The Steelhead Angler

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Being able to See your target is a tremendous advantage when steelhead fishing.  A good Fishfinder is the one tool you need on your next steelhead fishing expedition.  With a Fishfinder, you will know exactly where you are most likely to make the perfect catch.  Knowing exactly where the steelhead is laying will give you more time catching and less time searching for steelhead.

You want a Fishfinder designed to give you fast and clear information when you need it.  The Fishfinder needs to have excellent shallow water performance.  You will want one that is very capable of locating steelhead in deep water as well.  A dual-beam transducer is a good option.  These normally have user-selectable views going from narrow to wide.  This will help you see more fish in shallow water this is also very important when searching for steelhead. 

There are a number of Fishfinder manufactures out there today.  Some of the better-known brands are Lowrance, Humminbird, and Garmin to mention a few.  There are many other as well these were some that I have used over the years and I am familiar with is all.

Once you find the right fishfinder for you become as familiar as possible with how it works and what it is telling you.  I have seen a number of steelhead anglers using fish locators that were not sure how they worked.  They could have done just a well locating steelhead staying home and reading a comic book.

For those of use that do not have a boat we can jump into when ever we go fishing Humminbird has come out with a fishfinder just for us.

Humminbird SmartCast RF-35 Wrist Mount Fishfinder designed to be worn on your wrist.  It is just like a watch for the ultimate in portability.  The Humminbird SmartCast RF-5 Wrist Mount Fishfinder features the Advanced Remote Sonar Sensor (RSS).  It has the wireless technology to provide precise information about bottom contour.  It will even give you depth and water surface temperature.  You wear it like a watch and get precise readouts easily.  They are viewable on the 1.25”, 48V x 32H LCD screen.  While the screen size does seem a little small once you get use to the size, it does provide you with some amazing information.

Using a Fishfinder will have you spending more time fishing productive water and less time search for that mystical steelhead.  You will have an informed advantage among the other steelhead anglers.  The pay off will be better steelhead fish stories than ever before.

X510C Sonar Fishfinder

High-performance 200 kHz Skimmer® transducer with built-in temperature sensor
Lowrance radar compatible
LowranceNET® networking (NMEA 2000® certification pending)
Ethernet expansion port compatible for radar and satellite radio
Total sonar performance and brilliant display come together in one of the most colorful and affordable fishfinders ever innovated by Lowrance. Providing 2400W of peak sonar power at 200 kHz frequency and radar compatibility, all displayed on a 5″, 480 x 480 high-res TFT display.

Have you ever had one of those days where you just can not buy a bite? You try all your favorite lures, baits, and tactics and still nothing and you begin to wonder where all the fish are! Even the most experienced fishermen have been there left wondering what and where to try next. Well there is a tool that is a sure way of putting you on the fish. 

The modern day fish finders uses refined sonar technology and are a great advantage while trying to locate fish. Using sound wave these units can give you a clear image of what’s under the water from rocks stumps or gravel and you can see what’s in between like the fish. These handy units save you time locating fish giving you more time to be fishing for them. This is a great help during the transition times when the Steelhead and Salmon are migrating and the weather conditions have change suddenly or the water temps are changing.
 
Fish finders come in a number of shapes and sizes and with a number of different features as with anything today the bigger and fancier the unit the higher the price. Purchasing a fish finder can be a challenging experience with all the choices that you have today. If you are after a unit that will let you know where the fish are and at what depth any of the smaller units will work well, however if you are after something that will show you in great detail what is laying under the water you will need to purchase one of the larger more expensive units. Either way you will have the advantage of knowing where the fish are holding.

A new technology which is becoming very popular is the wrist watch Fish finder.

Here the Hummingbird SmartCast Fish Finder Watch uses a floating sonar sensor attached to the fishing line (it weighs about 1 oz.) and has an operating radius of 75 feet, transmitting real-time views of fish to the display unit you wear like a watch.

The sensor reads water depth up to 100 feet with a 90 degree sonar beam to find the spot where fish hide. All controls are operated from the one-touch wrist unit, including the fish proximity alarm, sensitivity level, depth range, and fish identifier. The remote sensor provides 400 hours of continuous usage, and automatically shuts off after it is removed from water to conserve battery life. The price range of this device is around $100.00.

When looking for your there are a number of manufactures to choose from here are some of the more popular, Garmin, Lowrance, Northstar, Humminbird, Hawkeye and there are other I just have not listed them here. One feature that I recommend is to purchase a unit which also has a GPS feature, this is great for marking your location so that you can find it again and it will help you to get back to where you started should the fog set in or it gets dark.

A fish finder can be a very handy tool for catching a lot more fish. It can help you know the depth of a lake or river and where the fish are holding. The great thing about it is it doesn’t have to break the wallet, and with GPS technology, you can have a safe, secure fishing trip.

By : RR Smith