Fish finder~necessity or toy?

[shoestring]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

this is my opinion, if you are an unlucky angler, buy the fishfider and nothing much will change. if you catch fish now buy it and nothing much will change. i had one on my old boat and it was fun to use. i had pretty much memorized the bottom of my lake and was able to navigate back to the dock in thick fog one day by reading and recognizing bottom features. I caught fish with it and without it. I had just as much luck with it as i did on days i forgot it at home. pick any fishing show and after 30 min you will need a 250 hp outboard, a sparkly boat, electric motor, 10 poles with brand x-line, a tackle box with $2000 worth of tackle, make sure you get the red hooks, and have to have the shirt that features fish on it, oh yeah, get the polorized sunglasses, not one but 2 fishfinders, blah blah blah. If you plan on making money by fishing, get all the gear, if it is a past time just enjoy the day. I don't have a fishfinder now and looked at all the new models, I thought about getting one but I catch fish without it and without all of the other bling bling. Just my trusty walmart ugly-stick $29.99 combo and my shoebox sized tacklebox. Trout, large/small mouth, stripers, walleye, crappie, bluegill, catfish.... they don't know I caught 'em on cheap gear until I get 'em in the boat. Fish finders work, but you still can't tell if they have had breakfast yet or not. Don't expect it to be a replacement for skill. my boat has a built in depth and water temp indicator and that is all i need to keep my lead line and needle fish out of the weeds in my mountain lake. being bigbear-socal

 

[shoestring]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

hey look another shoestring!

 

[jtexas]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

if you catch fish now buy it and nothing much will change...

agree

...Fish finders work, but you still can't tell if they have had breakfast yet or not...

agree

if you are an unlucky angler, buy the fishfider and nothing much will change...

Not so sure about this one.

... Don't expect it to be a replacement for skill.

Not a replacement for skill, just a tool that can help you change your luck.

Growing up I fished all over Louisiana in jonboats with a paddle for a trolling motor and a texas-rigged plastic worm for a depthfinder, and with all that standing timber you didn't need sonar to know where the fish were likely to be.

Nowadays, on the reservoirs round here, I'd be lost without the fishfinder.

Here's a couple examples from this week, I had to find these bad boys before I could catch 'em:

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

it's a must have for at-least me. i have a shallow boat ramp. so i need to tell the depth and were stuff it under me so i don't run aground.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

If you can read a chart, you don't need a depthfinder. You already know what the water depth is and its impossible to run aground unless you are boating in the dark. Once you have launched at any particular ramp you already know the terrain, so the next time you're all set. The chart is the necessity, as is the Safety course to know how to use it.

When I fish if I don't see fish on the finder, I don't catch any and I know i need to move. If I see fish I know I can land them.

My first boat cost $1500 brand new and the flasher depth finder cost several hundred. It was my "toy".

My last aluminum utility cost over $7000 with the motor and trailer. The LCD fishfinder with temp cost 89 bucks. At that price its a necessity.

 

[ShoestringID]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

Hey to you too shoestring

 

[ShoestringID]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

I'll insert my 2 cents on this question... I've has a few boats and a fish finder on each going back about 20 years. Fishing where there are no fish will always net you "no fish". If all a fish finder does for you is eliminate unproductive water, then it has at the very least served a useful service. An additional must have for me is a depth alarm. I don't know every inch of every lake I fish, and the alarm has proven its worth and possibly saved the outboard lower unit the times it warned me about water becoming rapidly shallow. Yes I'm a bit of a gadget geek and I like to have a high quality unit that goes well beyond depth and fish, but if the finder you buy can at least give you the 2 things I mention above it is a good thing in my estimation.

 

[robert graham]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

A depth finder/fish finder is sorta like a cell phone, until you get one, life seems pretty O.K. without it, then you get one and never want to be without it. My unit is a Lowrance x50B, cheap(about $120), but if it keeps me from running up on a rock, sandbar, oyster bar, whatever, then it pays for itself right away. Without it I feel a bit blind. Good Luck!

 

[dingbat]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

If you can read a chart, you don't need a depthfinder. You already know what the water depth is and its impossible to run aground unless you are boating in the dark. Once you have launched at any particular ramp you already know the terrain, so the next time you're all set.

You obviously have not done much boating in tidal water. Things can change daily. Charts are for reference only, at best. That bar you just ran aground on was not there last week.

Oregon Inlet NC supports a large commercial and recreational fishing fleet. Things change so fast and so often that they don?t even bother with buoys. They use bleach bottles to mark the route out to the main channel.

 

[sasto]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

If you can read a chart, you don't need a depthfinder.

That's my thought also, JimS. If I am fishing charted waters I study a chart, learn my target fish's habbits, and go for them. I study water temps, wind direction, spawning and feeding habits and document them. If fishing uncharted waters my fishfinder comes in handy in charting them myself. A fishfinder has never caught me a fish yet that I know of. But knowing bottom structure, creeks, points, channels and knowing the fish's feeding habits have.

Offshore fishing is another animal, I need a fishfinder...which is used to locate baitfish.. which in turn usually results in bigger targeted fish will be around feeding.

Good Luck!

 

[smallboatlover]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

ya i have chart for the general idea of were stuff it but, i like to beach the boat and come close to shore if i can't tell the depth i chip a prop cost me $150 every time i brake it already done it once. i rather have the $130 fish finder that came with the boat but very helpfull a lot cheaper then buying new props.

 

[Greg Mrozinski]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

I want JT's fishfinder. Not only does it find fish but also $20s. You could have that baby paid off in no time.

 

[R Socey]

Re: Fish finder~necessity or toy?

It is necessity if your serious about catching fish - it is a toy
if your not. I have never seen a tournament angler or a comercial fisherman do without? You usually get what you pay for.