Fishfinders Review

Summary

Before the advent of Fishfinders, fishermen had to rely purely on instinct and experience to find the best catch of fish. Nowadays, with technology like Fishfinders and sonar modules that pinpoint the location of schools of fish, fishing has become much more reliable and profitable too. If you’re an avid fisherman, purchasing a Fishfinder that includes transducers and accessories should be a natural addition to your boat.

Pros

• Fishfinders are efficient devices for fishermen. When you have them, you can quickly locate pockets of fish, rather than wasting gas moving from place to place as you search for fish. Further, these Fishfinders can tell you the general shape of the fish, informing you if that’s the fish you want or not.
• Fishfinders are multi-functional. The GPSMap 5008, a Combo Fishfinder/GPS with a transducer, can use GPS, radar, sonar, XM Satellite Radio and Satellite Weather. So, if you’re unsure of your distance off the coast, GPS coordinates will guide you home.
• Fishfinders have good resolution. The GPSMap 5008 has exceptional resolution with its BlueChart g2 SD data card that gives high-resolution aerial photos to help you cross harbors and channels. This card also graphically shows an underwater perspective of the fish.
• Fishfinders are detailed. The WAAS GPS has memory that can store almost 1,000 waypoints and event markers too, as well as 100 routes with 100 waypoints for each path.

Cons

• Fishfinders are expensive. A typical Fishfinder ranges from $130 to $330. However, sonar modules, which locate fish much deeper than Fishfinders, cost much more. They range from $300 to $1,000.
• Fishfinders are not completely reliable. Even though they do pinpoint where fish should be, that does not necessarily mean that you will immediately be hauling in tons of fish. Sometimes, even a computerized machine can go wrong too. When I’ve been deep sea fishing, the captain who had a Fishfinder would take us to certain areas where we waited for 30 minutes, waiting for a bite on the lines. So, you can’t always count on their workability.
• Fishfinders have low depth. The expensive sonar modules scan the waters up to 3,000 feet. However, most Fishfinders only go as low as 500 feet when they search for fish, narrowing the range of fish you can see.
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Featured Manufacturers

Humminbird, Garmin, and Lowrance

Conclusion

Fishfinders are an essential tool for the die-hard fisherman. Especially if you want to save gas money, purchasing a Fishfinder would be a wise investment, and if you can afford it, a sonar module might increase your chances of finding fish. Also, having a Combo Fishfinder/GPS with a GPS gives you some additional security if you forget how to get back to land.

While there are advantages to having a Fishfinder, you should remember that this device is not always perfectly accurate. Also, cheaper ones only scan hundreds of feet into the ocean. So, if you cannot afford a quality device, I would suggest not purchasing a Fishfinder. Further, if you’re more of a recreational, sporadic fisherman, purchasing a Fishfinder might not save you money in the future.