Now that you have one of those fancy Humminbird fish finders installed on your boat, what are you going to do with it? A fish finder certainly makes you look like you know what you are doing, but impressing your friends won't help you catch fish. Once you have figured out how it works and know how to adjust its settings, it's time to go fishing!
The most obvious use for your fish finder is to find depth. Why is that important? Well, fish are creatures of habit. They tend to be found at the same depth at any given time. However, there are variables. Time of the day, time of the season, water temperature, barometric pressure, and weather conditions are just a few of the variables that can determine at what depth you can find them
. That's part of the fun of fishing, figuring out where they will be taking all these variables into account. Your fish finder makes finding your depth one variable you DON'T have to worry about!
Now you know how deep the water is, now you need to know what else is down there. Structure on the bottom is important to know, especially for species such as one of anglers' favorite target, the bass. Structure is where there is a variance in the contours or depths of the lake bottom. Examples include drop-offs, holes, humps (opposite of a hole), ledges, shelves, etc. This is not to be confused with what we call cover, which are natural or man-made areas for fish to hide, such as weed beds, docks, fallen trees and brush, or even a sunken boat. Structure and cover are terms oftentimes used interchangeably, so it is useful to know the distinction between the two.
Structure and cover can concentrate the quantity of fish. Whether they use it as a place to hide, wait in ambush, feed, or breed, most structure cannot be seen from above, so the fish finder is crucial in determining where it exists. Some structure can be determined based on land clues, such as a point.
Oftentimes, fish may not be directly over structure, but may be suspended at a comparable depth of prominent structure in the area. This is called fishing "off-structure." Structure may also mark a point of the traveling pattern of fish, so mapping structure can help you predict presence of fish. Knowing where structure and cover exist give you an excellent chance at a successful fishing trip.
Other useful features of your Hummingbird fishfinder include knowing water temperature. Fish often prefer certain temperatures, or are more active in certain temperatures, so knowing this will definitely be helpful. Boat speed is also important if you are trolling, so many fish finders include this feature. GPS and mapping technologies are included on many models, which can map out and save structure readings for future reference, as well as track your location
Lastly, fish finders by definition "find fish." Rather, they simply locate where a submerged solid object is located. Through adjustments made to your fish finder and user interpretation of what is displayed, you can learn where fish are located. Humminbird fish finders can be set to show fish as a "fish icon" on the screen. If disabled, fish echoes show up as an arch, allowing the user to interpret the echo to determine if it is a fish or some other object. Whichever icon mode you use, you will soon see the difference in your ability to find more fish to catch!
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