[Nawanda]

Give me some ideas please. Has a fishfinder made a significant difference for you? Is it worth it? Are there times when it doesn't help you at all?

Does even the least expensive model give all the info I need? Depth of fish? Water Temp? What else? Will a fishfinder work in shallow water....say.....5' deep? Does it have certain limitations?

I don't know anything about this stuff.

 

[idratherbfishing]

A fish finder is a valuable tool. It helps in so many ways.

1. It shows depth, giving you an idea of bottom contour.

2. It shows fish. All fish finders are subject to false reading and may indicate fish where there are not any and not indicate fish where there are fish. Various things in the water can lead to false readings. Or even a dirty transducer.

3. Cone width is important. A narrow cone tends to be more precise, while a wider cone can be a little more deceiving. Fish that are on the outside edge of the cone and further away tend to show larger than they are.

4. Most fish finders have temperature, valuable because certain fish occupy different water temps and different times of the year.

5. Speedometer. Not all have speedometers. It is valuable for measuring your trolling speed. Helps being very precise.

6. Shallow water use. The work but the situation is at the bottom of your sonar cone you might only be showing a foot or less. The area shown on your screen is dependent on depth.

I use a Piranha Max 20. Bought it a year ago, I use a gps to measure speed. It has temp, depth, various settings for sensitivity, contrast, alarms etc. It is inexpensive and works well for me. However, if you want the best there are others that show everything under the sun. Like Ken's with an integrated gps.

I would not recommend buying the cheapest model available, in this case you get what you pay for.

So in essence. I recommend having a fish finder. Just decide what features you want and need and find the best on in your budget.

Hope this helps.

Dan

 

[kirbydog]

Fish finders are like trolling motors-buy the best one you can afford. Never heard anybody say their tolling motor has too much power or their fishfinder gives them too much detail. Ed

 

[Jimmy]

I am sorry Nawanda but it is time that some one told you the truth about fish finders. NO DO NOT GET ONE. I have had them ever since they came out. I find then useless, an pain to listen to and liars. Not only does it show you where the fish are at, it beeps and laughs at you when you still can;t catch any. I personal do not use these tools of deception, this way I can always say there were no fish in the lake and use that excuse when I return home with no fish. As to telling you what the bottom of the lake looks like , by dragging your anchor you can tell the same. Plus when you fall overboard you can tell the water temp by how long it takes you to turn blue.

 

[Nawanda]

Well Jimmy, you are probably right, but the way I look at it, the more "fancy gear" you have, the more people will look at you and think: "That guy is a real fisherman!"

I've learned a lot since yesterday. I've found Lowrance, Hummingbird & Eagle finders on the net, and I've checked out and been taught by the people @ Sportsman's Warehouse. I've even found a website that will finance the dang thing if I want to do it that way. Dell Computer finances for 16% so I'm guessing they'll do about the same at this boater supply house. I can get a color one for about $400. That's do-able.

 

[Nawanda]

QUESTION:

What kind of battery drain can be expected from a 1500 Watt Fishfinder? For example, I already use 2 marine deep cycle batteries. Do I need a third? Should I use a little $20.00 "universal battery" just for the fishfinder?



QUESTION:

Is viewing a monochrome display difficult in bright sunlight? Is the problem....negligible? Like, can you put a little "umbrella" over the display?

 

[Guest]

Battery drain is negligible. Most of today's quality units are readable in sunlight, you may just need to tilt the screen a little.

 

[don broeren]

Sonar is the most valuable tool you can have in the boat. A quality unit will show you depth, structure, thermoclines, and fish. How else are you going to know what's under you? Here is a link to a Lowrance tutorial that should help you realize the potential of sonar.
http://www.lowrance.com/Tutorials/Sonar/sonar_tutorial_01.asp
If any of you are looking to get a new fishfinder stop in and see me or Scott Cover at Gander Mountain in Aurora.   

 

[epic]

Don what do you think is the best sonar/fish finder out there?  I saw a commercial for a hummingbird that was awesome andlooked at their website and it was even more awesome then the commercial.  But this was just one brand I looked at and I was scared and didnt check prices but here is what I mean:

 

[Pete]

If your interest is to simply head out, wet a line an enjoy catching the occassional fish for fun, then you probably won't need a sonar unit. But, if you want to advance your skills, and are passionate about fishing, then fish finder is a must.

All you have to do is ask yourself this, "Do you want to continue to fish in 95 % of the lake where the fish aint, or do you want to locate that 5% of the water where the fish are?"

The purchase and mastery of a good fishfinder will change the way you view fishing forever... you will never want to fish out of a boat without one.

Pete

 

[slayerfish]

Its kinda funny, Ive been hittin the wallys pretty good a t chatfield and havent seen but 1 or 2 on the sonar. Prolly cause at 7-10 ft deep you only see a small circle on the bottom,maybe 2 ft. or so. But I stare at the screen all the time,because the depth seems to be critical for these wallys.

 

[NeWcS]

I use one and have to say it can be a good tool. I'd have to say I use it more to find the depth than anything else. Like someone else said, there are times you'll catch fish and there is nothing on the fishfinder. I have an older BottomLine 310 and when it is really bright out I cant see jack-crap on the screen. Id love to get a new one but cant really afford a new color one.


-Jay