Do Fish Finders Really Work?

If you’re somebody who frequently fishes from a kayak, you need to get your hands on a fish finder. It’ll be your eyes in the water and will help you locate fish quickly, save time and make your trip all the more fun. Portable fish finders have truly transformed the fishing game in the last 10 to 15 years. Earlier, this technology was only accessible to people with big boats and expensive sensors and electronics. Now, it’s a tablet-like device that’s available to everyone and helps you catch fish even while you’re on shore in no time.

How Do Fish Finders Work

A fish finder works with SONAR technology (Sound Navigation Ranging). A SONAR works by sending sound signals in the form of pulses or pings into the water. When these waves hit an object, they’re reflected back, revealing the location of the object.

Your fish finder can even tell you your distance from the fish — it does so by evaluating how long it takes for the sound pulses to hit the object. Thanks to SONAR, not only can you locate fish underwater but you can also find rocks and vegetation. 

A fish finder has two significant parts: a transducer and a processor.

• Transducer

A transducer vibrates piezoelectric crystals and sends the pulses generated into the water. Once these pulses are reflected back, they return and vibrate the crystals again. Each fish finder has a different type of transducer, depending upon the frequency range it produces. For instance, a CHIRP (Compressed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) transducer will operate between 150 and 200 kilohertz while others produce frequencies between 50 kilohertz and 300 kilohertz. 

Similarly, depending on your fish finder, your transducer may either be mounted inside the boat or may have to be dipped in the water to send the pulses — just something to consider before buying one. 

• Processor

A processor is what interprets the signals once they return after reflecting back. It is the core unit in displaying information on your fish finder’s screen. 

Types of Fish Finders

1. 2D Sonar

This is one of the simplest and oldest kinds of fish finders. It sends the pulses from a round transducer in a single frequency band and displays a clear image of the objects below.

2. CHIRP sonar

This is a modern form of 2D sonar but it sends signals across more than frequency bands. This helps create a more detailed and clear picture. 

3. Down imaging sonar

Down imaging sonar sends down a narrower frequency beam as compared to 2D sonars but it helps obtain a clear image of the fish right below you.

4. Side imaging sonar

It’s very similar to the down imaging sonar, except that it lets you see what’s on the right and left of your boat. The only downside is that it’s not very efficient at locating smaller things underwater.  

Limitations of a Fish Finder

A fish finder does not come without its limitations. A significant one is that it doesn’t do well in a high current. Some of the pulses can just be reflected back from the surface of the water and confuse the imagery. Secondly, it can treat weeds or a plant bed as the bottom of the water body and not send pulses beyond it. 

The Bottom Line

A fish finder is an excellent gadget and does help you catch more fish. You need to know your gadget and must also have an understanding of fishing. Lastly, just do everything that you were already doing and use a fish finder’s imagery to aid your hunt.