Fish Finders

[Anonymous]

We've never had (or even used) a fish finder - we are not even terribly keen fishers - but since we will be living aboard in the Med for a few years the idea of trying to catch a few edible fish appeals to us. SWMBO really wants a fish finder on the basis that if you can find the blinking things then you stand a chance of catching them. I can't argue against that!

However, is it realistic to expect a couple of not-very-keen fisherpersons to start to pull fish in as a result of having a fish finder? Is there a minimum performance that makes them worthwhile, or would a cheap entry level one be adequate? Should I mount it over the transom or should it be mounted in the bilge - I don't want any more holes so it would have to be through the fibreglass. Finally, any recommendations as to which one to get - at present all my nav gear is Raytheon/Raymarine and bussed on Seatalk. Many thanks.

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[ShipsWoofy]

Best fishfinders in the world are the Seabird variety.

Where they dive you will be sure to find fish.

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[paulskent]

I have had a small day boat out in the Med (Majorca) for the last 10 years and I would give you a couple of pieces of advice.

Any where near the shore the best fishfinder is a piece of bread. Throw it over the side and if there is any activity then you should get the rod out. Keep the kit as simple as possible. A rod, a line, a float and some bait. I have tried all sorts of concoctions but the local bread works the best. It has to be reasonably fresh to stay on the hook.

But keep an eye on it. I once had to freestyle parrallel to the beach at Formentor at a significant rate of knots trying to catch my rod that had dissapeared over the stern with a nice 2 pounder pulling it along.

When you are out sailing get a hand line to drop over the back with a nice plastic lure on it. The local tackle shops are the best source. We have caught some of our best eaters that way. Generally the predatory fish taste better than the scavengers and they typically have less bones. We have had some fantatstic barbecues with the fish we caught. You also need to be slightly careful about what you eat.

Having said all of this I still think a fish finder is a usefull item for checking out what's going on on the bottom. I intend to get one

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[oldharry]

I have for many years carried a fishfinder, and find it an invaluable source of information. It not only doubles as an echo sounder, but gives me a clear picture of what is happening under the boat. A glance tells me if the water is shoaling, and I very quickly learned the appearance on the display of different bottom compositions - sand rock, weed etc, all invaluable prior to anchoring. Having a bilge keeler, a little scouting around ensures that Ihave a nice level surface to dry out on on a falling tide.

It does tell me if fish are around too, and givesan irritating little beep every time one swims past until i switch the beeper off. But I never actually caught one - probably because I never tried!

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[duncan]

As an affectionado of fish finders I would have to echo the above comments in relation to med fishing.
In the UK, and most tidal waters, you are looking more for structure (reef / wreck) and form (sand/gravel banks) to fish than the fish themselves.
In the med the features are either visible (shallow) or it's so deep that bottom fishing isn't really that viable. For shallow rocky reefs groundbait with mashed bread and fish will bring bream and bass, maybe mullet - use slithers of the fish for the hook bait.
In open waters use a trolling rig where seabirds indicate activity.
Have fun.

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[gjgm]

mount it inside the hull..theres plenty of posts already about this. Note that FFs eminate from the land of huntin,fishin,and shootin, so marketing wise its far better to call it a FF than anything else! The chart shows you the depth of the sonar reflection(fish), but not if thats front,back,left or right. Seems lots oF people have them (probably not for fishing), but that said, i dont notice many leisure boats with a rod out the back heaving in industrial quantities of fish!!

 

[Sea Devil]

I fitted a fish finder when lightning wiped out all my electroics in the Potomac and I had to move the boat 300 miles down the river and across the Chesapeak to a yard in Maryland for repairs.
It was far cheaper than an echo sounder
I bonded the transducer (not in an oil filled tube) into the interior of the hull.
It is much more useful as an echo sounder than a fish finder - it displays the bottom - the shape of it - if its shallowing or deepening - much much better and more user friendly than my Raytheon echo sounder.
As for fishing - does not make much difference - just trail some lines over the stern and one Rod - Mahi Mahi almost daily in the pacific - delicious! A few bits and bobs in the Med - Bass etc in the Atlantic fairly frequently - but all nothing to do with the fishfinder!

 

[hightech]

The weakest point of any fishfinder is the transducer, must be thru hull or transom mount. You also get what you pay for, a cheap transducer will give you a depth and if you're real lucky some fishies. PRO-fisherman spend thousands of transducers and reap the benefit. Do not skimp!