fish finder

[tlspyder13]

Have been ice fishing for about three years now and am thinking of getting a fish finder but have never used one before. Don't have a lot of money so am looking for a cheap one. I fish in about 20 feet of water and just want to know when there are fish in the area and how deep they are. Could use any help or advice. Thanks

[davetclown]

Well I am sure you know by now that a fish finder wont catch you more fish.

there are a couple constance about catching fish through the ice.

one you have fish who sit in a hole and only bite at cirtain times of the day depending on your area,

two you have fish that swim back and forth from one side of a hole to the next.

three knowing fish are just sitting there and wont bite only makes you think is this thing working? and is little concolation to going home with out a bite.

before you buy one check out other anglers on the lake and look at thier units. most guys are going with "volexars" (check spelling) starting around $200

with that said. there are a lot of fish finders making their way to resale shops garage sales and flea markets. The newer modles keep pushing the old modles off the boats and out of fish buckets. they are getting smaller and lighter every year. the down side to going with smaller is the battery, the smaller batteries cost more than the larger bulky 6 volt batteries.

I buy one set (2 6-volt batteries) and those last me several years. Buy only good batteries, cheep batteries cost more. 10-12 bucks for 2-3 years is pretty cheep compaired to paying 3-4 dollars for cheep batteries that wont last you a month.

what you want is a portable unit, the cheapest I have found is

HawkEye Portable Fish Finder
$68.54

[center] [url "javascript:photo_opener('http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif&product_id=2404935', '/catalog/detail.gsp')"][/url] [url "javascript:photo_opener('http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif&product_id=2404935', '/catalog/detail.gsp')"]See larger image[/url] Click on an image to enlarge it: [url "javascript:photo_opener('http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif&product_id=2404935', '/catalog/detail.gsp')"][/url] [url "javascript:photo_opener('http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif&product_id=2404935', '/catalog/detail.gsp')"][/url] [url "javascript:photo_opener('http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_500X500.jpg,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV1_60X60.gif,http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/81/88/00/33/0081880033331_AV2_60X60.gif&product_id=2404935', '/catalog/detail.gsp')"][/url] [/center]
A compact, fully functional, digital fish finder gauranteed to reveal the catch. It mounts everywhere you need it to, provides optimal viewing from any angle, and makes nighttime viewing effortless. Plus, a built-in fish depth scale indicates precisely the depth and location of your prey. Cast away!

Description[/url] [ul] [li]Included storage bag keeps the display protected while in your tackle box, gear bag or in your pocket [li]Includes fish-size identifier, auto and manual sensitivity settings and an audible fish alarm that reveals everything in sight [li]Landscape detection, an adjustable fishing zone selector and auto depth sensitivity (from 2.5 feet to 120 feet) uncover the best hiding locations [li]Easy-touch programming [li]Includes anti-shock transducer with 50 feet of cable [li]Palm-size design fits into your tackle box [/li][/ul] Specifications Shipping weight in pounds: 3.0
Product Measurement in inches: 4.0 x 2.75 x 1.5
Assembled Country of Origin: Imported
Components Country of Origin: Imported
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[mateo]

If you only fish in water that is 20 ft deep, then cone angle will probably be your most important feature. The wider the better.
Pretty much any fishfinder can be rigged to be portable. Temperature readings probably won't be of any use while ice fishing, since the surface temp will always be around freezing.

If you just want something cheap, do some research on older models and then look on ebay or froogle.com for the model(s) you're interested in.

I've been using my old Humminbird Wide Eye for a long time, and it's been good to me. This year I'm looking to upgrade to a nicer, more feature packed model like a 535 or 565, so I'm looking at spending $150-200.

Used finders can be had for a lot less. I recently saw a Vexilar for $150 on froogle.

Keep looking. There's still time.
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[davetclown]

hears a good side note,

for the price of a volexar you can buy a submercible camera. now you can see the fish, bit rough in the night hours distance is extreamily reduced. But in the day light hours depending on the clairity of the water you can see 15-20 feet.....

the nice part about them is you get first hand knowlage of the structure below...
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[Flagmanonice]

Well here I go . A depth finder (fishfinder) is a valuable asset to your ice fishing equipment ! Not only does it show how deep it is , but it also shows what depth the fish are coming through at ! Most anglers that don't have one , tend to fish the bottom , or up a bit , but they miss the fish that are half ways down in 20 ft of water !! For example , I was fishing walleyes one night , and kept getting blimps at 8 ft off the bottom in 19 ft of water , so I went up there with my bait and wham , a 2 lb crappie !! So I left one line on the bottom for walleyes , and was jigging with one that a walleye and crappie would both bite , and when a blimp up high came on the screen , I raised it and nailed a crappie , and without the Vexilar , I would'nt of caught the crappies !! Now for what kind to get !! The main thing is the price , most of them run around $320 - $440 , with some LCDs that run cheaper . I like the flashers cause they show whats going on down there at the exact moment , where a LCD has a couple of seconds delay , where it might mean missing the fish !! I have 3 Vexilars (for me and the kids ) or sometimes I'll put one down each of my holes and watch two screens !! Most of my friends have Vexilars , and the ones that try a different brand , and up selling theres and buying one too !! As for a underwater camera , I have one of them and they work great in the daylight , but not so good after dark , also , your limited to the area ( bottom mostly ) and will miss the fish that are up higher !!
Heres a example how fish will travel different depths !! Minneman was fishing a big lake in northern Minnesota last winter , and people were catching small walleyes and were throwing them back , but because they were in deep water , some of their bladders pop and the fish died and floated just under the ice !! Well , Minneman thought he would put a quickstrike rig for pike , just below the ice a couple of feet , well you guessed it , WHAM !!! So this just shows you that fish travel at all depths and that a flasher would be a asset!!!!!!

P.S > The Vexilar works for me , but theres alot of others out there , but if you buy one , you'll never fish without it !!!


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