Choosing A Portable Fish Finder

Every fisher has been there; going from spot to spot looking for a bite only to go home empty handed. It's a frustrating feeling to say the least. However, technology has become every fisherman's best friend. A portable fish finder can help you find your next catch by being your eyes UNDER your boat. In this article, we'll explain how this handy piece of fishing gear works and how to choose one suited to your needs and budget.

Portable fish finders are an incredible piece of equipment that can actually help you find fish if used properly. Before the invention of this piece of technology, fishers used a depth finder that only indicated the depth underneath the boat. There was no precise screen showing the presence of schools of fish. Consequently, depth finders were of little use to commercial fisherman. Next there were the sounders with printed graphs rolls that were very accurate if used properly. However, the real breakthrough was the advent of the LCD (liquid crystal display) sounder that showed both bottom contours and fish. Today there is a wide variety of these LCD fish finders.

Picking the right portable fish finder can be difficult because the market pricing is very competitive and products are being updated all the time. Top of the line models can cost more than the average dinghy, yet basic units can be quite affordable and cost as little as $300 from a discount fish finder store. The technology has come a long way since electronic fish finders first appeared on the market. Modern finders are slimmer, lighter and more menu-driven than their predecessors. The display units have both black and white or color display screens and the screens come in a variety of sizes. The bigger screens are better suited to larger fishing boats where they can be kept out of the sun and weather. These are ideal for commercial fishing trawlers.

A portable fish finder is dependant on its transducer housing. This housing contains a man-made crystal called a piezoelectric device. When it receives a signal from the unit it converts it into a mechanical sound wave that is sent down to the bottom below the boat. When this wave encounters an object it rebounds - creating an echo. This echo is bounced from the bottom and back to the transducer, where it's decoded and sent to the display unit as incoming signals. These sound waves not only bounce from the bottom but from any object encountered between the transducer and the bottom. This includes fish, schools of bait, weeds and underwater structures. This sounding process is continuous, even when the boat is moving. As the moving sound wave travels forward, the signals of everything it encounters are sent back as amazingly clear pictures.

Proper installation and maintenance are key to keeping your portable fish finder in working order. It should be in a convenient place that is out of direct sunlight and rain. A fish locator will be waterproof but prolonged exposure to sun and water will shrink and decay the neoprene casing. You should also make sure that the monitor is well placed. The pixels that make up the image can appear blurry if the angle isn't correct. If you don't have good vision, then you might want to spend a little more on a screen with a higher resolution. By doing your homework and making good choices when shopping, you'll definitely notice a marked volume in your catches.