Help choosing fish locator

[AGUS]

I presently have an old Eagle that I got at a garage sale for $20. It is good for depth and contour but I don't think I've ever seen a fish. I want to be able to know if there are fish below. I usually fish walleyes in lakes with maximum depth of 50'. I am looking at the Lowrance Elite-5 DSI. Both Amazon and Cabellas have it for about $380.

Give me your educated opinion on it or something better. I'm willing to spend up to $400. I fish from a 14' Alumicraft boat. I don't really need GPS as none of the lakes I fish in are charted. But it would be nice to come back to the spots I find good.

Thanks Aaron

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Help choosing fish locator

That Elite 5 is a good unit. It is easy to mark waypoints with so you can go back to those very same spots. Just keep in mid there is no unit that will locate the fish. You have to find them then it will show them to you.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Help choosing fish locator

See if iboats will match the price.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Bear in mind also that the field of view is limited. Kind of like a spotlight.
The field of view at the bottom, is about the same as the depth.
In 25 feet of water you will be looking a 25 foot circle on the bottom. (and only a 10 foot circle 10 feet down)
That 25 foot view means straight down and ~12 feet in each direction.
If the Transducer is on the Transom, You will not see a Whale under the bow if a 14 foot boat.

This will be the same for any Sonar of the Same frequency. The higher the frequency, the higher the resolution but the smaller the view.
Higher priced Sonars will have larger displays with more Colors and all the bells and whistles, but the inherent limitation of sonar is the same in all of them.

Learn to interpret the display and don't expect it to produce HD images of Fish species.

 

[AGUS]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Is the frequency a function of the transducer or the main unit?

If I purchase the 80/200 transducer unit, could I later buy the 455/800 ?? transducer and use it instead or selectable in some way?

I'm thinking that because of the normally shallow water I fish in, The greater field of the lower frequency would be better.

 

[gm280]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Is the frequency a function of the transducer or the main unit?

If I purchase the 80/200 transducer unit, could I later buy the 455/800 ?? transducer and use it instead or selectable in some way?

I'm thinking that because of the normally shallow water I fish in, The greater field of the lower frequency would be better.

Actually the frequency is determine in the head unit or transmitter and not the antenna or transducer. But also understand that ALL depth/fish locators send out a cone shaped signal and receive it back after a period of time to determine depth of anything. But that cone is displayed in a two dimensional screen and not the cone shape (three dimension) it emitted out. So even with a fish (or anything else) displayed on the screen you still have no absolute idea where in that cone the item is located other then the actual depth. So you have to LEARN your system before knowing how it truly works. Look at any depth locator system as a mere tool to assist and not a pin-point system to find fish...

 

[AGUS]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Thanks Aaron

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Actually the frequency is determine in the head unit or transmitter and not the antenna or transducer. But also understand that ALL depth/fish locators send out a cone shaped signal and receive it back after a period of time to determine depth of anything. But that cone is displayed in a two dimensional screen and not the cone shape (three dimension) it emitted out. So even with a fish (or anything else) displayed on the screen you still have no absolute idea where in that cone the item is located other then the actual depth. So you have to LEARN your system before knowing how it truly works. Look at any depth locater system as a mere tool to assist and not a pin-point system to find fish...

+1

Think of the Transducer as a very selective Speaker and Microphone.
The head unit produces the signal that drives the Transducer.
It is not mix and match. The transducers Frequency must be matched to the head unit.

Actually to make it seem even worse, The transducer transmits a Cone (3D) and the head unit displays the return as a line (1D).
Everything in the cone at the same distance, not necessarily the same Depth, will echo at the same time.
Three small fish at different distances will display as three echos.
Three small fish, one straight down, one to the left and slightly shallower, and one ahead and also slightly shallower will all be at the same distance and will echo simultaneously and display as one larger echo.

As you pass over a hovering fish, it first appears at the edge of the cone and so, slightly farther away, then directly down and slightly closer, and finally leaves the cone, appearing slightly farther away again.
This is why fish appear as arcs and not lines. The arc indicates the depth but tells you nothing about if the echo was to the Left or Right.
Two fish, 7 feet apart at slightly different depths could echo as if one was 3 inches above the other.

There is less information in a sonar display than many think, But it is way better than being blind and seeing nothing.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Help choosing fish locater

Re: Help choosing fish locater

I'm thinking that because of the normally shallow water I fish in, The greater field of the lower frequency would be better.

If you routinely fish in water less than 10 feet deep; a Side Scan Sonar might be more to your liking.
The field of view could then be over 400 feet wide.
Side Scan Sonars with GPS and Chart Plotters start at under $500.