who uses depth/fish finders? 2024

el_jewapo reply :

how many of you have fish finders? and how important to your fishing success do you feel they really are?

i don't have one. i told my wife tonight that my next major purchase is going to be one. i feel like it would be a huge help. especially in the summer.

all i have is a 14 foot jon boat. i load it in the back of my truck. what kind of mounting options do i have for the transducer? i can't bolt it onto my boat because i would knock it off loading and unloading. could i put it on a magnet or something?

KU_Bassmaster. reply :

First of all you can't think of them as "FISH FINDERS". They are depth finders, structure finders, and bait finders. I have a portable one that I use on my two man bass boat for pond fishing. I mounted the transducer on my trolling motor. They have kits for it and it has worked like a charm. In my opinion it has been a very good investment.

praz reply :

i use mine mainly fot structure & depth .i never caught a fish i seen on the screen .

el_jewapo reply :

yeah, i know they're for finding depth and structure rather than fish.

Muddpuppy reply :

I know they make a suction cup mount for the portables. There is also a transducer that will shoot though an aluminum hull I don't know what models or even what brands. From what I have read it works pretty good. Mounting it on the trolling motor would probably be easiest.

MisterGuru reply :

for mounting: I took a 1.5" wide aluminum strap from the stock metals section at Lowes an bent it over double around a 1" socket... finished it off in a vise.

I made it so the transducer was about 3/4" lower than the hull, ran the wires over the aluminum with nylon ties and put 4 screws on the transom where the pan heads made a "guide" for sliding it on and off after dropping it in the water.

After docking, just slide it up and off and lay it in the back of the boat... watch that anchor - unless you want a smacked-up transducer!

Just tweak it until you get a tight fit and it works great.

hipster_dufus reply :

i have a bottom line fishing buddy, it mounts to the boat like a trolling motor and runs off 3 c batteries.i have a middle of the pack one with sidefinder, not worth the money. get the bottom of the line one, just over 100$.

Rebbasser reply :

I've got 2-one on the console, one on the TM. I use it to find structrure, not fish.

For mounting on a jon boat-mount it on a board, then clamp the board to the boat. It ain't permanent, but it will work.

Tsmola reply :

never used one and never will.

el_jewapo reply :

Quote
never used one and never will.

care to explain why?

Wabassin reply :

I believe that they are very important to finding structure, rockpiles, humps,and underwater cover.

as far as worrying about it getting nocked off just zip tye(the metal ziptyes) it to your trolling motor then you dont have to worry about it.

el_jewapo reply :

i'm really hard on my trolling motor. i run over stumps all the time. it's a hazard of the waters around here. everywhere. wouldn't that ruin it? i saw a protection rig for it. but i'm not sure that would protect it from what i put it through. i'm surprised i haven't broke the moter. it's been a tough one.

Tsmola reply :

don't need one, I wanted one when I was like 10, but as I got older I realized it was just something I didn't need. So I never bought one, or plan to. I believe observation of the lake conditions, shoreline, weather etc... is better than any depth finder can ever be. I also can't see how someone can enjoy themselves on the lake when they spend almost all the time with their eyes glued to a 4x5 in. screen.

I'm not bashing anyone who wishes to use one, this is just my opinion. I just don't see the need to buy one when I already know how to catch fish without it.

Wabassin reply :

I guess you'd have to be more carefull, but ive seen them put through all sorts of stuff so it should be fine.

el_jewapo reply :

Quote
don't need one, I wanted one when I was like 10, but as I got older I realized it was just something I didn't need. So I never bought one, or plan to. I believe observation of the lake conditions, shoreline, weather etc... is better than any depth finder can ever be. I also can't see how someone can enjoy themselves on the lake when they spend almost all the time with their eyes glued to a 4x5 in. screen.
I'm not bashing anyone who wishes to use one, this is just my opinion. I just don't see the need to buy one when I already know how to catch fish without it.

that's a very good point. i catch bass without one. i just want one to learn the structure of the lakes i fish. after i've fished a couple years with one, i probably won't look at it much anymore. i just want to find the hidden hot spots.

elkhunter7x6 reply :

Bass fishing with out a depth finder? Id rather fish with my eyes closed. Bass can be found anywhere there is water BUT, certain types of structure will hold large numbers of bass. Since I am unable to see what the bottom of the lake looks like with the eyes that god gave me , I use a depth finder to locate these places.

If you are a bank beater soley then a graph is not neccessary but if you like to fish bottom structure, humps,creek channels ect. a graph will help you locate these .

Chris reply :

My fish finder and I DO MEAN FISH FINDER helps me catch fish. I do catch fish that I see on the graph. It helps me find bait fish, bass that are in the middle of weeds, bass that are hanging next to stumps and laydowns, changes in bottom hardness, I can tell how active the fish are that I am seeing on the graph by where they are positioned, I can see wood, weeds, rocks, stumps, drop offs, humps, thermocline, points, and fish. It takes out half of the guess work of finding fish.

Chris reply :

Can you tell I use mine? ;D

Rebbasser reply :

el_jewapo, I use this kind of transducer mount:

http://www.alabamalakes.com/site/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=414

It holds the transdicer off to the side of the TM rather than below it so there is no problem damaging the transducer-it mounts on the shaft right where it connects to the propeller housing so it is above rather than below the motor.

Nick_Barr reply :

I have a 12 foot bass boat and i use my fishfinder all the time. Especially when searching for steep ledges.

Gatorbassman reply :

I wouldn't be caught dead without mine. I have two in my 14ft jon boat. One on the trolling motor and one on the transom. I fish a 71,000+ acre lake and I find the bigger fish on deeper structure so I am blind without one. I used to have a 12ft boat that I loaded in the back of my truck and I made a bracket much like MisterGuru. I clamped it on my boat using a c-clamp. It worked fine. Just make sure the bottom of the transducer is 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch below the bottom of your boat.

Ben reply :

In the old days "before the electronic model" we used to drag a sash weight to feel out the bottom. I bought my first electronic model (a flasher) in 1965 and would never be without one. I've probably been through a couple of dozen since then. I keep two on all three of my boat now. My Stratos has three, one bow and two console, when I running down the lake or just moving around looking for bait fish, I prefer the flasher, but when moving slow and checking out structure I prefer the LCD.

I'll tell what a very good bass fisherman told me when I was first learning. Most of the time, when you are casting to the bank, 90% of the fish are behind you, so would you rather be fishing for 10% or 90% of the fish. The trick is learning how to find that 90%.

As mentioned, fishing without one, you are only fishing a very small percentage of the areas that hold fish. Don't matter the species, you're not going to find the level the bait fish are holding or the underwater structure the fish could be holding around.

Unless you are fishing for deep water schooling fish, don't expect one to be a fish finder. Even at that, unless you buy one of the better models (approx $200 or more) don't expect to use if for more than just showing bottom contour and larger stuctures.

There is a learing curve an it will take you quit a while to learn just what you are seeing. Don't expect to start right out finding more fish. First off, you've got to learn a whole new game of how to locate and catch fish on structure, and then what types might be holding fish during the time of year you're fishing.

Tsmola reply :

I'm not a "bank beater" as you say it, just because you don't have a graph doesn't mean I am not catching the large percentage of fish/am fishing "blind", there are ways of locating that kind of stuff without graphs: topo maps, watching for baitfish in the water, watching where other anglers are parked.

I learn a lot of the best areas by simply looking over the side at the bottom. Most of the lakes I fish aren't that deep anyway.

Ben reply :

Dang! brand new to this site and seem to have already rubbed a sore spot just making a comment. If you know the areas you fish well enough you feel you don't need one, that's great.

Probably 85% of the lakes and rivers in the south, you want see the bottom in five feet of water. Even in lakes I've fished for over 40 years, I still use mine to keep my boat in the depth/position I want to fish humps, points and channels I'm fishing. In the spring when fishing shallow, I may never turn one on, but when they move back deep, I never turn it off. If you drop markers, you are showing everybody else exactly where you are fishing. If they see you pulling fish, you can bet they will fish it.

Gatorbassman reply :

Ben,

There will always be a few guys on this site that you just have to ignore. They feel as though they know everything and their information is always correct and anything anyone says to contradict them is offensive to them.

He said it himself. He has never used one. Therefore he hasn't had the opportunity to experience the advantage a depth finder is and how much it would elevate his ability to catch fish. It's like a new food. How do you know you don't like it until you try it?

el_jewapo reply :

Quote

I learn a lot of the best areas by simply looking over the side at the bottom. Most of the lakes I fish aren't that deep anyway.

most of the lakes i fish you can't see the bottom in 1 foot of water.

Rattlinrogue reply :

They are a big help.When the obvious ,shallow water patterns play out, and you have to go deep,I really depend on my depthfinder to pinpoint likely bass hangouts.

utser reply :

i just bought one, lets me see little bits of structure or drops i normally would have motored over.

Boo reply :

Cant we all just get along ???

MisterGuru reply :

Quote
They are a big help.When the obvious ,shallow water patterns play out, and you have to go deep,I really depend on my depthfinder to pinpoint likely bass hangouts.

I guess I am not educated enough yet to know what I am seeing on my screen. I just watch for depth changes.

What are screen items you would see that are of interest? What does a brush pile or baitfish look like?

I see blurbs all the time, but I need a course in Fish Finding 101

elkhunter7x6 reply :

Quote
I'm not a "bank beater" as you say it, just because you don't have a graph doesn't mean I am not catching the large percentage of fish/am fishing "blind", there are ways of locating that kind of stuff without graphs: topo maps, watching for baitfish in the water, watching where other anglers are parked.
I learn a lot of the best areas by simply looking over the side at the bottom. Most of the lakes I fish aren't that deep anyway.

It was not my intention to offend you. I was merely saying that a graph can be a very useful tool to a fisherman if used properly just the same as a trolling motor is a tool, a map is a tool , and a boat is a tool. None of these are necessary to catch fish. But all of them can help too catch fish. Topo maps help to get you in the right vacinity. Watching where other fisherman are can help you locate places, but do you really trust that they know what their doing. My fishing time is too precious to waste on dead water (which is 90% of the water in all lakes). I personally like to use maps and graphs to key in on the 10% of productive water.

Let me give you an example of a graph catching fish. I took three friends fishing on a lake on 6-7-05. Three days prior to this fishing trip I had located a large concentration of fish holding on bottom structure in 22-26' of water 400yrds from the bank. These fish were in three schools occupying a space about 40 yards wide by 250 yards long. Using my depth finderI would position the boat up wind of these fish and allow the wind to dift us thru the fish using the the depth finder and trolling motor to keep on track. From 1:00pm- 5-00pm we caught over 150 bass.

ball_coach_1 reply :

I will get in on the mix on this one.

Grew up pond fishing, wading creeks, fishing creeks, rivers, quarries and local lakes in a jon or canoe with a trolling motor run on the battery out of the jeep we drove to the water. Young hillbilly fish catchin' fools. We found deep water, and hot spots, but it was out of being on the same water ALL the time, and at times being on water clear enough to see weedlines and dropoffs. Other than that, it was bankbeating and top-water.

I have owned a bassboat for a while, and now my buddies have grown-up (sorta) and we are big-time now with our bassrigs and electronics.

Being on both side, you don't NEED electronics to catch fish. But if you want to improve and be able to catch fish ALL the time, you do NEED electronics. There is no argument about it - it isn't even a debate. You have to see what is underneath you to be able to find where to find fish year round. There is a reason you will never find an angler that does it for a living that doesn't have them - there is a reason more than just hooking them up and spending money. In fact, I wish I was more resourceful in using them. There is as much skill in using them as there is in the fishing itself.

Those of you saying you are catching fish you see on your graphs...how do you know? I think the graphs show you depth, structure, and some sorts of fish (size/depth of the fish), but you never know what those fish exactly are, though you may have a good idea.

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