Those who are serious about catching fish use fish finders. But for anglers new to the sport, choosing the right fish finder can be overwhelming. And once purchased, newbies realize there’s a learning curve. There are a lot of controls and settings to master plus they must learn the nuances of the graphical display.
In other words, using a fish finder takes patience and practice—not unlike fishing itself.
That’s why it’s so important for those on the sales floor to understand how fish finders work. By providing accurate advice, they can steer the novice to the right device so there are no regrets once out on the water.
Sonar technology, which became more widely known during WWII, is what made the development of fish finders possible.
In 1948, the Furuno brothers commercialized the world’s first fish finder in Nagasaki, Japan. They were the owners of a small marine electrical company. It was a pen recorder that used special paper to record objects found underwater. It was easy to operate and a game changer for commercial fisherman. The company, by the way, still makes fish finders for fishing vessels plus ones for recreational boats.
In 1957, Carl Lowrance and his sons Arlen and Darrell invented the first consumer sonar device. The Fish Lo-K-Tor, more affectionately known as the Little Green Box, was designed to detect individual fish, making it ideal for sport fishing. It was compact, transistorized, and wildly successful. It was finally discontinued in 1984. Lowrance, of course, continues to be a leader in the field.
Fast forward to today and there are many companies that make fish finders. In addition to Furuno and Lowrance, notable brands include Humminbird, Garmin, Raymarine, NorCross Marine, and Deeper.
At its essence, a fish finder consists of a transducer that sends and receives sonar signals (sound waves) and a head unit with a display. The head unit acts as a computer to interpret the bounced signals and convert them into a variety of graphics. Among other things, these can show fish, vegetation, and the bottom. Castable fish finders have a wireless transducer that rests on top of the water. They use Bluetooth to connect to an app on a tablet or smartphone instead of a separate head unit.
Learning how to interpret the displays and use the various kinds of sonar signals is up to the angler. Although there are similarities across all brands, each manufacturer has one or more proprietary technologies and terminologies.
Transducers send and receive the sonar signals. The shape of the signal pattern is a cone, with the narrowest up by the transducer and the broadest when it hits bottom. The return time and strength of the received signal is what the head unit uses to create its images. But there are different kinds of signals sent at varying frequencies and cone angles. Cones can range from 9° up to 60°. For example, low frequencies have large cones, can go deep, yet have low resolution. Higher frequencies are narrower, work better in shallow water, and have high resolution. A single transducer may have just a single beam for a single cone, or multiple beams for multiple cones.
That’s why a fish finder with multiple imaging technologies is more expensive—more signals to send and receive plus more signals to decipher, knit together, and display.
The kinds of marine sonar technologies used in fish finders today is quite impressive. Small wonder new anglers feel overwhelmed when trying to decide which fish finder to purchase!
Fish finders are available in different types and mounting styles.
So, as you can see, additional features can include GPS, navigation software, charts, live mapping, and so on. Plus, there are even boat-specific fish finders for bass boats, utility boats, pontoons, kayaks, etc.
Fish finders are very accurate. Even the least expensive fish finder will provide helpful, basic information, just at slower processing speeds.
But first-time buyers can get frustrated. And it’s because they bought one without understanding the technology.
Problems include:
The above concerns must be addressed BEFORE a sale is made at the store. Floor staff must ask key questions about where it will be used, the type of boat the person has, and the style of fishing the angler prefers. They must also understand the different types of sonar, which cone angles are best for different kinds of tasks and depths, how the head unit displays work, and so on. They must be able to explain, in layman terms, the various brand-specific features. And, if the store carries more than one brand, they need to intelligently compare and contrast.
We suggest you also read our blog “Fish Finder Buying Guide” for a slightly different perspective.
Is it worth carrying fish finders? Absolutely!
According to Statista, “fishing is one of most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United States.”
In 2020:
In addition, fish finder sales are on the rise. This 2023 report indicates sales in both the commercial and recreational markets are growing at a steady rate. It projects multimillion dollar sales by 2029.
If you’re interested in learning demographic information on those who fish, the American Sportfishing Association has a 2022 Special Report you can download.
Needing to source fish finders and boating accessories at wholesale prices? Check out Petra’s extensive lineup here.
And if you’re not yet a Petra customer, be sure to sign up!