Fishfinder technology has come quite a distance within the last few few years and there's today really an appealing range of maritime technology dedicated to the purpose of finding the very best fishing spots.
You can get Fishfinders, such as the Lowrance HDS-5X line, that simply find fish. Best portable fishfinder sounders as incorporated parts in other underwater technology, like multifunction controllers, chartplotters and so on. Most underwater electronics, including fishfinders, feature a great number of features, some that you could never use, and others which you could arrived at be determined by heavily.
Two important conditions for selecting a fishfinder would be the volume and power of the transducer - this is the part that directs a sign (actually a sound wave) into the water searching for fish. Together, these determine how deep your fishfinder will look and the fidelity of the objects it finds. The Lowrance HDS-5X series fishfinders are charged based on the transducer frequency. The Lowrance HDS-5X with a 50 to 200 KHz range moves for fifty dollars more compared to same product having an 83 to 200 KHz range. That is since the low frequencies (50 KHZ v. 80 KHz) will penetrate greater water. At 50 KHz a transducer can penetrate waters 1000 to 1500 legs deep and have a greater column width, although at 200 KHz the same transducer may only probe as much as 300 to 400 feet with a slender beam but earnings effects with a greater degree of detail.
One more thing to find is whether the fishfinder is single volume or twin volume (also named simple column and combined beam.) Twin volume fishfinders run on both larger and decrease frequencies, sending beams right down and down to the edges of the ship for greater results.
Transducers can be mounted in several different ways, but usually involve positioning in to the hull of one's vessel to one amount or another. You will have to consider this before purchasing your fishfinder. A transom secured transducer, while the title suggests, is installed on the transom (at the rear of the boat) and needs you to routine many holes little holes whereas a through-hull mounting needs one to punch a large hole in the hull of the boat. It used to be that more powerful transducers (1000 watts) could only be secured as through brackets but that's adjusting as engineering evolves. Transom installed types tend to be more suited to smaller ships and through-mounted transducers provide better performance and are far more suited to boats that operate at high rates, or in seas where fishfinder performance is critical.
When choosing underwater electronics of any kind that provide data in graphical type, and particularly fishfinders, the exhibit is definitely an important consideration. Try to find shows that are backlit, watchable in brilliant sunshine, shade able, and high resolution for the best detail. Of course the bigger display you obtain, the higher it is, if you only possess a little space to mount the show on your dashboard.