| Fishing has come a long way since trial and error. | | | | both color and black and white. Color is better |
| Technology has made it much easier for | | | | because it is much easier to distinguish between |
| fishermen to locate fish, this providing much | | | | targets under the water, whereas black and white |
| better odds for success. There are a number of | | | | make all targets similar colors. |
| fish finders available on the market, and with the | | | | What about technical information, such as |
| technological jargon and information, it can be | | | | frequency? When you see kHz, this is the |
| tricky to find what you want. | | | | representation of frequency, which is used by the |
| Fish finders tend to come in two different display | | | | fish finder in the water in order to identify targets. |
| types. A Cathode Ray Tube (or CRT) and a Liquid | | | | You will not see specific fish, but rather areas fish |
| Crystal Display (or LCD). CRTs have been | | | | may congregate, so depth can be important. A |
| declining in popularity; they are much like a | | | | model that provides you with a mid-range |
| television in their display screen and appearance. If | | | | frequency - between 80 to 125 kHz - should be |
| you want to avoid glare, the screen must be | | | | ideal. Low-frequency is most useful in deep water |
| placed in a shaded area. CRTs are best used for | | | | with a wide range, high-frequency for a narrowed |
| commercial fishermen and deep sea fishermen. | | | | spot with more detail. |
| For the everyday fisherman, an LCD screen is | | | | So what about manufacturers, is there currently |
| ideal; clarity is extremely good, you can read it in | | | | a favorite amongst anglers? Not really, although |
| direct sunlight, and it comes in a wide range of | | | | you'll find Humminbird, Garmin, Lowrance, and |
| prices. If you see the term TFT (Thin Film | | | | Eagle dominating the shelves at your local sporting |
| Transistor), this is simply a type of LCD screen | | | | goods retailer. Each has a niche to fill, such as |
| that has gained in popularity due to its functionality | | | | portability (Humminbird), GPS enabled (Garmin), |
| and high-resolution. | | | | cartography (Lowrance). Whether you want your |
| A budget is something else you want to consider. | | | | unit to attach the boat or you don't even own a |
| The amount of fishing you do will be a big factor | | | | boat, there are lots of models to choose from. |
| in deciding what you should buy. You can purchase | | | | Just keep in mind what kind of fishing you do |
| fish finders that have colored screens or black | | | | most often and narrow your search from there. |
| and white screens. If you find yourself fishing a | | | | After that, keep your search simple and look for |
| lot, then you are probably more willing to spend | | | | the things you want; price, potential depth (if you |
| money on a high-quality fish finder. Should you fish | | | | know how deep the lake or river can get), screen |
| only occasionally but still be interested in a fish | | | | coloring, and size. Until you are more familiar with |
| finder, you may want to find something that | | | | fish finders, you can avoid the extra bells and |
| costs less, but still performs well. Companies like | | | | whistles and focus on the main purpose of the |
| Garmin and Eagle create high-quality fish finders | | | | device; to find fish for you to catch. |
| that utilize waterproof LCD screens and offer | | | | |