wireless phone app fish finders

[chrisjpainter]

Has anyone got one of these or used one? The idea is you cast out the orb and it connects wirelessly to the phone and sends back sonar info - depth, topography, weed, and fish presence (and at what depth). My partner's dad's just got one but hasn't used it yet, so I was curious to see if others have? The images are of the Deeper Fishfinder, the one he has been given.

 

 

[felly100]

 

I'll stick with my plummet.

 

I don't understand its application. Commercial venues are stuffed with fish.

[Fisheruk]

The sea is much more demanding than fishing in a gold fish bowl. Seems likely to be very useful.

[chrisjpainter]

I'll stick with my plummet.

 

I don't understand its application. Commercial venues are stuffed with fish.

Yeah certainly for commercials. but for fishing from a boat either in the sea or large reservoirs it could be more use. I'd be tempted to see what it's like from my kayak when lure fishing for pike and perch on rivers, where you can't necessarily rely on drawing fish to you. Might save a few wasted casts, when there are no fish there!

[rimfire4969]

They look a great bit of tech that I have little use for, so will properly buy one.

[felly100]

The sea is much more demanding than fishing in a gold fish bowl. Seems likely to be very useful.

I thought it was a freshwater app.

How do you mean demanding?

[chrisjpainter]

I thought it was a freshwater app.

How do you mean demanding?

i guess with sea/big lakes where you're on a boat, you get fewer surface indicators of sub surface structure. Also, you don't really have the same ability to set up your spot and draw fish into the area you're fishing in; you're not using groundbait or loose feed, so it's more a case of you going to where the fish are than the fish coming to you.

[felly100]

I can see it working on Rutland and the like.

[Penelope]

Or gravel pits with bar and plateau features.

 

A few years ago I used a Smartcast to good effect when mapping out features on a gravel pit I was tench fishing. It allowed the speedy search for areas that looked promising and that warranted further with a plumbing rod and marker float.

 

I also know someone that used one to good effect on the River Kennet to identify even small depressions in the river bed that lead to some great catches of big barbel on a very pressurised stretch. The beauty was that it could be trotted down river on the surface and cause no disturbance whatsoever.

 

I think these gizmos are more useful for finding fish holding features than finding fish.

 

I can see it working on Rutland and the like.

[Redm0002]

I have use of a Deeper, also have an older Smarcast and a Lowrance with a transducer.

They all have their uses for showing depths, weed, features and in some cases water temperature.

Fishing from a boat on a river or lake/reservoir they show fish less areas

and when pike fishing will indicate where the food fish are and even the pike

in attendance.

On the bank on commercials and specimen lakes they make mapping the swims so

much easier and in greater detail. Far more than with a marker float.

Would accept they are a bit of a Marmite item, you either love or loathe them.

[billytheghillie]

takes all the fun out of finding fish, not for me!

[E27N_JD]

next there will be a self catching fishing rod this is madness

[Penelope]

I would guess your fishing is vastly different to searching for a few big tench on 80 acres of windswept gravel pit, where finding a small gravel hump 6ft deep in 12 foot of weed choked water that on the surface is featureless, mean the difference between success or not. Finding that feature is part of the fun.

 

takes all the fun out of finding fish, not for me!

[billytheghillie]

I would guess your fishing is vastly different to searching for a few big tench on 80 acres of windswept gravel pit, where finding a small gravel hump 6ft deep in 12 foot of weed choked water that on the surface is featureless, mean the difference between success or not. Finding that feature is part of the fun.

 

 

That's why there is fishermen and so called fishermen. A good angler will be able to read the water. Simples!

[Penelope]

On a river, I would agree, flow patterns indicate underwater feature, but you would find that gravel hump by looking.

 

 

That's why there is fishermen and so called fishermen. A good angler will be able to read the water. Simples!

[UKPoacher]

On a river, I would agree, flow patterns indicate underwater feature, but you would find that gravel hump by looking.

 

 

Possibly. Depends how much time you spend on the water. There will likely be fish topping in the shallower area on a regular basis especially as dusk draws near. There may be cormorants and grebes habitually fishing in the area where the water shallows and if you scan the water with binoculars you may see bubbles. All this builds up the picture of the swim being a hot spot. For example on a large lake (over 220 hectares) near to where I live I noticed carp regularly topping 70 - 80 metres out, near to a dam where the water should have been 20 + metres deep. Looking through binoculars whenever I was passing often showed patches of bubbles. When I got around to lobbing a 3oz weight and pike float out to that area I found a shallow hump about the size of a tennis court surrounded by much deeper water. By checking sight lines in relation to the float, checking the amount if line out and making notes I now know exactly where and how far to cast to be sure of hitting the hump. So far I've had ten or twelve 20lb+ carp from that submerged island.

 

If you visit the water when there is a good wind blowing you may see colour in the water where waves and undercurrents are being driven into the shallow area. The patterns of the waves will also be different. I noticed this phenomenon on a similar sized water not too far from the other one. Again, the plummet was used to locate a sand bar that sticks out at about 45 degrees from the bank and is a great roach hot-spot.

 

On rivers and lakes especially in winter you might see ducks regularly congregating in certain areas. This is often a sign of spring water that is warmer than the ambient water temperature entering at that point. There will likely be fish there too.

 

There are loads of signs out there if you know what to look for and have the time and inclination to do it.

[worthy130]

Takes all the fun and excitement out of fishing!

[Penelope]

I agree entirely, but you still had to fling a marker out to pinpoint those spots. Using a smartcast, I found that hump mentioned with minimal fuss and time, and then used a marker to confirm more accurately. It produced numerous tench to over 11lb.

 

 

Possibly. Depends how much time you spend on the water. There will likely be fish topping in the shallower area on a regular basis especially as dusk draws near. There may be cormorants and grebes habitually fishing in the area where the water shallows and if you scan the water with binoculars you may see bubbles. All this builds up the picture of the swim being a hot spot. For example on a large lake (over 220 hectares) near to where I live I noticed carp regularly topping 70 - 80 metres out, near to a dam where the water should have been 20 + metres deep. Looking through binoculars whenever I was passing often showed patches of bubbles. When I got around to lobbing a 3oz weight and pike float out to that area I found a shallow hump about the size of a tennis court surrounded by much deeper water. By checking sight lines in relation to the float, checking the amount if line out and making notes I now know exactly where and how far to cast to be sure of hitting the hump. So far I've had ten or twelve 20lb+ carp from that submerged island.

 

If you visit the water when there is a good wind blowing you may see colour in the water where waves and undercurrents are being driven into the shallow area. The patterns of the waves will also be different. I noticed this phenomenon on a similar sized water not too far from the other one. Again, the plummet was used to locate a sand bar that sticks out at about 45 degrees from the bank and is a great roach hot-spot.

 

On rivers and lakes especially in winter you might see ducks regularly congregating in certain areas. This is often a sign of spring water that is warmer than the ambient water temperature entering at that point. There will likely be fish there too.

 

There are loads of signs out there if you know what to look for and have the time and inclination to do it.

[Bazooka Joe]

It never fails to amaze me what length man will go to to catch fish.. ..there's more gear/gizmos out there, & most are to catch the angler not the fish ........looks like a few more insurance claims for mobiles..

[UKPoacher]

I agree entirely, but you still had to fling a marker out to pinpoint those spots. Using a smartcast, I found that hump mentioned with minimal fuss and time, and then used a marker to confirm more accurately. It produced numerous tench to over 11lb.

 

I'm not knocking the principle. I've used a fish finder for many years, first one was over 20 years ago, a portable unit that bolted onto the side of the hired boat and latterly a built in unit on my kayak. I used marine charts to pinpoint locations and regularly use Google Earth to find new locations. The point I was making is that in many cases you can see the signs that indicate the presence of underwater plateaus IF you know what to look for and you have the time to do it. I'll bet that the area you mention has more rolling fish than around it and you will be able to see bubbles from feeding fish if you use bino's.

[Penelope]

Funnily, no. The tench in this water vary rarely show and the few carp that are in there never do. The only carp that I have seen are the three that I have banked whilst tench fishing, even in hot conditions you don't see them cruising, and I have fished it a lot and spent a lot of time just walking around looking as I was a bailiff, although not been (fishing) for some time now.

 

Now google earth is a cracking tool .

 

I'm not knocking the principle. I've used a fish finder for many years, first one was over 20 years ago, a portable unit that bolted onto the side of the hired boat and latterly a built in unit on my kayak. I used marine charts to pinpoint locations and regularly use Google Earth to find new locations. The point I was making is that in many cases you can see the signs that indicate the presence of underwater plateaus IF you know what to look for and you have the time to do it. I'll bet that the area you mention has more rolling fish than around it and you will be able to see bubbles from feeding fish if you use bino's.

[Lord Geordie]

Way back before these things were ever made I contacted a few of the big companies like Garmin about a Dongle for the PDA that could do a through hull sonar and GPS to use a hand held PDA as the main display simply using the dongles to expand the systmem. Allowing the user to use a standard PDA to use as a fish finder and GPS system for small vessels.

 

I was met with a brick wall on the idea and learned they made a LOT of money selling dedicated units for fishing boats etc, and using a system to expand a cheap hand held PDA wouldn't make them the same kind of money.

 

I then went onto the PDAworld website and floated my idea (no pun intended) and again nobody was interested!

 

It now seems they are all the rage!

 

Maybe I should have persevered? I May have had a few bob by now!

 

Back in the 1980s a friend and myself were making lights for bikes by drlling into the under side of a reflector and inserting a christmas tree bulb, using a PP3 battery to power it.

 

Of course NOW you buy the same principle as LED bike lights. Again if we had perhaps patented the Idea?

 

Then more recently I contacted Tefal about a new kettle design. Standard kettle with a thermos lining to prevent heat loss, thus allowing the water to boil QUICKER but also keeping the heat in between boiling thus reducing energy waste. I Also incorperated a lid that would't pop open if it was knocked over and prevent scaulding. Again I never heard a thing back?