Fishing is an essential survival skill, learning it can be very useful if you’re the outdoorsy type—the same can be said for emergencies. For newbies to the sport, here’s the biggest dilemma: Are fish finders worth it? Can the right fish finder really make everything easier? Let’s get on with the basics.
Are Fish Finders Worth It (Advantages)
Fishermen are using fish finders to help increase their catch. The technology has proven its worth, so it is likely you’ll get food from the ocean with the use of this tool during the hardest of circumstances. Think of the following benefits.
Money-wise – The tool is very affordable for anyone. Most of your other survival tools must be more expensive. You can even forget about money-related issues if you know this tool can even protect your life.
Easy locating – This tool can save you time knowing where you can easily catch fish. It will save you from food-deprivation at times when you need food the most.
Size and number – There will be times when you will want to catch big fishes in big numbers. This tool has features for you to determine ahead of heading to the waters.
Depth – It is not easy to determine where exactly fishes are swimming under the water. A fish finder will let you estimate how deep they are located.
Speed of wave and water temperature – This tool can help you avoid dangerous zones in the ocean. If you know the condition underneath the surface, you will not worry whether a dive going to be fatal to your life.
How to Use a Fish Finder
Using this tool is never difficult. Practice a lot. That’s the best way to get used to it. Here are the steps:
Read the manual – The unit you will purchase has a manual. Take time to read it. Do not assume that you’ll be able to figure it out as you go. Reading the manual would help you maximize the tool’s benefits as well.
Mount – It depends on the mount you will use. It can be a trolling mount, a hull mount, or a portable. Check with a professional if needing assistance.
Turn it on – Most fish finders operate on the automatic mode at the start. You’ll get used to the manual mode in time. Begin using it around the lake you’re fishing in.
Adjust features – You will have to adjust various settings for maximum convenience and better results. One of the features to adjust is the sensitivity level. The feature allows adjusting of power, which in turn, allows adjustment of the quality of the display. Do the same with the Auto Depth, Fish ID and Suppressor features of the unit.
Choosing the Best Fish Finder
As you can see, the tool is designed to help users make an informed decision when fishing. Be careful therefore to choose the right one for you.
Otherwise, you will defeat the purpose for which these tools are made. Before making a purchase, make sure you are completely sure of what to expect. Consider the following criteria:
Model – There are three main categories – standalone, networked and GPS combo. If you want something that works best on the shore, you can settle with a portable handheld unit.
Features – Make sure you know the available features in all models. Some can even show you the terrain of the sea floor with their map imaging features.
Display – Some have black and white displays while others come with colors. Your ultimate goal is to see clearly through the display what lies underneath the waters.
Power – The power to transmit signal is optimum to your desire to see things that are hidden from your sight clearly. Compare the transducer systems of the models, because these are the bases for whether a model has a good image transmission or not.
Conclusion
The bottom line? Fish finders are not only useful for locating fish, but it is also one of the tools that can protect your life while you keep your sanity in a very unconventional circumstance.
As with the fishermen who use these tools, you can make life easier for you to live. In other words, you can significantly tame the wilds with a functional fish finder while you are trying to survive.
When choosing a fish finder, do take note of the various features they have, because a wrong evaluation can make you end up buying a unit that you cannot use.