Depth Finders Tell You A Lot More Than Depth

Let's just admit it: The most enjoyable part of the fishing experience is when that line gets pulled and the rod bends and you start reeling in your latest prize catch. It is unfortunate that there many days have for too little of that, or even none at all. You end up having no more to show for an entire days work than a really bad sunburn and a body full of beer soaked internal organs. Of course, that rarely happens to people who have depth finders.

These gadgets have another name... Fish finders. They display on screen images of what is in the water for up to 100 feet deep. Sure, they can help you prevent getting your boat damaged in unexpected shallow water. They can also tell you where to stop and drop your lines, and the proper depth to have your lure. It's an exaggeration to call it shooting fish in a barrel, but not by much.

The technology they use is know as SONAR, short for, Sound Navigation & Range. It was developed after the First World War and used in the second one, to find submarines. Shortly thereafter, commercial fishing companies were allowed to use it, but the cost was so high, only the largest commercial businesses could afford to it. By the 1980s it became cost effective for many individuals to own one, and the price has continued to drop as the devices have become smaller.

In very simple terms, here is how depth finders works: They project an electronic sound signal into the water. The sound wave is cone shaped and gets wider as it projects out. Whenever it hits any kind of object, the bottom, a fish, weeds, a sunken car, you name it; the wave is reflected back to the device.

The shape of the wave is what provides the images on the screen. The time it takes for the signal to bounce back is how the depth is determined for you.

Some fish finder models are GPS devices as well. GPS = Global Position Satellite. This allows you to mark areas where you find a lot of fish, so you go back another day and see if it is still a favorite spot for the fish to hang out at. It can also be a real life saver, should your boat ever become disabled, you can provide the exact coordinates to rescue personnel.

If you are a real fishing enthusiast, depth finders can pay for themselves, over & over, in terms of the market value of all the additional fish you will capture. The less expensive models begin at less than a hundred dollars. Even the more expensive units in the range of a thousand dollars can pay for themselves, given time.

Hookafishfinder is one of the best sources for portable fish finders and high quality depth finders as well as the GPS finders and much more. The site helps clients save the perfect day for fishing without ruining it by providing valuable tips on fishing.