Tired of aimlessly trolling around your favorite fishing spot looking for pay dirt? A portable fish finder can save you hours of time and make every fishing trip successful. Whether you’re a sport fisherman or you make your living on the waters, a fish finder can help you improve your catch every time. In this article, we’ll tell you how electronic fish finders work and how to make this most of this helpful piece of marine technology.
Portable fish finders are an incredible device that can actually enable you to find fish when used properly. Prior to the invention of this equipment, fishers used a depth finder that only indicated the deepness underneath the boat. There was no precise display revealing the presence of schools of fish. Thus, depth finders weren’t useful to commercial fishermen. Then came the sounders with printed graphs rolls that were extremely accurate if utilized properly. Yet the true breakthrough was the arrival of the LCD (liquid crystal display) sounder that indicated both fish and bottom contours. Nowadays there exists a wide variety of these LCD fish finders.
Selecting the best portable fish finder could be challenging due to the fact that market pricing is highly competitive and products are being updated constantly. High end devices can cost more than the typical dinghy, however basic units can be completely within your means and cost as little as $300 from a discount fish finder store.
The technology has come some distance from the time when electronic fish finders first showed up on the market. Modern finders are thinner, more lightweight and more menu-driven than their predecessors. The units have either black and white or color display screens and the displays are available in many different dimensions. The larger screens are better suited to bigger fishing vessels where they can be stored out of the sun and weather. These are just the thing for commercial fishing vessels.
The key to the effectiveness of a fish finding sonar is its transducer housing. This is essentially the working part that scans the area beneath boat and transmits the information back to the screen where you can see it. By bouncing a sonar signal, you’ll be able to see fish, weeds and underwater structures. How quickly this echo signal process takes depends on the portable fish finder wattage, the transducer and the depth of the water. The higher the wattage, the more powerful and quicker the signal is processed from the transducer.
When looking around a fishing gear store, do not feel that bigger and more expensive equates to a better portable fish finder. Consider the size of your boat and realistically evaluate your needs. Even if you have the space, do you really need an expensive piece of equipment? Unless your livelihood depends on a great catch, you don’t need a top of the line model. Once you’ve made your choice, make sure that it is properly mounted. An improperly mounted fish locator will not perform correctly. Follow the instructions carefully or get some help. With the right model and proper installation, you’ll get such great catches you’ll think that the fish are finding you!
Don’t know your Garmin Fishfinder 140 from your Furuno FCV? Read fishfinder reviews to help you make the right choice.