Echo sounders for fishing from a boat

Each angler, having acquired a boat, eventually begins to think about how to purchase an echo sounder. This device allows you to study the bottom of the reservoir, look for fish and promising points where it is most likely to be found. In fact, this is the best fishing assistant, with proper use of which you can significantly increase catches and their stability.

In this article we will talk about the problem of choosing an echo sounder for a rubber boat. What basic requirements should the device meet, what should I pay attention to before buying it? It will be important to learn about the main characteristics of modern depth gauges, which determine their functionality.

Which echo sounder to choose?

As a rule, small inflatable boats are used in local space. They are equipped with low-power outboard engines that allow you to move around the water area with some restrictions. Firstly, the speed of movement of such a watercraft is insignificant. Secondly, it is impossible to cover long distances on such a kit.

Consequently, for rubber boats with a motor, simple devices are needed. They are required to perform two main tasks:

• Depth measurement and its changes.
• Tracking the bottom relief and displaying information on the display.

All budget echo sounders have similar basic functions. Actually, this is their main purpose. As the cost of a product increases, its capabilities increase. The presence of some is critical for large reservoirs, but in our case they can be neglected.

Advice! For small ponds, you should not strive to buy an expensive echo sounder with many functions. Most of them will still not be used. Then why pay more?

The main parameters of echo sounders for pvc boats include:

• sensor power;
• the number of rays;
• the degree of sensitivity of the data receiver;
• display parameters and the quality of the displayed picture;
• availability of additional options;
• manufacturer.

The power of the sensor affects the depth of the sonar scan and the quality of the transmitted information. Naturally, more powerful devices are able to better “break through” the water column and give a clearer picture. The higher this figure, the more expensive the product will cost.

An inflatable boat does not need an overly expensive echo sounder

However, the quality of the picture displayed on the monitor depends not only on the power of the sensor. If the receiver turns out to be weak, then you should not even dream of clear, high-precision information. In addition, the larger the display and the better its resolution, the more convenient it is to read the image, the fine details of the bottom are more visible.

The presence of additional "chips" in the echo sounder is always welcome. The main thing is that they do not interfere with the convenience of using the device for its intended purpose and do not worsen the quality of bottom scanning. The main auxiliary options in inexpensive fish finders for fishing from a boat are:

• Water temperature sensor;
• Ability to change the scale of the image;
• Display sensitivity adjustment;
• Boat speed sensor;
• Fish detection function;
• Additional settings for font size and image quality on the screen.

Important! Some even budget models have the function of displaying the bottom in several modes at once.

Lawrence echo sounder is a good choice for a beginner angler

Of course, special attention must be paid to the manufacturer of the depth gauge. Two brands that are especially popular in fishing circles are Lowrance and Humminbird. Slightly less well-known products from Eagle and Garmin. Other companies are not yet able to fully compete with them, but worthy models can be found in their assortment.

Brief overview of some models

Today, a huge number of echo sounders are produced, endowed with various functionalities. For small rubber boats, it is not necessary to choose a model for a space price. A budget sonar will fit perfectly, because its main task is to measure the depth and display the bottom topography, as already indicated above. Let's take a look at some of the most popular depth gauges that are in demand among our anglers.

Lowrance Hook-24x bullet

A relatively new inflatable fish finder that replaces the famous Lowrance X4 and X4 Pro. This budget model is in demand among beginner anglers and those who fish in small waters from small rubber boats equipped with low-power outboard motors.

Hook-24 bullet new base model with minimal features

Among the advantages of the Hook-24 bullet model are:

• Horizontal four-inch color screen displaying a clear picture;
• The keypad is located on the side of the display and is thoughtfully programmed for maximum convenience for the angler;
• There is a function to automatically adjust the sonar to enter the operating mode in each case, without wasting too much time.

The Lowrance Hook-24x bullet echo sounder scans the bottom with a single beam at a frequency of 200 kHz. A sensitive adjustment of the color and contrast of the monitor allows you to display the image on the screen as clearly as possible and see the smallest details of the bottom topography. Of the additional details, one can note a water temperature sensor and the ability to fix fish.

A budget model from another well-known manufacturer of sonar, which can also be recommended for fishing from an inflatable boat. It has a monochrome five-inch screen with wide options for adjusting the clarity and contrast of the displayed display.

Humminbird 570X DI is one of the best models in its price range

Despite the low cost, the echo sounder has several display modes. The angler has the opportunity to choose the best for specific purposes. There is an option to split the screen into two horizontal areas:

• The upper part displays the bottom topography in the classic format;
• In the lower area, the picture is displayed in Down Imaging mode.

In addition, there is an option to zoom the image with a magnification of 2x, 4x, 6x, 8x. In this case, the display can be switched to the split image mode, when the left vertical area will display an enlarged picture, and the right one will show the image in real size.

The echo sounder has two beams that allow you to scan the bottom in different modes. The display sensitivity setting has 20 levels, which allows the angler to adjust the image detail, reducing the interference caused by debris floating in the water.

Also, the Humminbird 570X DI model locator allows you to adjust the screen scrolling speed, highlight it in the dark, display the depth and temperature of the water “overboard” on it. Definitely the best fish finder in its price range.

This is a single-beam echo sounder, which has been produced for a long time and is familiar to many domestic fishermen. It is a basic budget model for beginners. Allows you to track the depth at the place of fishing and control the bottom topography. It does not contain any ultra-modern functions, simplicity is its main advantage.

This model has been produced for a long time and has earned positive feedback from anglers.

All information is displayed on a 4-inch monochrome display. The emitter in this model emits one ultrasonic beam with a wrapping angle of 60 degrees. This is enough to qualitatively scan the bottom under the boat and find promising points where there is a high probability of fish parking.

Additional features include:

• fish detection system;
• water temperature sensor;
• the ability to adjust the font size and screen contrast;
• battery level monitoring.

The beam emitted by the emitter can scan the bottom at a depth of up to 183 meters. Although it is mainly used on small and medium rivers, as well as small quarries and lakes.

This is a more professional model, containing not only the functions of a sonar, but also a chartplotter. It has a square five-inch monitor with a screen resolution of 480x480. The monitor displays a clear color image, which can be scaled and adjusted for its clarity.

Lowrance Hook-5 - Affordable Fishfinder with Chartplotter Features

It has several display modes, which depend on the frequency and angle of coverage of the beam used. The angler has the ability to split the screen into several areas, where the bottom will be displayed simultaneously in different modes, which is very convenient for quickly searching for fish and studying the bottom topography.

This fish finder already has the full functionality of a chartplotter. It can be successfully used on large water bodies, remembering the routes of movement in the water area and fixing catch points that you can return to on subsequent fishing trips.

Advice! This echo sounder is suitable for fishing on reservoirs and large rivers.

All settings on the Lowrance Hook-5 are intuitive. It will be easy for a fisherman to figure out which parameters to set in a particular situation. The buttons are located on the side panel under the right hand, thoughtfully programmed, easy to use.

The original budget sonar aimed at beginner anglers. It has a 4-inch color display that allows you to adjust the clarity of the image depending on the fishing situation. Scans the bottom in several modes using two beams with different wrap angles.

Naki 810C - an inexpensive fish finder with a minimum set of necessary features

The features of this boat echo sounder include the following:

• Three screen color modes, including night vision function;
• The ability to smoothly change the scale of the picture;
• Temperature sensor;
• The menu is made in the style of Windows;
• Fish detection function, both by displaying the corresponding icon on the screen, and with a sound signal.

In general, this is a pretty good sonar for solving simple tasks - determining the depth and scanning the bottom topography. It allows you to easily find promising places and detect a cluster of fish.

A good fish finder doesn't have to be expensive or have a lot of features. For an inflatable rubber boat, a simple budget model with a basic set of features will do. Such a device will be quite enough in order to better explore the water area and increase the results of fishing.