Fish Finder witch one ??? Please help!!!

[doggreen13]

Hi guys..

i need a fish finder/depth finder for my 15ft bow rider 115 outborad ,mostly for the depth finder the lake i frequent has allot of shallow spots i found out the hard way last week when i got stuck in the mud...anyway witch depth finder works good and is easy to install and cost inside a couple hundred...??? and how do you install a transducer ? drill a hole in the bottom of the boat??
or can it be connected to the motor some how ? and how well do they work while your under way ? can you see the depth changing at 30mph ?
thanks for the input..

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Fish Finder witch one ??? Please help!!!

Your close...... I will move this to the electronics. At 30 mph a flasher will keep up better at that speed.

Some transducer's can be mounted inside the boat and shoot through the hull....... some are mounted off the tansom.....

 

[rusirius]

Re: Fish Finder witch one ??? Please help!!!

Really just depends on how much you want to spend and which models have the features/usability you're looking for... It's kinda like "Which bread is best?"

As for use in shallow water... If it's that shallow ANY fishfinder isn't going to be very useful for "finding fish"... What it WILL be useful for is finding underwater structure, drop-offs, etc... Places where you can FIND the fish even though you don't "find" them.. LOL

The most important feature you'll want to look for is the "cone angle" of the transducer... 200Khz definately, and usually the "single frequency" ones have the best angle.. If you get a dual frequency the 200khz cone is usually MUCH smaller... At LEAST a 20 degree 200Khz would be preferable...

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Fish Finder witch one ??? Please help!!!

And remember the finder measures the depth at the back of the boat. Not to good for finding obstructions in front of you

 

[barryll]

Re: Fish Finder witch one ??? Please help!!!

Hi guys..

...anyway witch depth finder works good and is easy to install and cost inside a couple hundred...??? and how do you install a transducer ? drill a hole in the bottom of the boat??
or can it be connected to the motor some how ? and how well do they work while your under way ? can you see the depth changing at 30mph ?
thanks for the input..

I haven't used a fishfinder in that price range that will do what you want. If you want to see depth change while running - 30mph - you'll have to up the ante and have a smooth water flow at the transducer, not easily done, trial and error with each and every boat.

And remember the finder measures the depth at the back of the boat. Not to good for finding obstructions in front of you

Take heed to what Fl Richard says, your best bet is to cruise slow til you know the lake better, get a map, talk to the locals.