Well I have done it....I have finally bought a small boat. So with all the accessories I need to buy I stop and ask myself if a fish finder is really a neccesity.

For one I'll prolly be pounding the banks. I do think knowing the depth would be helpful though. But I mean come on do people actually catch the fish they see with those things.

I think maybe if I was fishing for crappi(spelling?) a fish finder would be helpful in locating schools of fish, but, basically, I have come to the conclusion I dont even know how to properly use a Fish Finder.

So maybe I can hear what u guys have to say about um before I dig out the wallet again. Most fish finders I've seen cost more than my whole boat! Thx in advance for any info!

I think you should get one. The fish are not always on the shallows. Depending on how deep the lakes are by you and how much you fish. Depending on the season. And they sell cheap fishfinders. It helps to know there patterns.]

Cheap Fishfinders

First CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Another member in the ranks!

Fish finders. Simply put, in the beginning it helps you by telling you whats under the boat. Is it deep or shallow, flat or sloped? How is this point shaped? Etc. After a while you begin to see the fish and realize what you are lookin at. It will develop into one of your most important tools! Go with an inexpensive COLOR unit. The highest resolution you can afford. Resolution being the pixel count 320 X 240 or for more resolution 640 X 320. The more pixels the better the resolution. Good Luck!

I have one on my float tube...it's really useful to find dropoffs and humps you didn't know existed.

From humps to drop offs it is one of the most important tools you will have on a boat. After getting to understand what you are looking at you will determine rock that are inside weed. You will see pods of baitfish. You can actually see bass striking the baitfish. On the surface 80 percent of the time you do not know what is going on under the water without a fishfinder. These are all key factors in putting a better bag together and becoming a better fisherman. I agree exactly what Frank (Ukey28) posted. Get the highest resolution you can afford. Color is definetly a plus. On my small boat I have the cheaper old Garmin 168 but it is a tool I would never leave home without.

Thanks for the advice guys, was wondering why color was so much more important. I think Ima have to tap into the savings lol! I tried so hard to tell myself I didnt need one.....but there ya go!

Oh and after 4 strait years of shore fishing its gona feel good to be out in the thick of things:)

Color is easier to see in sunlight, and awesome at night. It easier to interpret as well

I've been out on boats with guys that have then and they really do improve your fishing a lot.

I agree with the other guys here. Definitely get one if it's in your budget. The higher the resolution the better.

Also many of the newer ones have side views which is pretty cool.

Just to expand on what Ukey said about color units helping you interpret things better... monochromatic units (also called grayscale) make it difficult to see structure within structure...

For example, there might be wood or rock mixed in with a weed bed that you are looking at with your fish finder. On a monochromatic unit, you will not notice much difference, but with a color unit the grass will be a different color from the rock and the rock will be different from the wood, etc.

After using a color unit for a while, you will begin to recognize how different bottom compositions (Hard or soft bottom) look. Same goes for hard/soft objects or structures. You will also be able to more easily identify fish and bait that are relating to these structures and bottom compositions. Just like when you are working the shoreline, you are making presentations to objects (usually visible) with a fish finder, you will be able to locate objects and structure that is in deep water that you cannot see without a fish finder. Deep water bass in general are more likely to be grouped with other bass, so the bonus is when you locate a good piece of structure and you see bait and fish arches around and making contact with the structure, you'll be able to work one spot and catch multiple bass (assuming your presentation is something that the bass will be interested in striking).

Deep water bass fishing can open the door to many more opportunities for you especially when conditions change. Your chances of connecting with a school of bass will also be increased tremendously when you start using your fish finder to locate open water structures, bottom transitions, cover and vegetation.

I agree with everyone who said "get the best you can afford", however having something is better than having nothing... Like everything else in bass fishing, the better equipment costs more, but usually give you more benefit... this is very true in fish finders.

One other thing I'd like to ad is that these combo units that are fish finders and GPS are also worth the extra bucks... why? Because when you find that sweet rock pile that produces very well, you want to be able to go back to it again and again without having to search for hours to find it. You can outline the structures you find with GPS weigh-points and easily go right back to the things that you will find in open water.

In the beginning it will take discipline not to go back to the bank... however, once you have some success, you'll find yourself staring back at the bank wondering why you never tried this before...

If you decide to get one, let us know what your budget is and we can help you get the best unit in that price range.

Congrats on the boat!

The ones with GPS are the maps loaded in the unit? or are they like a the way a TOMTOM works but for water? What if we show one of the better ones at a reasonable price. You know for the features and the price you can't beat it. When it comes to the grayscale and color. I figured having one is better then having none]

Like this one

Most have simple outlined maps, but require that you purchase additional maps for detailed contour maps (Fishing Hot Spots)

Aolt of great info guys, Brendan I found this statement curious is all.

In the beginning it will take discipline not to go back to the bank... however, once you have some success, you'll find yourself staring back at the bank wondering why you never tried this before...

I guess it just makes me realize how much fishing im missing out on!

My brother is going to be buying the fish finder lol. It's the least he can do since I've got so much invested on getting us out there. I think he may have anywhere from 150.00 to 200.00 to spend but Ill chip in if its gona make a diffrence. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

You're not going to swing a combo (fish finder/GPS) color unit for that much. Best deal I could find was:

Lowrance 522c with Internal GPS

But you're talking $499.00... the one that SomethingSmells was talking about is about $100 less, but the difference between these two models is drastic enough that you might want to find another $100.

You might want to check out some used models on ebay or another buy/sell website.

Your other option is to scrap the GPS and just get a sonar unit only (Fish Finder). In the $150-$200 range you're going to have to stay with a monochromatic unit.

Yeah Ima have so pass on the gps. Most of the fishing I do is on a few resivoirs around town so I dont think gps will be a neccesity. But I see now Ima have to do some saving. I like the one SomethingSmellls linked without the gps but thats still pushing 300.00

Then again if ima spend 300 I might as well just do it right and get one fully loaded lol! Ima have to send my brother thos links to get him movin in the right direction.

I guess what I was trying to say is that "if you can find schools of bass in open water, fishing the shoreline may become less appealing to you". The reason I say this is because open water schools can consist of "hundreds of bass" in one school. When you fish the bank, you might connect with some "pods or wolf packs" of bass (groups of let's say 4 - 8 bass together). Once you've caught those few active bass, your searching for the next group. If you find one big school offshore, you can sit there for hours and catch one after another.

I'm not sure if that helps clarify what I was trying to say (I hope so)

BC

You can always put in the gps coordinates from online maps for those offshore pieces of structure...that brendan is alluding too,...

Now that is a nifty idea Roboworm. I do have a portable gps in my car, If your traveling there worth their weight in gold!

Right now my mind cant take in groups of hundreds of bass lol. I'am getting pumped for spring!

Is it easy to tell what species of fish your looking at on the finder? That seems difficult off hand.

thanks....im chomping at the bit here...hoping to get out Sat before we get hit with another storm

I wouldn't say it is "easy" to tell what species of fish you are looking at on your sonar unit. The most common detail you will notice is the different size arches on your screen represent different species of fish.

You will also find that different species of fish group together, position themselves on cover/structure and relate to baitfish differently from each other.

So when you want to determine what species you are seeing on your sonar unit, you need to examine these various factors:

1) Size of Arches
2) Relationship of Arches to each other and also to any baitfish that are on the screen
3) How the Arches are positioned on/over the cover/structure on your screen
4) Where the arches appear in the water column (depth of arches)

I would say it is easier to differentiate crappie from bass (largemouth/smallmouth/spotted) than it is to differentiate largemouth from smallmouth. Can it be done, yes, but it takes a lot of time on the water to understand how each species relates the various factors listed above. Is it 100% accurate, NO… but you can get to a point where you’ll be able to make the differentiation 75-80% of the time.

I think that understanding how to identify different types of cover/structure/vegitation will increase your chances of locating the species you are targeting.

I am new to this forum, and also a first time boat owner. I haven't had it out fishing yet,but can't wait. I bought a Humminbird Piranha Max220 fishfinder from Cabelas for 75 bucks. It is a close-out,but it will get me started. I have other things my boat needs to be "fisherman friendly",so I couldn't wrap a lot of dough in one thing. Thanks for all the info.

My brother bought a hummmingbird 141c..... It was a little over 200. But your right there are alot of things to buy after the fact. I just realized I need to replace the tires on the trailer!
I cant wait to get it out on the water though.

I also had to pony up and buy some oars off ebay. I figured there are a few places u might skimp but the oars are not one of umm! Make sure you get the swivel pins with them or u could be hurting if your motor goes!

Oh and welcome to the forum!

I hate rowing. Thats why I have also a rear trolling motor on my electric boat. I also have three batteries. Two in series (12v trolling motor) and one for the electronics and live well. I do have a collapsable push pole though. The oar I have in the back is for regulation purposes. God bless anyone trying to row with it........LOL

Hi Wheels,

Glad to have you on the website. The folks around here would be happy to help you with any questions you might have as a first-time boat owner.

By the way, what did you get for your first boat?

Brendan