A Fish Finder? Don’t Fish Without It!
I was seriously fascinated by the first fish finder I saw when I was a kid. I remember seeing a fish on the scope and it showed how deep it was, i was amazed. The fish locater is an efficient fishing buddy to help you find a good location when fishing. Good electronics can make the difference between a great day of fishing and a good day of fishing. As good as they are you can’t rely on electronics to catch the fish for you. You still need to know how to catch fish. Experienced fishermen can use fish finders to identify particular species of fishes.
Types of Fish Finders
A fish finder is a subset of a group of instruments called SONAR. The portable fish locator detects the presence of fish and their depth. Early fish finders simply flashed to indicate the presence of fish. As a fish moves through the sonar beam of a fish finder,a mark specific to that fish species appears on the chart display. Most new fish locators can pick up a small jig 40 feet down. Most good brands give you the depth,boat speed and temperature of the water. In addition to the conventional downward looking echo sounders and fish locators some sonar systems can look sideways or forward of your boat. Look for “eyepiece” computer projection type fish locators to make their way in to the high end of the market soon.
Buying A Fish Finder
The easiest part of getting a fish finder is buying it. Picking the right one can be tough. Today you can choose from a number of models and price ranges, your sure to find a unit to suit your needs. If you are buying your first one, choose a simpler unit with features you understand and know you’ll use. Here are some things to look at when buying a fish finder. The frequency of fish locators is expressed in kHZ you will have a wide range of choices available to you.
Lowrance Hook Reveal 5 Fish Finder – 5 Inch Screen with Transducer and C-MAP Preloaded Map Options
FISHREVEAL: Fish are easier to find and easier to identify. FishReveal combines the target separation of Lowrance CHIRP sonar and the high-resolution images of structure from DownScan Imaging to makes fish light up on your display.
GPS PLOTTER: Navigating to your favorite fishing spot is simple with the GPS Plotter, which makes route, trail and waypoint navigation easy. HOOK Reveal “x” models do not include a map or support add-on mapping.
Most people can get away with a mid to high range frequency fish locater. The display screen may be the most important factor in determining your satisfaction level with the fish finder you choose. When it comes to fish finder displays being able to read the fish finder in direct sunlight is half the battle. Color is better in the sun. Most of the GPS, fish finder and marine radio equipment sold today are LCD monochrome. A color fish finder will not show you underwater colors. Some units come with displays with Grayscale technology that enhances the picture quality even further. They are available in many styles. They come in black and white models as well as color. Do your research online and find the best electronics to suit your needs and budget.
Installing a Fish Finder
You can save money by installing the equipment yourself. Most units come with easy step by step instructions that are easy to understand. The electrical installation of a fish locater is usually straight-forward also, provided you have the tools. It’s important to remember that if the wire between the screen and the battery gets damaged, the fuse will blow. The wires need to be routed and secured under the gunwale up to the screen mounting location. The fuse is protecting the fish unit and its wiring. The fuse for the fish finder needs to go as close as possible to the battery. With a little patience it is a do it your self job that you can tackle.
Go out and get a fish finder and start catching more fish.
