Dakota Country Electronics

Modern electronics play a
key role in fishing success
Defining technology for
today’s
fishermen
by Dennis Foster
I
In the last few decades the
ever-increasing presence of
technology-specifically computer
processors has changed every
aspect of our lives. Even though
for a lot of us, the pursuit of
outdoor activities is used as
an attempt to escape from the
hassles and stress of the modern
world, we simply cannot hide from
it… no matter how hard we try.
Whether we like it or not,
electronic gadgets have become
ingrained into pretty much
everything we do. We might just
as well embrace this bold new
world and put this technology to
good use in helping us become
more successful fisherman.
Even with all the modern
advances, we have yet to even
come close to decimating fish
populations as predicted with the
advent of fish locating sonar many
years ago. You may recall that,
at one time, there was legislation
pending in Minnesota to make
depth (fish) finders illegal because
it gave fishermen an unfair
advantage.
Page 50, Dakota Country, July/August 2013
Still today, even scratching
a limit can often be a daunting
task. The odds still, and will
remain firmly in favor of fish, and
I for one have no problem taking
advantage of every tool I can to
find them.
Technology Advantages
That being said, the evolution
of electronics from what just a
few short years ago was termed
depth finders and then advanced
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into more reliable units that could
be more accurately described as
fish finders has been tremendous.
Now a mere “fish finder” would
be considered the most mundane
and basic of units.
We have so much capability
now that sonar is merely one
component. We can combine
this with GPS, Background
Mapping, Down Scan, and Side
Imaging. Heck, we can even
get a subscription and have
satellites provide you music and
control it via Bluetooth with your
Smartphone.
Also available is the more
practical option of weather radar.
It can seem a bit overwhelming,
but put into perspective, it’s no
different than anything else. What
now may seem new, confusing
and intimidating soon enough
becomes accepted as mainstream.
Also keep in mind that you
need not fear this new technology,
no matter how averse you are to
electronics and technology. Nor
do you need to be fluent in geekspeak to run them. Most units are
designed for the straightforward
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nature of stodgy fishermen and
you’ll find navigating through the
various functions much easier
than you would have imagined.
Just take a few moments to
peruse the manuals to gain a
basic understanding. Then a
little hands-on experience while
experimenting on the water will
have you proficient in no time.
If you haven’t updated your
electronics in a while, even if
you’re running units only a
couple years old, you’re at least
one generation of advances
behind. Not that there’s anything
wrong with the older models,
but by upgrading, you will take
the biggest forward step you
can make in equipment, short
of buying a new boat. I will try
to shed some light on what’s
available and help you to sort
through what you really need,
based on your needs and budget.
Budget Battle
Budget is probably the main
concern for most of us. If money
is of no concern, then I would
automatically recommend
going with the biggest and best,
sporting every option that’s
available. If that’s not the case,
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instead of skimping on functions,
I would try to keep costs down by
going to a smaller screen size and
still maintaining a core of valuable
and usable options.
The first would be acquiring
units with GPS and corresponding
background mapping software
from proven and reliable vendors
such as Navionics. Not only do
you have the obvious benefit of
being able to return to that spoton-the-spot you’ve discovered, you
can also repeat productive trolling
passes with pinpoint precision.
With the detail of the
background maps available today,
we can identify areas with good
potential before we even launch
the boat. Just mark them with
icons and you have a pre-set milk
run of prospective spots to hit.
Thus, we spend our valuable time
on the water in the wisest manner
possible.
Aside from the aforementioned
benefits, safety is paramount. As
we are often caught in or forced to
fish in inclement weather, we can
rely on GPS positioning in relation
to the background map to safely
navigate through driving rain,
fog, or even snow. We can now
confidently keep from running
aground on shallow humps and
bars in lakes.
In reservoirs, we can run in
the safety of the old river channel,
avoiding underwater obstacles like
submerged trees or stump fields,
not only saving your boat, but
more importantly, yourself and
your passengers.
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Page 52, Dakota Country, July/August 2013
advantages of color vs. black and
white are substantial. Color is
key in deciphering differences in
bottom composition that you just
cannot do in black and white.
This is important, as most fish,
particularly walleyes, relate to
transitions on bottom. Find these
edges and more times than not,
you will find fish.
Down Scan can be a crucial
feature that should be seriously
considered if your budget allows.
It’s very beneficial for fishing
deeper structure with the vertical
presentations we often use for
walleyes, perch, and crappies, and
further aids in separating these
hard-to-spot fish from bottom.
It’s also invaluable for fishing
submerged trees. You can look
through the trees and locate
individual fish among the tangle
of branches, and even distinguish
relative size-truly amazing stuff.
The last feature I would
consider is Side or 360-degree
Imaging. This no doubt has a
place and will gain even wider
acceptance as anglers continue
to discover and refine its uses.
Scanning submerged trees
and shorelines from a distance
in reservoirs is an asset that
has already paid dividends for
tournament fisherman.
For now (and for the
recreational angler), I consider
this to be a luxury-type item as it
does add considerable expense.
I would predict that in a short
time -- as with all things new
and electronic -- you will see
prices come down considerably.
This option may be one that you
will want to wait on a bit before
committing the extra cash.
In summary, three of the four
features are pretty darn good
and I would concentrate on
selecting a unit or combination
of units that offer the first three
mentioned. Should price be a little
intimidating, and once again, the
only sacrifice I would make is that
although the larger screens are
darn nice in that everything is
easily viewable even for older eyes,
you can easily get by with smaller
dimensions.
Narrowing the Purchase
Now that we have a shopping
list on which to base our
decisions, the next factor is in
choosing the unit(s) that will best
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serve your needs. I will give you
a rundown of what I consider to
be the big three manufacturers
and then give you the exact
specifics of what I run as a point
of reference.
Lowrance has a good
reputation, solid products, and
a large selection from to choose.
As of late, Humminbird has been
quite aggressive and has now
re-branded themselves from the
realm of basic low cost units and
made strides in more advanced
models, their inroads into sideimaging being the most notable,
as well as integration with
MinnKota trolling motors (both
are owned by Johnson Outdoors).
Although far from new to the
sophisticated electronics scene,
Raymarine can now be considered
a major force in the freshwater
market after earning their stripes
and a worldwide reputation in
the more demanding offshore and
Great Lakes markets.
They have recently made
the commitment to infuse their
superior technology into the
freshwater scene. This can be
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evidenced by their newest offering
for inland anglers, the Dragonfly.
This thing is incredible. It
offers photo-like clarity with its
unique and proprietary CHIRP
DownVision as well as offering
the traditional clear and clutterfree Clear Pulse sonar for which
Raymarine is famous.
Combined with the GPS
functions and Navionics Platinum
Hotmaps, you can have a great
do-it-all unit that will meet the
needs of even the most demanding
angler, and at a darn reasonable
price to boot. I put Raymarine
units to good use as outlined
below.
Getting Rigged
My new Warrior 203 (that’s
right Warrior Boats is indeed
back and with a vengeance) is
sporting a couple of Dragonflies
and a couple of E-Series MultiFunction displays in the following
configuration:
I run one Dragonfly on
the dash and have its screen
solely dedicated to the CHIRP
DownVision capabilities.
Alongside it is an E-127 with the
full 12.1-inch screen split between
traditional Clear Pulse sonar and
the GPS background mapping.
This thing has a touch screen
like that of a Smart Phone and it’s
incredibly easy to navigate to any
of the functions and is effortlessly
viewed from any angle. By
running this combination, I have
traditional sonar for running at
higher speeds and the Dragonfly
for comprehensive inspection
when slowed while searching or
fishing, plus the benefit of the
background map to guide me
while at the helm.
Up on the bow I employ
another Dragonfly off my Terrova
I-Pilot and right beside it is an
E-125, 12-inch display that’s
networked to allocate information
with the E-127 on the dash
-- with the shared transducer
shooting through the transom.
In split-screen with the GPS
and background mapping, I can
see what’s under the back of the
boat in traditional sonar as well
as having the fabulous detail with
the CHIRP Downvision, while
Dakota Country, July/August 2013, Page 53
up front running the bowmount
electric motor. This is a great
option, particularly while drifting
sharp-breaking structure. I can
not only spot fish under the front
and back of the boat, I can also
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note the difference in depth from
bow to stern and where the most
fish are being marked.
With this setup, virtually
nothing goes unspotted and helps
to put a lot more fish in the boat.
Asking Questions
This should give you an idea
what you will want to look for and
a good place to start. Do a little
research. Ask some questions of
experts, both friends and qualified
sporting goods clerks.
Carefully consider what will
work best for you, then put
some of the new generation of
electronics to work. I do believe
you will be quite happy with the
results. I know I am continually
impressed with what becomes
available and what this technology
can do for us. •
Dennis Foster is a outdoor writer
and fishing and hunting guide
from Mellette, South Dakota. He
welcomes comments and can be
reached through his websites - www.eyetimepromotions.com or
dakotapheasantguide.com
Brett's Place on the Bay
877-442-7388
SportSmen- we have everything
you need. Here are just a few of the
name brands we carry...
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