do they work..

[john crowe]

im thinking of buying a hummingbird 161 fish finder for my boat. do fish finders really help in finding and catching of fish or is the depth reading the only thing they do well?

comments?

 

[mandopickr]

Re: do they work..

I have a 161 that I use when underway, bridge fishing, and faster trolling on my main motor. It does a good job finding fish, and finding fish embedded in structure. When fishing i use it to find schooling fish, their depth, and underwater structure. I have a second finder that I use in conjunction with my trolliing motor (with a wider cone). I fish in fresh water and 100 ft or less.

The gps function on the 161 is good for an inexpensive gps. However the "go to" function guides me over land. I still trying to find out if I'm doing something wrong regarding this.

A fishfinder will not cause fish to jump on a hook, but I think they are invaluable in fishing.

 

[PAkev]

Re: do they work..

A fishfinder will not cause fish to jump on a hook, but I think they are invaluable in fishing.

I'll echo this comment and add..........

It's also a small price to pay for the added protection of your boat when boating on unfamiliar water and/or at night. On countless occasions, I have been fishing in 20+ feet of water and a minute later looked at my sonar to realize I was in less than 5 ft which meant it was time to get back to the deeper water.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: do they work..

Ditto the above. I find them invaluable for locating structure. I have a lowrance X-85 and it will pick up a split shot 25' down.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: do they work..

I agree with the above. As far as fish, I trust my finder when it shows big balls of baitfish. But I don't put much faith in the fish ID feature. Could be anything bouncing back the signal.

 

[hellbound]

Re: do they work..

I Agree Depth And Contour Are Way More Important Than Whether Or Not You're Marking Fish, And When You Do Catch On Pay Attention To The Depth It Was At Or The Contour Of The Bottom Or Whether Or Not There Was Structure Than Duplicate That To Try And Find A Patern