Fishfinders for ice fishing

The ice fishing season is in full swing again in the northern part of the hemisphere and I get many questions about choosing a fish finder for ice fishing so I thought it was a good time to address the topic.

Which type?
There are two types of ice fishing fish finders. One is the traditional flasher and the other is the more modern fish finder you will find in most boating situations.

The Flasher
A simple depth and fish finding device that displays the bottom echo and depth as well as any other echos (hopefully fish) and the depth they are holding.

Modern fish finder
Depending on the model these type of fish finders show everything, including structure and fish. There have been special ice fishing models released fairly recently which are fantastic and can run all day on a battery.

Choosing the right one
The most important thing about choosing an ice fishing fishfinder is the ability to handle the cold conditions! After this the power of the unit should be the key consideration. If you need your fish finder to penetrate the ice you may need extra power than someone using a transducer in the water.

Other important considerations:

• Battery Life - will it last all day or more?
  
• Zoom Mode - can it zoom in on a section of the water column? How much can it zoom and is it adjustable?
  
• Color or mono?
• Can it give readings before you start drilling?
• Warranty!

Hopefully this helps you make your decision when purchasing a depth finder for your ice fishing. If you have any questions feel free to email me or leave a comment.

Fishing and Finding the Walleye: From the Lake to the Frying Pan

Walleye are some of the most sought after (and tasty) fish in North America. But these fish aren’t the easiest prey in the lake to catch. These elusive guys like to lurk in the dark recesses of murky water so it takes a little knowledge and ingenuity to land these tasty game fish. Here are a few tips to increase your chances of bagging dinner on your next walleye expedition:

1. Know Your Walleye Facts – It’s trite but true; knowledge is power! Because a walleye’s sight is so well adjusted to turbid water, they can only see in shades of red and green. That little tidbit should tell you that any lure you pick should be one of those two colors.

2. Talk To The Local Pros – When you go to your local fishing store, ask what lures work best for walleye in your area. There’s no use buying plastic worms if your local quarry only hit spoons and jigs. They’ll also be able to help you with the best fishing knots to use to tie your lures.

3. Get A Fish Finder – When you’re stalking walleye, you’re stalking something that you can’t see. These fish will be in water with near zero visibility so you need to have a way to locate them with the best fish finders on the market.

If you’re thinking about fishing from the bank, think again. You need to go where the fish are. Don’t worry. You don’t have to mortgage your house to get a new boat. Try looking at some fishing inflatables. These inflatable boats are inexpensive and have enough room for your fish finder and all your other equipment for fishing.

4. Find A Good Fish Recipe – You plan on eating what you catch right? Make sure you find a good recipe to bring the flavor out of your catch. After all, what’s the point of catching the tastiest fish in North America if you’re just going to drop in a vat of oil?

Fishing can be a blast…when you catch what you’re after. Spend a little time to get to know your prey. Find out where it lives, what it likes to eat and what equipment will increase your chances of making the catch. Once you have your limit of walleye on a stringer you can go home, fire up your favorite walleye recipe and enjoy the spoils of your toils.

About the author:

Born and raised on the south coast of British Columbia, Steve Lyons continues to feel inspired to publish creative and fun articles which seem to match his personality. With offices in Vancouver and Steveston, Lyons Den Publishing has created this article for you to enjoy.

This is a guest post.

Portable fish finder

Portable fish finder

Portable fish finders are designed to do the same job as a regular fish finder with the added benefit of being portable.

Choosing a portable fish finder

In certain situations portable fish finders are preferable over fixed fish finders. Portable fish finders can be used from land based situations (like ice fishing), in hire boats and in any other situations where portability is required.

Castable transducers – These portable fish finders are fantastic from shore as you can attach the transducer to your line and cast it to the area you will fish to assess depth and structure (as well as fish). This type of portable fish finder is also very useful from a boat and you can cast the transducer into snags and shallow areas to check out the area without moving the boat into position, which can scare the fish.

Suction cup transducers – This type of portable fish finder is fantastic for people who fish out of hire boats. This works exactly as it sounds and the transducer is mounted on a suction cup that sticks to the back of the boat. It is easy to attach before you start your days fishing and is just as easily removed after the session.

Ice fishing portable fish finders – These portable fish finders are made especially for getting the sounders signal through the ice. They are becoming more and more sophisticated and most ice anglers don't leave home without one.

Advantages of portable fish finders

• Portability
• Light Weight
• Provides fish finding ability when none would usually be available.

Disadvantages of portable fish finders

• Usually lower power (less depth finding power)
• Usually lower definition (lower pixel count)
• Need to remember to recharge the battery

Lowrance problems

While looking through my website reports yesterday I noticed a strange anomaly - people finding my site with the term "Lowrance problems." Now I am sure that I have never written about the topic before and I am in no way affiliated with Lowrance, but I figured I should provide people searching for this term some information to point them in the right direction.

Marine electronic problems
For what it is worth half of the marine electronics in my boat are made by Lowrance and I have never had a problem apart from the time a new GPS satellite was launched and my receiver told me I was traveling at 30,000 km's per hour! However, I have heard stories of unfortunate people with a problem fish finder or GPS and no particular brand is immune to these types of problems. There are many problems that can go wrong with marine electronics and they are exposed to some of the toughest conditions each trip. They can suffer with software problems, a hardware problem or an external problem (like salt corrosion). Not everything is covered under warranty, but you should always check with the manufacturer before pronouncing your electronics dead.

Lowrance Warranty - (US and Canada only)
If you have a Lowrance product you are covered by a full one year warranty (extract from the lowrance website)

• We don't just talk about quality and reliability, we prove it by backing our units with the best warranty in the business. In the unlikely event your unit malfunctions or fails to conform to the product's written specifications due to a defect in materials or workmanship, we will repair it absolutely free for one year from the date of your original purchase. (Some limitations apply. Read the Lowrance warranty statement enclosed with each product.)

They also offer a warranty extension for up to two years (3 year total).

Lowrance warranty procedure - US and Canada only
I have only had to deal with Lowrance customer service once and I found them to be very helpful. If something goes wrong with your product there are certain procedures you should follow (extract from the Lowrance website).

• If you need to speak with a Customer Service agent, please call our toll-free Customer Service line at 1-800-324-1356. Technicians and representatives are available to help you Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST, except holidays. Lowrance is located at 12000 East Skelly Drive, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74128 USA.

I hope this helps anyone who is having trouble with a Lowrance marine electronic problem. I hope that everything works out well for you!

Fish finders for kayaks

Fishing from kayaks is becoming quite a popular pastime. Even where I live I have seen people in ocean going kayaks going out to the close inshore reefs. That might not seem like such a big thing, but I live in an area famous for big crocodile attacks. Anyway onto todays topic...

Fish finders for kayaks
Fish finders for kayaks are really not much different than fish finders for boats. The main difference being that space is a premium and you will probably want a slimmer receiving and sending unit. Any portable fish finder will work as well as any streamlined boat model. However, make sure the model you purchase is usable with a portable re-chargeable battery.

Choosing a fish finder for your kayak
Select a model with as many pixels as possible for better definition. Spending a few extra dollars in this area can make a lot of difference. A cone angle of 20 degrees will be perfectly adequate. The power of the fishfinder is not really a concern when fishing from a kayak unless you are planning on exploring over 200 feet of water. Transducer selection is very easy with a kayak and the model provided with the unit will be perfectly usable, even through the kayaks hull.

Installing the fishfinder transponder on kayak (transducer)
I am not an expert in this area and there are already some very good resources in this area. It doesn't look overly simple, but most people should be able to follow the guide through. Here are some great resources:

Sonar install for a kayak

Video of kayak sonar installation

How do fish finders work

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will have noticed I have been answering some of the questions I get asked via email the last few weeks and this post is no different. I must get asked about this at least once a week so I thought it was time to tackle the subject of how fish finders work.

How do fish finders work
A fishfinder (also called a depth finder or sounder) is made up of two parts that work together seamlessly. The receiving unit processes the signal and interprets the data which it displays on an LCD screen. The sending unit, called the transducer, sends the sonar signal to the bottom and when it receives the signal back it sends this signal to the computer for interpretation and display.

The underwater part
A fish finder sends an acoustic pulse directly downwards to the seabed and records the returned echo. The sound pulse is generated by the transducer that emits an acoustic pulse and then “listens” for the return signal. The time for the signal to return is recorded and converted to a depth measurement by calculating the speed of sound in water. The time interval, measured in milliseconds, between the pulse being transmitted and the echo being received, allows bottom depth and targets to be measured.

Fish finders can be used to detect bottom structure like wrecks, reefs and snags. With practice anglers can even distinguish a hard reefy bottom from mud or sand.

Sound waves travel differently through fish than through water because a fish's air-filled swim bladder has a different density than seawater. This density difference allows the detection of schools of fish by using reflected sound. (wikipedia)

Why do fishfinders show arches

As the fish swim through the beam they are shown as arches. If your boat is stationary and the fish are stationary you will see a straight line instead (as the sound keeps bouncing off the fish).

This is best explained with a picture:


You can set up your fish finder to fish show symbols or arches. Fish symbols are shown when the sophisticated computer detects enough of an echo to be a fish. However the computer can make incorrect detections and most serious anglers use fish arches and choose to interpret the data themselves.











Two soundings - one using fish arches the other using fish symbols.

Do fish finders scare fish? Can fish hear the fishfinder?
The simple answer to this question is no. Fish cannot actually hear the sound emitted by the fish finder as the frequency is out of their hearing range. As for whether they can feel it in their swim bladder, that is still up for debate. For what it is worth I have caught good fish with the sounder on and off so I don't put much reliance in this theory.

I hope you have enjoyed this post. If you have any topics you would like to see me post about or want to know more feel free to email me or leave a comment.