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JesseC
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 128
Location: Cromwell
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 Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:38 pm Post subject: fish finder help |
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| to all the people on here that have experience with fish finders, i was wondering if something like the Humminbird PiranhaMax 175 Sonar for a 100 bucks or the PiranhaMax 153 Sonar for $80 would suit my needs as a good, inexpensive all around fish finder for my small 10 ft aluminum jon boat? thanks in advance |
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limeymotors
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 77
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| Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 9:52 pm Post subject: |
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I have the Piranamax 170 on my Kayak. It shows the bottom Finds structure, dept and water temp.even has a fish alarm on it and shows if the fish is small med or large. it dosen't have GPS. or track routes you cant mark spots or download maps. I chose the 170 over the 150 because of the dual been vs. the single beam. I searched Google and read lots and lots of reviews before Imade my purches. Will it suits your needs realy depends on what your needs are. -Duncan
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PECo
Joined: 06 Oct 2009
Posts: 5203
Location: Avon, CT
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| Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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GPS is useful if you plan to troll, because it lets you know your speed. Other than that, you probably wouldn't need it, since you probably wouldn't travel too far or too fast in a 10 foot jon boat. I used the chart plotter on my finder for the first time today, because I was traveling at 30+ miles per hour on an unfamiliar stretch of the Connecticut River. It's really nice knowing where to look for the channel markers when they're more than 1/2 mile ahead of you.
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JesseC
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 128
Location: Cromwell
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| Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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thanks for the info guys, i think i'll go with 175 that has the the dual beam sonar then after reading that it will cover the water alot better vs single beam sonar. and yea Peco you're right, i dont think i need a gps till i get a larger boat   lol |
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SeaDog1
Joined: 21 Dec 2009
Posts: 2629
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| Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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| PECo wrote: | | GPS is useful if you plan to troll, because it lets you know your speed. Other than that, you probably wouldn't need it, since you probably wouldn't travel too far or too fast in a 10 foot jon boat. I used the chart plotter on my finder for the first time today, because I was traveling at 30+ miles per hour on an unfamiliar stretch of the Connecticut River. It's really nice knowing where to look for the channel markers when they're more than 1/2 mile ahead of you. |
Hi,
FYI: There is a difference between SOG (Speed Over the Ground) and STW (Speed Through the Water).
A GPS unit will give you the true speed (SOG) over the ground between 2 points.
Speed Throught the Water (STW) can vary greatly and this is the critical point when trolling for fish.
Example: You are traveling up river into a current and want to troll for say Stripe Bass at 3-4 mph.
Your GPS says your traveling at 4 mph but the current your boat is encountering is moving at 5 mph so your true (STW) "Speed Through the Water" is 4+5 = 9 mph.
That means that the lure your trolling is moving at 9 mph and too fast for the fish your after or moving higher up in the water column then you want it to due to planing effect, and also not acting the way it should.
To get accurate (STW) 'Speed Through the Water" you need a sensor with a paddlewheel incorporated in it with read-out to measure STW.
Data from a GPS unit alone will never give you STW that you need for proper trolling lure presentation.
Going down river with a following current presents even more difficulty when trolling.
Note: Moving water will move faster from mid-depth to near the surface and slower near the bottom due to drag from the bottom.
Getting a trolling lure to move at the speed you want and act in the proper manner that will attract fish to it .... is a science un to itself !
I have this simple unit on my boat to determin STW ..... made by Luhr-Jensen and is accurate to within 1/10 mph !
Easy for me to throttle up or down to achive the proper trolling speed I want.
 .....
Hope the information above helps you in the art of trolling !
SeaDog1 
Last edited by SeaDog1 on Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:06 am; edited 2 times in total |
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JesseC
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 128
Location: Cromwell
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| Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 12:39 am Post subject: |
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| thanks for the info, that gadget looks really cool, i'll have to pick one up for sure |
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SeaDog1
Joined: 21 Dec 2009
Posts: 2629
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| Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:37 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
UPDATE: "Water Speed Sensor" to determin true STW.
Just to let you know -> Many fish finder manufactures sell "Water Speed Sensor" as an accessory that plugs into the FF which will read-out on the screen.
I checked my Garmin echo 300c manual and it has the 6 pin plug for a sensor.
Lowrance and Hummingbird also have similar sensors.
(All will show the paddlewheel)
Most of these sensors are stand alone units and not combined with transducers.
Seperate external mounting is usually required and some are thru hull.
Cost can vary widely !
Best to check your FF or FF/GPS combo to see if such sensor is available.
SeaDog1 |
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JesseC
Joined: 26 Jan 2013
Posts: 128
Location: Cromwell
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| Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2013 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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| didnt' think about that, thanks again for the help seadog |
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