Fish finders for the shore angler
May 4th 2008 00:55
No matter what kind of bait you use, you can't catch fish if they're not there. How do you know if fish are around? You can always go with tried and true methods and fish weed beds and structure but, what if you don't have the time to make what may be futile attempts and you need to know NOW?
It makes no difference if you're fishing from the shore or a boat, a fish finder is just the thing to eliminate non-productive areas.
Once the domain of boaters, there are fish finders on the market for bank stompers as well as boat owners.
Fish finders are basically similar to the sonar you see in submarine movies without the "pings." None the less, a pulse is sent through the water by a sending device called a transducer, the signal hits and object, and is reflected back to a viewing screen. The image and colors you see will depend on the equipment you have.
You may have seen the commercial for the Bionic Fish Finder. I often say, "You get what you pay for." In this case you'd be ahead to save the Bionic Fish Finder's cost and get some lures or a new reel.
To make a long story short, this thing just doesn't work! You get too many false readings and the transducer is weighted haphazardly and often sits askew in the water.
I really dislike the way the Bionic Fish Finder is marketed for "...dock fishing, shoreline fishing, ice fishing, off your fishing boat, off your canoe, off your kayak, from your float tube." Assuming the Bionic Fish Finder did work, if you didn't have some sort of water craft or ice fished, you'd be out of luck unless you fished from a dock because the cable between the transducer and main unit is not long enough for most shore fishing.
A couple of offerings from Humminbird are better but still "iffy." The Smartcast RF15 and RF35 both feature radio frequency transmission which means you don't have a cable between the transducer and receiver. You can get 75 feet (about 23m.) from the sending unit but, if you're fishing from a pier or other structure, you have to take that distance into consideration so it's not just 75 feet straight out.
The RF35 is unique in that it uses a watch like monitor to relay readings. For the money, around $150 for the RF15 and $90 for the RF35, screen resolution isn't bad. Although these finders have different sensitivity level settings, I don't recommend maxing them out because you don't want a "blip" every time a branch drifts by!
The RF35's watch monitor is a neat feature. I must admit though, I've never been excited about the receiver's size. The watch size screen is a little small to look at and although you can use it in a watch mode, I think it's too bulky to wear very much. A third model, the RF25 is very similar and attaches to your rod.
If I had to choose one of these, I think I'd give a nod to the RF35. From what I've seen, heard, and read, it seems they are just a little more reliable than the RF15.
If you decide to get either of these, I implore you to shop around because I've see the RF15 as cheap as $120 and the RF35 at $78 although something around $90 is the norm.
Knowing all of this, I wish I had bought a Norcross Hawkeye FF3355P before the Smartcast. Again, shop around because I've seen these for around $50 and as high as $90.
Some people may be put off by the fact that the transducer is tethered to the display unit but you have 37 feet of cable and that's well over 11 meters.
Another thing the Hawkeye has going for it is the fact that, with fresh batteries, it will work down to 0 degrees or a chilly MINUS 17 Celsius. Although I don't ice fish, that would be important to some people and it's a feature not offered by the Smartcast.
Bottom line----none of these are as good as a fish finder mounted on a boat. However, if you fish from a dock, the shore, or something like a canoe, one of these fish finders is indispensable.
*images from Amazon.com.
It makes no difference if you're fishing from the shore or a boat, a fish finder is just the thing to eliminate non-productive areas.
Once the domain of boaters, there are fish finders on the market for bank stompers as well as boat owners.
Fish finders are basically similar to the sonar you see in submarine movies without the "pings." None the less, a pulse is sent through the water by a sending device called a transducer, the signal hits and object, and is reflected back to a viewing screen. The image and colors you see will depend on the equipment you have.
You may have seen the commercial for the Bionic Fish Finder. I often say, "You get what you pay for." In this case you'd be ahead to save the Bionic Fish Finder's cost and get some lures or a new reel.
To make a long story short, this thing just doesn't work! You get too many false readings and the transducer is weighted haphazardly and often sits askew in the water.
I really dislike the way the Bionic Fish Finder is marketed for "...dock fishing, shoreline fishing, ice fishing, off your fishing boat, off your canoe, off your kayak, from your float tube." Assuming the Bionic Fish Finder did work, if you didn't have some sort of water craft or ice fished, you'd be out of luck unless you fished from a dock because the cable between the transducer and main unit is not long enough for most shore fishing.
The Smartcast RF15
The Smartcast RF35
The RF35 is unique in that it uses a watch like monitor to relay readings. For the money, around $150 for the RF15 and $90 for the RF35, screen resolution isn't bad. Although these finders have different sensitivity level settings, I don't recommend maxing them out because you don't want a "blip" every time a branch drifts by!
The RF35's watch monitor is a neat feature. I must admit though, I've never been excited about the receiver's size. The watch size screen is a little small to look at and although you can use it in a watch mode, I think it's too bulky to wear very much. A third model, the RF25 is very similar and attaches to your rod.
If I had to choose one of these, I think I'd give a nod to the RF35. From what I've seen, heard, and read, it seems they are just a little more reliable than the RF15.
If you decide to get either of these, I implore you to shop around because I've see the RF15 as cheap as $120 and the RF35 at $78 although something around $90 is the norm.
The Norcross Hawkeye Fish Finder
Some people may be put off by the fact that the transducer is tethered to the display unit but you have 37 feet of cable and that's well over 11 meters.
Another thing the Hawkeye has going for it is the fact that, with fresh batteries, it will work down to 0 degrees or a chilly MINUS 17 Celsius. Although I don't ice fish, that would be important to some people and it's a feature not offered by the Smartcast.
Bottom line----none of these are as good as a fish finder mounted on a boat. However, if you fish from a dock, the shore, or something like a canoe, one of these fish finders is indispensable.
Until next time--watch yourself and watch your line!
*images from Amazon.com.
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