I got a Fishin Buddy for Christmas and have used it a lot. Each time that I go out
it shows lots of fish but I am not catching very many fish. Does anybody know what
I should have the gain set at on this. I was wondering if I was showing a lot of garbage
or if there where trully lots of fish and they just weren't biting.
CatchandRelease
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I have a 2250 and I had the same questions. Depending on the mode you are using, and if you have the setting turned on for tracking fish, you may be picking up your lure instead of fish. Does the display show the fish going up as you raise your line? Are you putting your locator in the same hole or very close to the hole you are fishing from?I have found that the gain can be set low in water under 30' and show suspended fish quite well. I have not been able to pick up perch that are on the very bottom though. Buddies have a very narrow cone at just 9 degrees so you won't see all the fish that are in the general location that you are fishing. Just after I learned how to adjust my gain and how to track my lure, I saw a lot of fish show up that I could not hook. After thinking about it for a while I realized that it was my lure and not fish that was showing up on my screen. Now that I know this, I can tell my lure from the suspended fish and adjust the depth that I am fishing at and move up or down to where the fish are suspended. Bigcat walked me through my problems and I bet he will be able to help you to. Give him a PM and ask for his help. DKS
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Would you say that the fishing buddy is a good unit to get for a beginner?
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If you are looking to get a fish finder for a beginner I would definitely not get a fishing buddy. They are nice because they are portable. I have used my friend's with some success. They are also not the cheapest unit out there. I saw them for between $139 and $200. I don't have a great big budget and bought me an Eagle Cuda 168 for $109 from Sportsmans. You can get even better prices if you have time to shop around. The Cuda 168 is not the only model in this price range but it was cheaper than the buddies. It has a lot more power and more pixels. If I had more money I may jump to a better model but I tried my Eagel Cuda and a fishing buddy at Strawberry at the same time on Saturday and the Cuda kicked the buddies butt. Like I said a buddy is portable and the newer models may be better than the one my friend has but for the money get a Cuda or similar price range model. More power, less money.
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I would have to agree. I got my buddy second hand at a price that I could not pass up. However there are several new units that are portable and in the price range of Fishin Buddys'. When I replace my Buddy it will be with a different unit. The problem is,not unlike like all other electronic devices,fish finders are changing and improving almost daily. I will just make do with what I have for now. DKS
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Thanks for the info, I will be looking around. If you get wind of anyone who wants to sell, let me know please.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]The Fishing Buddies I have been around weren't that bad. In fact, they did just fine. While they do not offer a lot of cool options like alot of other units, I definitely would not consider myself undergunned in the least in most situations. I'd take one any day over a lot of lower end units by other manufacturers.[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]One thing I like about the fishing buddy is that it does not get interference from the high power Lowrances and other sonar units. You can sit right next to a guy with a Lowrance pumping out 4000 watts and won't get one bit of interference showing on the screen. You can't say that with the lower end units or Garmin and Lowrance. Ask Petty how he likes his Garmin 160 when he's close to my X98. Can we say vertical interference lines all over the screen?[/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3]They are fine for a beginner. They're easy to operate. The portability rocks. I love having a Fishing Buddy around for checking depths quickly when trying to locate position while drilling holes on the ice but, of course, running on "C" cell batteries sucks. You better always have extras around.[/size][/font]
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Most of the fishing buddies that I've been around have been great. Once in awhile you get one that is a compulsive liar, or who will crowd you and and cast too close and tangle your line. You know the kind I'm talking about. Most of my fishing buddies however have been great company and have added to the whole experiece.
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I used to have the Fishin Budddy II, and it was ok. I saw how much better the new units performed, so I picked up a 2250 when I found a good deal. I have no complaints at all with my 2250. Granted, it does not have all the bells and whistles, but plain and simple it works. When I can show a swivel on the graph in 100+ feet of water, I'd say that is pretty precise. It doesn't just show the swivel either, it also shows fish very well. My "C" batteries seem to last a long time, a lot longer than in my Buddy II. One set will last me the whole summer while in my pontoon, but the cold of ice fishing zaps them a little faster (rechargeables work great). I use my buddy both on my pontoon & ice fishing, thats one feature I really like & you don't have to have special brackets, extra tranducers etc. I have no complaints with my 2250 & would recommend it to anyone.
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I looked at the eagle that petty had for sale and I really did not like it. But he told me of the interference he had when he was next to a stronger unit. I want something that is powerful yet really easy to use. I will go up to about 200.00 but maybe not until next year because after Ice season it will just sit around until next ice fishing season. Thanks for the info.
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I have the cuda which is just like the with a little bit smaller screen and when I was using it at first with the fish tracker on they were not even close to acurate on what was a fish and what was not. I found it a lot more acurate if I use it on normal mode without the fishy icons to find out what were really fish and then use the track feature to figure out depth.
Jed
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Thanks for the information. I will try the things that were suggested and let you know how that works. I'm thinking of going to Brough on Saturday. Haven't told the wife yet. I guess that will be my valentines present to myself. Any one interested if I am able to go?
C&R
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Ok, what would you guys reccomend for ice fishing only and a budget up to$200-250. I'm a fair ice fisherman but a spaz at technology.
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I too have a fishing buddy and throughly enjoy the portability from the ice to the little boat to the float tube! I personally have found that they work just great, but you definitely need to use them a bit to get "used to them". I would suggest turning it down to only show medium and large fish. The darn things beep and get annoying as it spots your lure. Also, learn to read the bottom on it. It doesn't spot fish on the bottom extremely well as far as showing "fishicons", but it does change a bit or show "ridges" that I have learned to identify as fish. I'm sure technology has passed it and there are many comparable units, but in my opinion it is just fine. A little practice and who will be watching them come across, reel or drop to 'em, then ripping them out as your buddies cuss ya!
Tight Lines!
F4F
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I have the buddy 2250. Its the only finder I have ever used and have only had it for 3 months. So my experience is rather narrow.
I have been very impressed with how sensative it is and able to see my jig move up and down at almost any depth. In less than 30 feet of water I use a gain setting of 2 or 3 with good results. When you jig up and down it looks like there are fish all over the screen but it goes up and down in a pattern and the fish size on the screen is small. When a real fish enters the screen it is larger size.
The portibiltiy is great and I am looking forward to using it on my tube this spring.
The C batteries have lasted me all winter so far (about 6-7 trips of 3-4 hours each). I often times turn on the display light to keep the LCD screen warmer so it operates faster (but uses more batteries).
On very cold days you will see the fish appear on the screen about 1 second after you feel it tap your jig just because the cold slows down the LCD display.
As DKS said the cone of the buddy is very narrow (9 deg) which is not the best for shallow water fishing (your not scanning a very large area) but great for deeper water application. Make sure you put your buddy either in the same hole or in a hole right next to your fishing hole (preferred) so that you are scanning the water area your jig is in.
Another nice feature not mentioned here yet is the side scanner feature of the buddy which most other units don't have. sometimes my bro and I set up 15-20 feet apart and I point the sidefinder at his hole and then can watch fish down my hole and and also mark fish as they approach his hole and give him the head up and get ready.
Its a simple unit to use and learn for beginners.
F4F had a good point about it not scanning fish laying right on the bottom but if you are in Bottom mode (B in top right corner of screen) it helps this somewhat but you can definetely watch the bottom conture change and ridges appear as fish move in right on the bottom. You just need to know what your looking for.
For what it is worth I like mine but its the only one I have ever used. I would really like to see a vexilar in action soon. PM if you have specific questions
Bigcat
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I agree with DKS Renegade about setting the gain so you can see your lure. I use an adapted boat unit this way and I was really shocked how I could track my lure on the screen. When a fish shows up above or below my fishing depth, I can take the lure right to the fish and more often than not, I can get it to bite when I put the lure right in it's face. Several times I have tracked a fish rising off the bottom intercepting my lure. That gets really exciting when you can see the fish on the attack.
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Thanks for all the info, I really appriciate all the input from you guys.
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Hey Dan, you could see how mine had no interference from Petty,s up at EC Sat. . I'm thinking of upgrading to a better buddy maybe I'll sell mine.
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Hey Tim,
I like yours, it seems simple to use and works good.
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I've been using an older fish buddy for a few years now. This is my take on it: [ul] [li]First, for ice fishing/still fishing TURN THE FISH ALARM (fish symbols) OFF!! On mine that is pushing the 'fish alarm' button until there are are not any fish symbols on the top of the display. If you are doing it right, you should see your still lure as a line across the screen. When you jig, it is like drawing curved lines. When a mack goes after your jig it looks like a thicker line coming off the bottom towards your jig line. When the lines meet, get ready for a bite.[/li] [li]The unit is close to worthless in shallow water with the 9 degree cone.[/li] [li]It doesn't perform very well in the cold. I recommend taking it to your ice fishing destination in the cab of your truck.[/li] [li]With the fish buddy, I often get bites before I see the fish.[/li] [li]I usually need to aim my fish buddy carefully to get a clear image of my jig.[/li] [li]Overall, the fish buddy does not stack up to other fishfinders for ice fishing in my opinion.[/li] [li]For the $200 dollar range I would get a FishMark 480 by Eagle. For a larger budget I would get a Lowrance X125 or 135. I just purchased an X125. It is much better than the fish buddy.[/li] [li]I still use the fish buddy when scouting for structure. I pour water on clear ice and place the fishbuddy transducer on the ice and read the bottom depth. With the Lowrance I read fish doing this.[/li][/ul]
Anyway, that is my 50 cents worth.
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