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| I've come to the conclusion, that to be able to have better boat control, I need another depth finder up front. In the past, I've been up on the bow with the trolling motor, and my dad has been fishing in back, watching the console mounted depth finder, telling me the depth, where to go, etc. I'm not very comfortable with this, specially since I (we) do not know the lake very well. And then when I fish alone, its that much worse. Do you guys feel a bow-mounted depth finder is needed? Is there any (good) reason to get an expensive depth finder up there with all the gadgets?
Thanks,
MJB |
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| You don't need an expensive unit up front. All you need is a depth finder that will tell you the depth.
Look on the swap board, there are always depth finders for sale. |
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| If you are going to mount the transducer on the trolling motor DO NOT get a high powered unit. They are more sensative and thus more prone to interference from the trolling motor. A unit such as the Lowrance x-71 is my choice. |
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| To answer your initial question, yes you do need a locator on the front of your boat to properly work structure. Until this year I used my locator at my console (rigged on the left side of the console on a rotating RAM mount) from the front and the console of my boat. When I was fishing I rotated the locator so it faced the front of the boat so I could check my locator by glancing over my shoulder at the console mount.
This spring I rigged up a bow mount locator that is positioned right at my feet when casting from the front deck. Having this mount right at my fingertips (or toe tips in this case) has allowed me to continually monitor my depth. It has helped me find fingers, points and inside turns that I would have otherwise missed if not continually checking my locator. It has definetly accounted for more fish in the boat this year by allowing me to work a spot on a spot instead of just the general area.
As far as locator quality let me pose this question to you. When do you need the best information from your locator, when you are motoring up to the spot or when you are actually using it to make sure your baits are hitting the exact areas you expect the fish to live? I would put the best electronics you can at your fishing station. You spend more time there then you do behind the wheel driving the boat, and the information is more critical at that time. At the very least you need a unit that gives immediate information, with quality greyscale and the ability to distinguish between fish, baitfish, weeds, and the thermocline.
When installing your front locator put some thought into it. Find out which side you do most of your casting off, I do all of mine off the left side of my boat so I have the locator positioned in the front left corner of my boat so it is just a quick glance down while I'm working my bait back. Its also a good idea to mount it on the floor rather than on the front bow so if it does get an accidental boot, the side of the boat is there to catch it before it hits the drink. |
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| Yes, I do think you need some sort of depth finder in the front of your boat if you'll be casting from there.I run a LMS 350A in the rear of my boat and upgraded last year from a flasher to a X65 on the front deck. |
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| MJB,
I am getting one for the spring. I am getting the cheapest Eagle unit I can find for the bow. You can get one for under $100.
I bought my fall clothing first! I'd rather be warm and dry first!!
If you fish the same lakes all the time and know the lake, another finder is not necessary. However, if you try new locations and different lakes, it will be handy to see structure and depth!
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| MJB, I would have gladly traded my console depth finder for a bow mount years ago if I could only have one finder. The bow of the boat is where you do your business. You want to see as much from there as possible. Go with the best unit you can afford. Then mount the transducer to the trolling motor itself. You will want to see what is under the front of the boat not what you have allready passed over. No matter how well you think that you know your lake, you don't know the contours until you have a good depth finder on the front and spend some time with the electric down and the finder on. This slow approach to finding structure is not available from the console of your boat. I know a lot of pros that still use a paper graph for the great definition they get. This is in addition to the console finder and the bow mount. I know we can't all be so lucky as to have all of this equipment, but guys will go to great lengths to findan extra fish or two. They use this once the structure has been found and "scoped out" to look for every minute detail of the area they are fishing. Go with a good quality finder on the front. I use a Lowrance X85 myself. You will not be sorry buying the best you can. |
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| Muskyone -
Here s how I look at it: I disagree on buying the best for your bow if your not a tournament fisherman. All you need is to locate depth, fish and structure. A cheap Eagle for $100 will do the job versus a X85 that runs 3 times as much.
Now, if I was a tournament fisherman or a guide, I may think about it.
Until that day comes, a cheaper unit on the bow is all you need.
Just my 2 cents. |
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| Tahoe,
Whether I am fishing in a tourney, or in the boat by myself on a Tuesday night, I want the best shot I got at putting a fish in the boat. That means having quality equipment at my disposal, especially at my fishing station.
I really feel you are better off putting your best tools where they can be utilized the most. I spend more time casting off the front deck then I do behind the wheel of my boat so I should have my best electronics in the front where I can use them. Yes you can get by with a cheap bow locator but being that you use it far more than the one on the console, and are using it to fine tune the structure why would you want to go as cheap as possible? That bow locator will help you find that spot on the spot while you are slowly moving along the structure with your troller, so I definetly want something that I can trust the reading on. |
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| Tahoe, yes you are correct, that is why I stated that you want the best finder that you can trully afford. If I was to ever "overspend" however this would be one of the areas where I would put my money. I would also spend extra on my trolling motor. These are a couple of items that are very important in your boat to make you a more succesful angler. I have caught a lot of fish in years gone by with a boat that had no outboard engine at all, only a trolling motor, a set of oars, and a bow mount depthfinder. I chose, and would do so again to have a good high powered troller and depth finder before I would need an outboard motor. Large lakes were a problem but I stuck to the small water and did just fine. Come to think of it, I probably caught more fish then as I didn't fish tournaments or anything like that. When I found fish I just caught them, well sometimes at least. These are just my priorities, other folks needs may vary. Remember however, that you are never sorry that you bought the best you can afford.
Also, by the way, it is nice to stay warm and dry, isn't it? Great investment in the rain gear. |
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| Very well see that points you have presented.
I think like all things in life, it comes down to personal preference?
It also comes down to money....
I understand the importance of the best finder @ the bow. I buy the best equipment I can and invest alot of money. I personalyy am adding the Eagle Fish Easy 2 or the Raymarine 365. I already have the Raymarine and love it.
I don't see spending an extra $80 to have the Raymarine at the bow when I know the Eagle will do the job.
Just my view....Then again, I am looking at a whole new entirley. When I get that rig, I will have the best of the best from top to bottom. Until then, I'll make due and not invest too much in what I have knowing I'll get my dream rig soon.
Yes, the rain gear is handy, warm and I love it!
Got that Rain Suede Silent stuff from Cabelas. Awesome stuff!
When I leave in the morning, my wife asks me if I have my gun to go fishing since the outfit is all camo. I told her, no gun today, but I am going hunting for some big girls!
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| Tahoe, it is not a bad idea to have two different finders on the boat. The good thing is that they will not interfere with each other. The bad news is if one goes down, the other one does not work with the set up that you have in the other spot. I am luckier than most. I bought my current boat from a lottery winner and it indeed has everything. Also backups for most everything. 2 finders on the console & 2 on the bow. A little overkill but what the heck it has sure been handy. I have had the guide wear for about 10 years, does not seem to wear out at all. The rain suede is lighter is it not? Maybe a lot more comfortable when you have a lot of layers underneath. |
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| The rain suede is very comfortable. It is not insulated. I layer with a pair of fleece pants and fleece shirt and jacket. Not bulky at all. It was very easy to cast and move around.
WOW! 2 finders on bow and console! Now that is a set up! And if your not catching fish, then there is a problem!
So, you think I should get a different brand because another will interfere? I never heard of that before? |
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| It's still nice to see and mark baitfish and suspended musky as best as you can, even at the bow. I have the best that pinpoint made 5 years ago on my boat and my dad has an X-91. They are great for marking the baitfish and marking the unseen follow. We mark alot of those. You don't need speed and temp but power is king.[:)] |
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| I can't agree with putting the best finder on the bow. I am doing my primary looking with the big motor. When I get up on the spot the main thing I need to know is are there weeds, rocks, or wood on the bottom, and is the depth changing and which direction. If I am looking for hard or soft spots I will be looking with the big motor.
I have had a real good unit on the front and a cheapie on the console and it was a junky set up. |
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| I agree with the advice to have the best quailty depth finder at your fishing station. I run a tiller boat and so I'm always moving from back to front. I cast and troll. So I have 2 depth finders in my boat. Unfortunently I put a lesser detailed unit on the bow. I get the depth ok, but trying to pick out weeds from bait from rocks,etc is impossible on the bow unit. I have a Lowrance LMS-350A in the back that has great detail, but even turning it to face the front doesn't help as you can't read the screen from 16 feet away.
As my LMS unit is a graph/gps unit, what I have done is to motor back and forth across the breaklines/weedlines and place Icons on the edge of the break. This gives me a picture of the breakline on the plotter screen and it's stored in memory. Once I have the breakline completly mapped, I then take the LMS up front to the bow and plug it in up there. I don't have a transducer for the LMS upfront but I do have the GPS cable up front. So I can plug in the LMS to the gps module and see the map of the breakline and then use the cheap depthfinder to show me the depth I'm at. So I suggest that you might want to also consider having a gps unit up front with you. Using the 2 in combo really helps keep you on the spot on the spot. |
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