Fishfinders are an excellent addition to your tackle box since they can help you determine if you’re in the correct area on the water. They can also show you maps of the lake you’re on and enable you to mark your top hot spots. fishfinder technology is also continuing to improve over the years, so it’s the best time to buy a new fishfinder now. If you’re searching for a superior fishfinder, the Deeper PRO+ Smart Sonar is a first-class pick.
There are a couple of different kinds of fishfinders available, including portable fishfinders and fixed fishfinders. Fixed fishfinders permanently attach to your boat, while portable fishfinders can be easily moved from one boat to another.
It’s crucial to understand how the fishfinder works before you take it on a fishing trip. A transducer device on the fishfinder sends sonar waves into the lake or body of water, and as the sonar waves strike a fish or another object, they reflect back to the transducer.
If you are planning on taking your fishfinder on a long fishing trip, you should practice using the new device first. Take your fishfinder to a lake nearby and test it out for about an hour. This will help you to make sure that your device works when you’re on your trip. Few things are worse on a fishing trip than getting all the way to the middle of a lake only to find that your equipment is faulty.
Your fishfinder comes with a display screen where you can see the sonar map. The screen resolution is usually about 250,000 pixels on average, and a higher resolution means a better display quality.
The frequency measurement of a fishfinder is made in kilohertz (or kHz). Some fishfinders are limited to one frequency, while other fishfinders use multiple frequencies. Low-frequency devices work best in deep water, while high-frequency tools work best in shallow water.
The Global Positioning System, also known as the GPS, will play an important role in the technology of your fishfinder. You can use the GPS to mark hot spots where you were able to locate fish on your fishing trip, and the software for your fishfinder will help you locate those spots again in the future.
Fishfinders range in price from about $50 to more than $500, depending on the quality and the features. The most basic and simple portable fishfinders cost around $50, while mountable fishfinders with strong signal quality geared toward professional fishers go for about $500 or more.
A. You can try peaking the transducer on the fishfinder when your fishfinder isn’t giving you good enough data for some reason. Peaking the transducer means that you fine-tune the settings on your fishfinder, so the transducer will give you a better picture even in bad conditions.
You can peak the transducer by first changing the range to three times the real depth of the water then boosting the sensitivity until you see a second bottom under the first bottom on the main screen of your fishfinder. Then you can slowly decrease the sensitivity until you have a fairly good read on the first bottom result. Finally, you can place the range back on the normal setting.
A. When your fishfinder sends out a sonar pulse, it can take some time, usually a few milliseconds, to return. If you’re underway in your boat, you will be past the spot that the fishfinder just surveyed within a few seconds, and you might not see the fish until you’re past them, especially if your screen is slowly scrolling. To fix this, you can boost the scroll speed on your screen and slow down your boat as soon as something pops up on the far right of the screen.
What you need to know: This stellar fishfinder product from Deeper works over a longer range than previous units from the brand with the ability to develop its own Wi-Fi field.
What you’ll love: This incredible Deeper fishfinder device can create its own maps and works fairly well from your boat or from the dock. The smartphone app-enabled fishfinder also includes a sensor that attaches to the fishing lure.
What you should consider: This fishfinder won’t work very well with older smartphones.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Garmin 010-01550-00 Striker 4 Built-in GPS Fishfinder
What you need to know: This budget-friendly fishfinder from Garmin is CHIRP-enabled and tiny enough to work on a personal boat or kayak.
What you’ll love: This inexpensive Garmin fishfinder comes with CHIRP 2D sonar and a GPS that can save up to 5,000 different spots. It also works well through splashes and rain and comes at a great price.
What you should consider: There is no memory card reader or cover included with this fishfinder.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
ReelSonar iBobber Wireless Bluetooth Smart Fishfinder
What you need to know: The iBobber fishfinder device from ReelSonar is a less pricey choice than a traditional stand-alone underwater tool with sonar readings.
What you’ll love: You can hook up this affordable and smartphone app-enabled ReelSonar fishfinder to your fishing lure and line for the best results. The device also works in water as deep as 135 feet.
What you should consider: This fishfinder app doesn’t have the power of other fishfinder software.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Alex Kilpatrick writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
