02-07-2018, 07:17 PM
Honestly, you can often do just as well as the guy with the $500 setup with $100. If the sensitivity will allow you to see your jig, then you can also see the fish and how deep they are. I have an 'ancient' (probably 15 years old) Eagle fishfinder that does great for ice fishing. MANY times I've watched my jig on it, watched how the fish react to the action and adjusted to catch them, and also saw the fish come in a different depths and adjusted to catch them.
The one thing I learned VERY quickly is never trust the Fish ID settings (the ones that show a little fish image every time the machine thinks it is a fish). You will think you have mountains of fish passing by you but you aren't catching anything. In reality it was a piece of moss or something. Watch and learn the echoes.
With that said, make sure the screen resolution and power to the unit are good enough to differentiate between weeds and fish. Some of the older ones or no-name brand ones are questionable that way, but pretty much any newer brand name unit will do just great.
If you can see your jig, see the fish, and changing the presentation doesn't help, then it's the bait not the fish finder that is the problem.
[signature]
The one thing I learned VERY quickly is never trust the Fish ID settings (the ones that show a little fish image every time the machine thinks it is a fish). You will think you have mountains of fish passing by you but you aren't catching anything. In reality it was a piece of moss or something. Watch and learn the echoes.
With that said, make sure the screen resolution and power to the unit are good enough to differentiate between weeds and fish. Some of the older ones or no-name brand ones are questionable that way, but pretty much any newer brand name unit will do just great.
If you can see your jig, see the fish, and changing the presentation doesn't help, then it's the bait not the fish finder that is the problem.
[signature]