Re: Does a fishfinder really help you catch more fish?
I have actually marked fish (walleyes and bass) and quickly adjusted tackle if necessary and caught these fish. Especially fun trolling in 20'+ water with walleyes on the bottom. Do we catch every fish we see on sonar? No, but catching fish you mark can be done. It's fun!
I hate the term "fish finder" and try to use "sonar" or "graph." Sonar does reveal structure and nuances in the bottom composition. This information can help catch fish.
So, yes, they help catch more fish- a lot more! However, you need to learn how to interpret what your sonar screen is showing you.
Knowing your unit is even more important than resolution- know your sonar and its settings. Example: I just upgraded from my old Fish ID Pro last year. The Fish ID Pro is 90 vertical pixels, and I bought it in 1994 or 1995. We have caught many fish seen with this graph. The upgrade unit is 480x480 pixels. I am not used to what to tweak on the settings yet; I don't catch fish as well with the Fishmark 480 (yet!) as I did with the old unit, but the resolution is teaching me and showing me things I never could have seen on the old Fish ID! Once I understand and know exactly what settings different bodies of water work best with on the new unit, I will be light years ahead of what the old Fish ID could provide. But until I get that down in few more trips this spring, I am a little handicapped.
bowman: turn off the fish symbols, adjust your surface clutter filter, and then play with the gain a little. It's like focusing binoculars! Once you get a clear picture, you will begin to sense what marks are fish and what marks are junk.
My 2 cents
