These days, anglers who take themselves even a shred seriously are not going out without their fish finder.
This handy piece of modern technology uses sonar to enable anglers to find fish in a body of water. This takes most of the guesswork out of fishing, and leaves anglers with only the fun stuff left. It’s a great system and finding a fish finder that works best for an anglers’ needs does not have to be tricky.
There are a lot of great fish finders on the market that are affordable, durable, and highly accurate all at once. And while it may seem too good to be true, it has even become possible to use a fish finder for angling on vessels that may seem unlikely, such as a kayak.
What Is a Fish Finder?
First invented in 1957, a fish finder is a piece of technology that uses sonar in order to find and pinpoint the location of fish in the water. This allows the guesswork to be taken out of fishing and leaves only the fun. Most devices will have an LED or a CRT display screen that shows users where fish are located underneath the water.
Though they may vary in size, price, and capability, all fish finders comprise of essentially the same components: a power source, a transducer, and a screen. These are the basic parts of a fish finder that makes up a whole. While it is obvious what the power source and the screen serve to function, it is possible that one may not understand what exactly a transducer does.
The transducer is the component of the fish finder that sends out, and in turn receives and then translates, the sound waves that allow users to see where fish are under water. It does this by sending out echoes underneath the boat in a conical shape. Some of the more advanced fish finders allow users to see both underneath and around the boat, but the most basic ones are only capable of showing what is underneath.
Recently, with the growth of other technologies, most fish finders are also equipped with features such as GPS navigation, compasses, and radars. This allows for an even more accurate and sophisticated fishing experience. This also means that the types of boats on which fish finders can be used has expanded as well.
For example, more and more people are using kayak fish finders in order to facilitate better fishing on their kayak. Despite the smaller size, kayaks are a perfectly viable option for fishing, so why not use a fish finder to make the experience all that much more sophisticated and fun?
Not every fish finder is the same, and not all of them will work for a kayak. But first, here is why fish finders are a great idea for kayaks.
Why Kayak Fish Finders?
Believe it or not, fishing in a kayak can actually have its benefits overfishing in a larger boat.
For starters, kayaks are able to move swiftly and silently and can travel into shallower waters. This means that if done the right way, and with the proper technology, fishing in a kayak can actually be incredibly fruitful.
Thanks to advances in modern technology, kayak fish finders are better than ever, allowing all of the benefits of fishing in a kayak to be added to all of the benefits of using a fish finder. Having a fish finder can streamline the angling process and help to ensure that you don’t leave the angling trip empty-handed. Instead of rowing around aimlessly all day, invest a little in a kayak fish finder and reap the benefits.
What to Look for in a Fish Finder
When an angler is on the market for kayak fish finders, there are a few things that they should be paying close attention to, all of which are mentioned above.
These are, of course, the power source, the screen, and the transducer. These three elements are crucial to ensuring that a kayak fish finder works the way that it is supposed to and helps find as many fish as possible.
At the end of the day, an angler will know what is right for them when it comes to their kayak fish finders, but really the most important thing to look for is quality in comparison to price point. There is no use in spending several hundreds of dollars on a device that is just as good as one that costs half the price, and yes, those do exist on the market.
Some great brands to look for are Raymarine, Humminbird, and Lowrance.
Here are some important qualities to look for in good kayak fish finders:
- The power source should be lightweight and waterproof.
- The display size should be small, but not too small to read accurately.
- The transducer should run at a high frequency and preferably come attached to the device.
- The transducer should be able to accurately penetrate both deep and shallow depths.
All in all, portability, durability, and function are the most important factors when it comes to shopping for kayak fish finders. Because kayaks are smaller and more versatile, it is likely that the fish finder will get wet and be required to function in different types and depths of water.
An example of an ideal, lightweight, waterproof, and accurate device would be the Humminbird PiranhaMax 197c.
Conclusion
With the growth of technology and tools like underwater fishing cameras and top trolling motors, fishing no longer has to be 90% guessing and 10% fun.
With a device such as a fish finder that takes the guesswork out of it, fishing is just all fun, and those that like to fish on their kayaks do not have to be left out. Just because you enjoy the simplicity and quiet of the small, man-powered kayak does not mean you can’t take advantage of convenient technology to ensure a fruitful fishing venture.
When shopping for kayak fish finders, remember to take the screen, the power source, and the transducer into consideration along with the price. After that, just grab a kayak and get going!