Fish Finder Suggestions :)

[Mike_LaTaco]

Hey guys, I have been looking for a good Fish finder to put on my float tube, I was wondering what your thoughts were, and some suggestions on what to get, I have been asking around a bit, and most people cant give me any suggestions. Its a U Boat tube.
Thanks in advance!!!!!
-Mike
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[wiperhunter2]

This question comes up a lot and TubeDude wrote a thread that might just help you out, just go to this link:
http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gfo...ead#unread
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[ReelMasta]

I have a hummingbird fishing buddy that works great. You can purchase a holster that straps right to the toon. Comes with a bracket to mt to the boat as well. I even use it ice fishing. Uses standard AA batteries.
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[a_bow_nut]

I have a Humminbird Fishin Buddy 120 set up on my tube. It has worked fine for what I wanted for to watch depth and temp.

Seeing that I have upgraded to a pontoon boat and new finder I would be open to letting this one go if you are interested.
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[kandersonSLC]

Hard to go wrong with a Fishin Buddy unless you want to shell out more than a few C-Notes.

I opted for the color model but on the water I think it makes little difference, and black and white might actually be easier to read in bright sunlight.

The FB also has a directional side-sonar so you can see if any fish are off to the side rather than just down below. Works well out to 60 feet or so. I would spin mine around like an upside-down periscope to find targets and then cast in that direction. This can be very effective.

Just remember that most sonar cones are only as wide as you are deep (if in 10 feet of water, the sonar cone has a 10-foot diameter), so don't expect to see all the fish in the area, but it's certainly valuable to know the underlying depth and structure while you're paddling around on your 'toon.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]It might sound corny but you should buy a fishing sonar system just like you would buy a car. Start with what kind of fishing/driving you are going to be doing. Then ask your self what features/options do you really need vs what is only "nice for nice". An example would be a speed readout. Vital on a car but totally not necessary for a float tube...usually.

It's a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that modern technology is providing us with great new features, bells and whistles. The bad news is that we really don't need most of them for float tubing and we can spend a lot of money that will never do a thing for us.

The basic things I want on my tube sonar are: 1. accurate depth readings...at any depth from 2 feet to maybe 60 feet. Almost never fish deeper than 30 to 40 feet. 2. Accurate fish depiction. Some low end units show only little fishy icons...for everything from a tree branch to a gas bubble. And you can look down into clear water where there are fish showing on the sonar and see nothing between you and the bottom. 3. Good "gray line" to depict type and shape of bottom structure. Very helpful if you are looking for fish that hang around certain types of bottom conditions. 4. Temperature guage. Sometimes critical to be able to find warmer or colder areas...or to at least know the prevailing temperature to plan your approach.

That's about it in a nutshell...and you can get by with less...but I wouldn't want to. After that you can look at GPS...which can be great for being able to return to productive spots...or to find your way back to the ramp in the dark or in the fog. Color is nice...at a price.

If you are a fly fisherman or otherwise pursue fish that tend to hang out near the surface...or at least somewhere above the bottom...then side scanning options can be helpful.

After that, there are a whole host of advanced scanning and imaging options that can jack up the price almost as much as they add to your skills.

Sounds like you are really at square 1 in the fish finder game. You really need to spend some time online, reading through the basic tutorial pages offered by most of the major sonar manufacturers. Familiarize yourself with the basic parts and functions of a simple sonar system...display, transducer, menu options, etc. Know what a "cone" is and how the angle of the cone can affect what shows up on your screen...and use that to decide what is most meaningful to you.

I have been a Humminbird fan for many years. They make good units for a reasonable price. But so do the other guys. You have been given the suggestion to start with the Fishing Buddy. You could do worse. But after a bit of study you may decide you are willing to spend a few more bucks to get some additional features.

Have fun and good luck. And when you get something check back with me. I can probably help you get it set up on your tube. Easy when you have done it a few times (I have) but confusing if it is your first attempt.
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[ReelMasta]

Spot on TD In my opinion.
I started with the fishing buddy and still use it for everything but the boat.

However for the bells and whistles for the boat, we just installed the 8" hummer 999 and love, love it. The gps allowing you to come back to the productive spots the day before has been instrumental I think in catching wipers this year. I can't wait for the Koke fishing this season.

I just started marking the eyes last couple trips so being able to narrow down with exactly the last trolling pattern of the fish just landed is a very nice feature.

Scott
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[albinotrout]

TD has some excellent advice. I use the hummingbird 565 and 570 on my toon. However I learned the 500 series are discontinued. Looks like they have been replaced by the 700 series. There are several places that have a few of the 500 series left. I found some at the cabelas in grand junction last week.
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[Jedidiah]

My Deeper is awesome. I use it on the raft, and for ice fishing. It can be cast like a lure, and has an attachment you can get to mount it to watercraft. As far as sonar cones go, it has a 90 khz wide setting and a 290khz narrow setting. You need to have an Android or iOS phone or tablet though. Helped me catch a bunch of tiger trout through the ice at Huntington two weeks ago while my partner caught none.
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[Mike_LaTaco]

WOW! This is all a ton of help. I freaking love this site haha I wish I had found it a lot earlier, thanks for all the suggestions and help. I may hit you up Tubedude for some help mounting one
-Mike
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I'll be happy to help when you are ready. There are so many different designs in both float tubes and sonars. It helps to have seen them before and know what the options are.

Ultimately, what you want is something easy to set up and remove...but sturdy and stable...and easy to see and adjust while on the water. Hopefully you will have some D rings in the right places on your tube. But if not, there are ways around that.
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