Fish Finder: What It Is And How Does It Work?

Fishing is a way of life for hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Aside from recreation and fun, it is the center of a $120.85 billion production machine that feeds millions of people every day. Fishing constitute entire economies for dozens of coastal countries. And due to its size and prevalence, innovations and adjustments have been made to increase productivity, decrease waste, and sharpen efficiency. One of these innovations is the fish finder. A fish finder is a tool that has been used by big-time commercial fisherman. It does exactly what its name implies: finds fish underwater. A big improvement indeed. Anyone that’s gone fishing knows that the variability of a catch is as wide as it is time-consuming. Why not go where the fish, for sure, are. In this article, we’ll explore its origins, what exactly it is, and how it works. Here you can buy security signs for property.

What It Is 

A fish finder, also known as a sounder in Australia, was introduced to the commercial fishing market in the early 90’s. It completely revolutionized the way people fish. Without the fishfinder, people would rely on almanacs, chum, and local knowledge. And as much as these down-home techniques worked for a time, it limited a fisherman’s territory to places they knew like the back of their hand. With the best fish finder for their needs, they could go out and explore, within their bounds, and find new opportunities in the market. They can even step up their sport fishing game. The opportunities become endless with the device. 

How It Works

Fish finders traditionally use SONAR technology. It sends down a pulse and measures which frequency comes back. The reflected sound is sent into a computerized interpretation mechanism and displayed as a floor map with areas where fish may potentially be. Aside from individual fish, it can track schools of fish, underwater debris, and other moving objects under water. The origins of this technology was in electronic “fathomers,” devices used to see how deep the body of water is. They both use similar frequencies and differ from each other by the readout mechanism. An underwater transducer is dropped into the water to deliver the sound waves at a rate of up to 40 pulses per second. The outcome is a graphical display of the bottom of the body of water, and the objects in between, over time. 

Fish Finders Of Today

Modern fish finders use a wide array of integrated technologies to better interface with users. Some employ radar, GPS, and even send information to your mobile device via the cloud. This aids in catching even the most difficult of fish to get hold of. They’re also highly specific to bodies of water. Because depth, salinity and vegetation may be a factor, individual fish finders are built for specific bodies of water. Each has fine-tuned technologies within it, in order to maximize a readout depending on the conditions of the water. Some work better in lakes, and some work better on ice. It really depends on what you are looking for.

It’s hard to think of a time before fish finders. Even sport fishermen and anglers use it during training to get the feel of a given environment. The point is, fish finders are here to stay. Not having one puts a fisherman at an immediate disadvantage. But putting that sound and small investment into a good one can mean an absolute improvement in your game or business.