Using Your Humminbird Fish Finder

Fish finders have become so advanced and so affordable that every sport fisherman can own one. Using sonar signals, these depth finders give you a view under your boat so that you can locate fish easily, instead of having to guess where they might be. One of the most popular fish locators on the market today is the Humminbird fish finder. It is compact, and the durable design makes it ideal for small boats. In this article, we'll tell you how this great tool takes the guesswork out of finding a great fishing spot.

Humminbird produces ten different lines of electronic fish finders, each having several models within a line. The devices are made from sturdy, durable hard plastic that provides maximum protection from the elements and any possible damage that may occur on the water. Some lines of Hummingbird fish finders have stretch neoprene covers available to protect them from water damage. There are protective cases designed to cover the mounting assembly of the unit as well.

The Humminbird finder is small enough to be used on speedboats, canoes and even inflatable boats, as the suction cup transducer will work with any material. This fish finder uses dual beam, fish finder sonar. One beam is a 60 degree beam to find the fish and the other is a 20 degree beam to accurately display the bottom and structure. This allows you to see if fish are hiding among weeds or in a concave on the floor of the water.

One key decision you need to make before purchasing a higher end Humminbird fish finder is how and where you are going to mount it. Most fish finders will come with a standard mounting bracket and transom mounting transducers. This is the least expensive way to mount your Hummingbird fish finder. Ideally, it should be mounted somewhere convenient and accessible, like near the steering wheel.

The transducer, a key element in your system, is mounted on the transom in a spot where it will be submerged both at low speeds and high speeds. If your boat has a ladder, then mount it on the opposite side of the boat to avoid entanglement and possible damage to the transducer.

After turning on the fish finder, look at the digital readings that appear on the screen. Depending on the Humminbird fishfinder model you have, these could be depth, water temperature and boat speed readings. These readings are based on the location of the transducer that sends sonar signals from the water to the fish finder. The line across the bottom of the screen is the floor of the lake, river or reservoir.

The undulations on the screen mirror the terrain on the bottom. A thick, dark line represents a hard bottom, while a thin, light line indicates a soft bottom. Lines or other objects that extend up from the bottom likely are submerged timber, rocks or vegetation. Arches on the screen represent fish. On some models, you will see fish icons. The icons vary in size depending on the size of the fish. However, the device can sometimes mistake debris for fish.

Once your Humminbird fish finder is installed, you will need to program the settings. Choosing the "Normal" operation mode uses factory set defaults that allow some control over the settings. This mode allows you to quickly use the unit's sonar functions without making in-depth setting changes.

For more options, press the "View" button while in "Normal" mode to cycle through the different sonar modes. There are seven different options on this menu, from standard sonar all the way to side-looking sonar. Use the "Menu" option when you encounter factory default settings that are not accurate.

The Humminbird is definitely one of the easiest fish finders to use, and now that you've had fish finders explained, you will find one of these devices to be a handy tool to have onboard.

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.