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A Little History

Fish Finder, Sounders, Chartplotters, SONAR, GPS, depth finders-lots of different names and features, but all help the ultimate goal-find and catch fish. Knowing the capabilities of these machines can give you the edge to stay one step ahead.

Fishing electronics have made incredible advances in the last couple of decades. For those who are younger, you may have never had to experience fishing the “old fashioned way”, where hot spots, and secrets were passed down the family tree. Younger generations of anglers have often had the benefit of the doubt to fish studied areas on new and favorite bodies of water.

I remember fishing with my Dad when I was a kid, and he would drive all over the lake, watching his electronics to find schools of fish. Sometimes it seemed we spent more time searching for fish, instead of fishing. Times have changed. I have moved to a different state and now I have to learn new lakes. With the integration of GPS and lake maps, I can cut my time searching for fish in half. I bought a lake map chip that gives me contours of the lake bottom, and I can drive the boat directly to spots where I think fish will be hanging out. I can think back to some cold fishing openers, that we could have been warmer by catching fish instead of waiting to find fish on the electronics.

GPS and chartplotters, along with powerful SONAR, have changed the way most people fish, and the foreseeable future does not show us otherwise.

Product Leaders

There are numerous brands on the market, but a few of them have risen above the rest, by both technology and popularity. Lowrance and Humminbird gain a lot of attention, and rightfully so. They have stayed on the forefront to provide fisherman with the latest technology, all at affordable prices. Garmin has also hung around the leaders of the pack with their abilities to provide high quality marine equipment.

What’s New

The latest and greatest in marine electronics is imaging. To be more specific, side imaging and down imaging. Humminbird first came out with this concept, and Lowrance has followed suit. It provides an angler with an acute visual of the bottom of the lake. Before this technology was available, structures such as bridge pilings or submerged trees may have looked like a blob on the bottom of the sonar. Now, users can clearly see what they are driving over (or next to). Not only can you see what you are driving over, but you can see if there are fish located within it. Fish finders with these capabilities truly are pioneering the fishing future, and those that have them, will reap the benefits.

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