Not having used ANY product from Simrad previously, I was immediately impressed by the clean look and simple layout! You can just tell the NSS evo2 units are quality.
and that’s just from removing the sleek moulded cover to reveal a minimalistic and modern looking head unit! The thing just looks good and got me excited… it’s that simple!
In producing the digital content for Cast Magazine, we do a range of fishing in all types of environments, but a real love for a lot of our guys is chasing saltwater sports species on lures, right up and down the NSW and Qld coastline. So, after plenty of research around electronics for this style of fishing and exploratory adventures, I went with the NSS evo2 9 & 7inch display units (1 on the console and 1 up front on the cast deck), which I linked together via an N2K network, along with the 3D Structure Scan module and the relevant transducers. I like that the 2 units talk to each other when recording waypoints from either unit and are run of the same transducers. It also means when fishing multiple people on the boat, we can all keep our eyes on the prize!
After a simple, DIY installation on our 5.6m Bonito Centre Console, I got out on the water and really started to understand first hand why these units are at the top end of the food chain in fishing electronics. The right decision had definitely been made.
Something that appealed to me the most was the simplistic layout and ease of customisation when setting up the unit. I also really like the way it is operated on a combination of touch and button functions. You can operate the unit entirely via touch screen if you want, but simple and frequent tasks, such as marking waypoints and zooming in and out for map or bottom detail, are easily performed via the one touch side panel buttons and scrolling wheel. I also really like the design used to waterproof the housing for the 2 x micro SD card slots, a constant point for potential corrosion on so many marine electronics. Our boat is built for lure casting and totally open, but this waterproofing system looks the goods.
The options available for customising and optimising the units are super intuitive and broken into logical and simple menus and names, which means you don’t have to break out the manual to understand how it all works, it’s kind of like operating an iPad for the first time, it’s just so easy to navigate your way through it all and set it up exactly how you want it.
The 2D picture with the new 3D transducer is definitely crisper and cleaner which is great. Having only had a little play with it so far, I’m pretty excited to get tuned in using the 3D StructureScan for a totally different perspective on our usual haunts. I’m sure it will give us a new perspective and hopefully uncover some hidden gems over time!
Overall I’m stoked with the choice of Simrad gear we’ve installed and I look forward to many hours exploring the coastline and creating epic memories for me and my mates!