Deal of Cuda 168

[Bassmaster-ND]

Hey guys. I was looking around on basspro.com and found a great deal on the Eagle Cuda 168. They have it listed for only $69.99. It's a good unit to put on your tube. I have one. I'm telling you this because I know I paid a lot more for mine, dont remember how much, but it was way more.

Good Luck!

[url "http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=45175&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat"]http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catalog.TextId?hvarTextId=45175&hvarTarget=search&hvarAID=&cmCat[/url]=
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[flygoddess]

Man! that is a sweet deal for under $70. I like the arches (fish bladders) feature on it instead of the little fish, I think that they are more accurate. One thing I wish I had on mine and I don't see it on this one (maybe an accessory) is a temp gauge. I like to keep track of that in my journal. Thanks Bassmaster
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I have been using a Cuda 168 since they came out over two years ago. Love it. I wish I had gotten the 168 EX with the wider screen though. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You can adjust the menu options to not have the fishy icons. Also, it does have temp readout built in. That has been one of the things I have appreciated most. It can sometimes make a difference to find water only a degree or two warmer...or to let you know that the sun is warming the water so the fish are more likely to play, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I just bought an Eagle Fishmark 320, for $169 at Sportsmans. It has the arches but most sonars will not show arches if you are stationary or not moving fast. The fish will show up as lines across the screen. On the Fishmark 320, there is a portion of the screen on the right side called Fast Track that actually acts like a "flasher" sonar, showing "real time" marks as fish go through. If you fine tune it right, it also shows your jig or lure when you are jigging right under the tube, or through the ice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I still haven't had a chance to try it on the water yet, but have had a lot of good reports from others who have used it.[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

I have the older (expensive at the time) Hummingbird I think 300 something(model #) I like it cause it has all three side options (side, straightdown and all around). It only has the little fish on it. I read fish were Hubby's Garmin (with arches) doesn't, but, I catch fish there. I have learned to trust mine. I do want a temp gauge though. I lower the ol' Thermo down and make notes there, but, it would be nice to have it on screen. How accurate are they (as far as top temp and bottom temp)? Alot of people don't realize temp is a large part of catching fish.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Since the temperature probe is in the transducer, the temp reading is only the surface temperature. Obviously, there can be a difference of several degrees from top to bottom. The deeper the water, the greater the potential difference.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Before I got the Cuda 168, with temp guage, I used to just hang a cheap swimming pool thermometer over the side. It was not digital and sometimes difficult to read, but it got the job done.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also invested in a Color C Lector at one time. That was a round display panel with color swatches around a dial. When you dropped the probe to the depth you wanted, it would give you temp and Ph readings, as well as measure the water clarity. It then displayed on the dial which colors were most visible under the prevailing light and clarity conditions. It was especially good for choosing colors for bass, but often worked well for picking colors for deeper trout too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I recently bought a similar gadget...TEMPERATURE PLUS...from Environmental Concepts.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.sportsmansguide.com/zoom/zoompop.asp?i=92425%5Fts%2EJPG&h=320&w=320&bgc=FFFFFF&ui=3&mz=2&cf=2&nv=3&c=&mode=zoom&adid=217459"][/url][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][url "http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=217459&pn=1"]LINK TO MORE INFO[/url][/#0000ff][#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It also has a probe that you drop down on a cable and it gives several different readings of temperature, visibility, etc.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]These things can seem like gimmicks, but if you use them in combination with your sonar, they can help you see and understand what the fish are doing and why. For example, if your sonar tells you that the fish are cruising at the 20 foot level, in 50 feet of water, you may suspect either a thermocline or else a zone with a lot of zooplankton in it. They sometimes go together. If you drop the probe and it tells you that there is a sudden temperature drop of 4 degrees at 20 feet, with warmer water above and colder below, then you have pretty much confirmed what you suspected. If there is no real change, then it is probably a matter of light intensity or food supply.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I use the probe to find warm spring inlets or other below surface temperature changes. Many warm water species gravitate to such spots in cold weather, for even a couple of degrees more warmth. Checking surface temps alone will usually not help, since the warmer water mixes as it rises to the surface. Only a real warm spring with lots of flow will affect the surface temps appreciably.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The flip side of that is when fishing for trout, during the warmer months of summer, you can often find them hanging around a cold spring inlet in the middle of a lake. Colder and better oxygenated water can hold fish when nobody is finding them anywhere else. I'm sure you have seen that on HL.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]About the fishy icons, it is true that some sonars give lots of "false readings" on fish. That is because in the "fish ID" mode, it displays any object above the bottom as a fish icon, whether it is a bubble, a turtle or a tree branch. Many new sonar users have excitedly dropped a jig down into a "major school" of fish marks, only to instantly snag up on the branches of the tree below them.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It usually takes time to get used to whatever sonar you have, and to learn how to read it effectively. Even then, it is possible to be fooled. After all, they are only stupid electronic noise bouncers. They don't know all the stuff us scienterrific fisherpersons knows. Right?[/#0000ff]
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[flygoddess]

Thank you, and they are even on sale! woohoo. I will check them out the next time I am over there. I like to keep the records, so, I look like the come to kid out on the lakes.
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