELIX 10 units to climb leaderboards.

 

 

Following the launch of HELIX 7, many anglers saw the handwriting on the wall for even larger HELIX units.

 

“Anglers absolutely loved HELIX 5 and 7, but immediately starting asking for the same display brightness, ease of use and features in larger screen sizes,” says Kolodzinski.

 

Anglers also asked for the ability to network multiple units and utilize technologies like Minn Kota® i-Pilot^® Link™ and Humminbird 360 Imaging™, which operate via ethernet connection. “Based on the importance of sharing waypoints and data between console and bow units, the decision to add an ethernet port to HELIX 9 and 10 models was a no-brainer. This also gave HELIX users the ability to tap the power of Minn Kota i-Pilot Link and 360 Imaging,” says Kolodzinski.

 

To those in retail, listening to customers seems like common sense. But in the world of marine electronics, customer-driven product design is still a fairly recent development. Not at Humminbird, who have embraced end-user feedback for decades.

 

“Years ago, then-Humminbird CEO Jim Balkcom discovered that fishermen didn’t necessarily want more bells and whistles; they wanted easier-to-use units that could be read in bright sunlight. This ran contrary to their expectations, but they decided to trust the end-user. That led to Humminbird’s development of the LCR Series, the first LCD fish-finder, which accounted for the company more than quadrupling its revenue within three years,” says Kolodzinski.

 

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Fast-forward 30 years and today’s anglers are requesting almost the exact same attributes in an ideal fish-finder. And it’s called HELIX, a name and product that signifies Humminbird’s very DNA – bright, rugged, reliable, and easy to use.

 

But Humminbird didn’t stop there. New HELIX 9 and 10 units also offer anglers the revolutionary power of cartography products like AutoChart Live and SmartStrike™ – but more on that later. 

 

 

2015 B.A.S.S. AOY Aaron Martens relies on a HELIX 10 (left) to keep him on fish-holding spots via LakeMaster charts.

 

 

And HELIX units just look cool, with that rare industrial design “wow” factor of a Dyson vacuum cleaner or iPad. Bold aesthetics start with HELIX 9 and 10’s integrated screen and frame that forms a single, continuous surface, surrounded by an ultra-slim bezel that also maximizes screen real estate. Almost flush to the edge, the 16:9 widescreen format allows easy split-screen viewing of Humminbird imaging technologies and LakeMaster cartography. Structure, contours and fish marks almost pop off the glass-bonded display with 1500 Nits brightness for optimal, glare-free viewing, even in full sun. That’s 50% brighter than legacy units like Humminbird 900 and 1100 series fishfinders.

 

 

 

“Although packed with awesome, easy-to-use features, HELIX 9 and 10 units also have serious curb appeal,” says Grant Prokop, owner of Thousand Lakes Sporting Goods in Cohasset, Minnesota. “The units look great on retail floor displays—even better on boats.”

 

But the rubber hits the road when customers leave the retail space and hit the water. Excelsior, Minnesota’s Kenny Tietz is an avid angler who is extremely satisfied with his recent investment. Tietz is now mapping the lake he lives on via AutoChart Live on his Humminbird HELIX 10, another awesome feature. “It’s just plain easy to use, see, and find fish,” says Tietz.

Ease of use

 

This level of intuitive control starts with the HELIX 9 and 10’s user-friendly operating system called REFLEX Interface, X-Press Menu System keypad control, and three programmable shortcut buttons to quickly recall your favorite screen views. REFLEX recalls much of the same navigation as previous Humminbird units, making learning HELIX a simple transition for former Humminbird users.

 

Another cool feature of both HELIX 9 and 10 is a completely redesigned cable management system that allows anglers to connect all cables (including networking Ethernet) in one fell swoop, and secure them with an easy-to-use clamp mechanism. This quick-release cable system also makes removing your HELIX 9 or 10 at the end of the day for safe-keeping a breeze.

 

 

Entrance into the world of user-generated mapping starts at $699.99 retail with the HELIX 9 SONAR GPS.

 

 

 

DIY mapping

 

Besides screen brightness, a new REFLEX user interface and more, the most significant selling feature of HELIX 9 and 10 is AutoChart Live, which allows anglers to build their own maps in real-time right on the screen, no PC, server or Cloud required. This puts unrivalled power in angler hands to navigate, study and fish both uncharted waters and dial in “spot on the spot” locations on waters that have been mapped.

 

Manitoba-based “Uncut Angling” TV host Aaron Wiebe is bullish on AutoChart Live. “In my opinion, AutoChart Live is every bit as important as Side Imaging™. What it can teach you about waters and fish location is unreal. And it’s immediately usable by beginners. Turn it on and go. Put it this way, I went from almost no digital maps at all to detailed charts I made myself that show every hump, every drop-off in the lake.  Before this there was nothing, now I have everything. It was a zero to hero moment.”

 

AutoChart Live is becoming a staple with anglers of all stripes — from anglers in remote locations, those fishing lakes that simply haven’t been surveyed, and tournament anglers who require the utmost in chart detail for a competitive edge. Users praise the immediacy of it, how maps literally appear right in front of your eyes, no PC conversion or uploads required. And because the data is processed right on the HELIX, data is kept private, ensuring your hard-earned information doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. Share if you’d like with a friend, but it’s your choice. Plus, once your map is created, you can use LakeMaster’s three patented features of Depth Highlight, Shallow Water Highlight and Water Level Offset, as well follow or offset a contour via Minn Kota iPilot Link-enabled trolling motors.

 

And that’s only part of the cartography power HELIX 9 and 10 units offer. Dual SD card slots also allow anglers to utilize Humminbird LakeMaster PLUS map cards, which not only provide 1-foot HD contours for many lakes and use of LakeMaster’s three patented features, but also three layers of satellite aerial image overlay. Dual card slots also make saving screenshots, sonar recordings and nearly limitless waypoints, tracks and routes a breeze.

 

 

 

 

Then, just when anglers thought new HELIX 9, 10 and 12 CHIRP units couldn’t get any better, Humminbird issued some big news at this year’s Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A free HELIX 9 and 10 software upgrade now allows compatibility with Humminbird’s SD card-based predictive fish patterning software called SmartStrike, once limited Humminbird ONIX units.

 

“When I first heard about SmartStrike I had no idea how it could possibly work, but then I started using it and my mind was blown. We all know the importance of pattern fishing—at it’s most basic—location plus presentation. As far as determining location, this thing works and simplifies pre-fishing, especially on larger waters. When you establish a hot fishing pattern – say pitching Jigging Raps or plastics along a specific contour – SmartStrike shows you everywhere on the lake that has the same depth, structure, and other attributes, so you can take that pattern across the lake and catch more fish,” says Al Lindner.

 

 

 

 

The customer wins

 

Fact is, from the introduction of HELIX 5 in 2014, Humminbird has built a fish-finder family that levels the playing field. In an industry that has priced many anglers out of cutting-edge fishing electronics, the customer wins with HELIX. In a world where the price of an average fishing boat is well into five figures, $699.99 to $1499.99 is not an unreasonable amount to spend for a nine- or 10-inch ultra-bright screen with a host of fish-finding tools, including SwitchFire SONAR, Side Imaging, Down Imaging, AutoChart Live, and compatibility with other leading-edge technologies.

Now consider that pro anglers on BASS, FLW, and NWT circuits like Aaron Martens, Bobby Lane, Jr., and Kevin Van Dam are using the exact same units as they compete at the very top of the fishing game. Yes, HELIX 9 and 10 units are that good. The bottom line? Anglers now have access to pro-level features at a realistic price. And you can take that to the bank, pun intended.

 

 

 

 

2016 Mississippi Bass Federation State Championship
April 1 & 2, 2016
Biloxi Back Bay – Pascagoula River D’Iberville MS
Sponsored by The City of D’Iberville

Host Hotel – Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort – 9380 Central Ave, D’Iberville MS 39540
Reservations – call Rita Blenman Green at 1-228-392-1889 ext 1136 or 1137. Must be confirmed by March 22, 2016. Room rates for March 29, 30 & 31, 2016 $69.00 + 12% tax. April 1, 2016 $179.00 + 12% tax. www.ScarletPearlCasino.com.

Rosters – Mailed to Terry Arnsdorff 295 Co Rd 4701 Meridian MS 39301 or Edwin Gregory 60063 Seminole Rd Smithville MS 38870 must be received by March 12th 2016. We will have a meeting on March 6, 2016 in D’Iberville MS, 11:00 am for those whose want to turn in their paperwork – meeting not mandatory. Include roster, insurance sheet, motel listing, ads & money in packages. You may still send as many fisherman as you can. Must be in pairs of two.

$120.00 per boater. $70.00 per co angler. $100.00 in ad book sales per club.

PAYOUT – WE WILL BE PAYING 1ST THRU 6TH PLACES BOATER AND 1ST THRU 6TH PLACES CO-ANGLER. 7TH THRU 12TH PLACES BOATER AND CO-ANGLER DEPENDING ON PARTICIPATION.

Team Competition – You split your own rosters in teams of up to six. One team per form. No limit on teams per club. 1st , 2nd, 3rd, place teams awarded with money and plaques.

2016 MS STATE TEAM (top six boaters and top six co-anglers plus clubs can send 2 from their club if their club participates in the state tournament) FROM THE MS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT D’IBERVILLE MS WILL REPRESENT MS AT THE DIST 4 NATIONAL SEMI FINALS ON LAKE NEELY HENRY IN GADSDEN AL ON OCTOBER 15-16, 2016.

Cut off begins at midnight March 20, 2016 until midnight March 29, 2016.
Biloxi Back Bay – Pascagoula River

Ranger Cup – This is a Ranger Cup Event – All Ranger Boat owners get signed up today at www.rangercup.com.

Question please contact your club president or
Edwin Gregory                              Buddy French
President                                      Tournament Director
662-315-4401                               601-954-1693
Terry Arnsdorff                              Angie Gregory
Secretary                                      662-315-3251
601-479-0779