Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Castable fish finder for shore fishermen.

While looking for a fish finder for my boat I found out that humming bird is making a castable fish finder with rod mounted display.
This sounds like a great item for those stuck on bank fishing and if I wasn't buying one for the boat I might have been tempted to try one out.

The funniest review I read on it said to buy an extra castable transducer because on her first use a bass attacked the transducer.
The bass let it go and it still works, but pretty funny.

Any one ever try one of these?

Matt

Sounds like it worked. At least if found one bass.

I've seen them but never used one. IIRC, they only have a 60' signal range? With a line counter reel and a sketch of the pond, pondmeisters that don't have a good depth map could make one easily.

I'd be interested too.

I've got a "limited" gift certificate. I can use it for one of several items at Cabela's. I can also use it at Olive Garden, the Sports Authority, and a few other places I have absolutely no interest in.

One of the gifts at Cabela's is the Hummingbird depth finder.

Would the depth finder be better than a dinner for four at Olive Garden (wine not included)?

Ken

Yes, IMHO, even if the fish finder didn't work well.

First, you've got to answer these questions:
1) are you married?
2) (if so) would you like to stay married?


Seriously, fishfinders - even really good ones - don't show much of anything in shallow water. I've got a really nice Hummingbird that I rigged to be portable so I can switch it between different boats we keep at different ponds but, I hardly ever take it out any more because they are all 20' deep (or less) at the deepest part. My own pond is barely 10' deep in the 2 creek channels.

At a depth of 10', even a really expensive sonar is going to show you a circle, straight down, about the size of a dinner plate. You get good, accurate info on depth and water temp and sometimes you get lucky and see a stump or a submerged log if (BIG IF) you learn how to read the thing.

Sonar is not like a TV - you see stuff but half of what you "see" isn't really there once you understand how it works and how to read it. You might see an actual real fish on your screen some day but, don't bet on it.

After a couple of years of practicing with mine, I'm pretty good at reading the soft-bottom or hard-bottom info and figuring out what is really a stump or a rock. Still, just seeing the depths change gives you a lot of info about how to fish a spot if you combine that with some experience about how those fish are likely to relate to those features depending upon species, habitat, forage base, seasonal and weather patterns, shoe size, favorite flavor of ice cream, etc.

Seriously, if you buy any fishfinder for fishing waters less than 50' deep, you are probably wasting your money to get anything more than a depth finder and a water temp readout. No need to even worry about screen size or color or anything like that.

What I've discovered is that once you've done a good job scanning a pond to find the channels, humps, holes, etc. then, you're done. It's not going to change much for many years.

Hope this helps.