Fishing can be an exercise in futility if you can’t find the sweet spot where a great catch is waiting for you. That’s why a fish finder can be the perfect tool to add to your fishing gear. A fish finder scans the area beneath your boat to help you locate the best spots to cast your line. In this article, we’ll look at how to go about using a fish finder, for those who have never done so before.
Fish finders are made from sturdy, long-wearing hard plastic which gives the best possible defense against the elements and any potential harm that may take place during use. Some instruments have a cover made of stretch neoprene to protect them from water damage. Some have protective cases designed to protect the mounting assembly as well. They are small enough to be used on canoes, speedboats and even inflatable vessels.
Mounting a fish finder can be easily done with a few hand tools. It’s best to do this with a friend so that you have an extra pair of hands available for holding the parts in place. Pre-drill the holes to prevent damage to the boat. Mount the unit in the desired location, using the hardware that came with it. Next, connect the electrical leads from the unit to the relay box of your boat, connecting the power to a hot wire and the ground to your ground plate. If you don’t have a relay box, then the leads can be connected directly to the battery. Match the negative to negative and the positive to positive. Finally, mount the transducer to the bottom of the boat. This is normally done at the rear of the boat. Put silicone around the transducer to prevent any water from penetrating where the holes were made. Route the cable from the transducer to the input of the view screen and screw it into the input jack. It’s quite a simple process but make sure to read the manual carefully.
After turning on the fish finder, examine the digital readings that show up on your display. Based on the model you have, these are usually depth, water temperature and boat speed readings. These readings are determined by the placement of the transducer that sends sonar signals from the water to the fish finder.
Once your fish finder is installed, you will need to program the settings. Generally, 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, you can cycle through the different sonar modes, which typically range from standard sonar all the way to side-looking sonar. Once you’re familiar with using a fish finder, you will wonder how you ever fished without it.
If you want to increase your odds of catching fish, you should consider investing in a fish finder. Fish finder reviews can help you figure out which make and model is best for you. Click here to read Lowrance fish finder reviews along with many other popular models.