In just a bit more than one fishing season’s time, CHIRP sounders have come out from Garmin, Raymarine, and the Navico group. The lawsuit (now settled) between Lowrance and Humminbird has brought attention to the 3-D imaging and side-scanning shallow water products that they have just introduced. Garmin purchased Interphase, which will likely result in powerful side and forward-scanning sonar to fit into the Garmin networks.
In the same timeframe, the commercial-grade sonars from Furuno have been revamped and the megayacht-sized Farsounder Forward Looking Sounders have won awards for their increased range and ease of use. At the shallow-water level, Lowrance 3-D fishfinders have been upgraded. There are other developments, too.... Read More
Excitement usually surrounds the new networked systems, but most people have a secret love for new gadgets and the small things that you use and touch often on the boat.
I scoured boat shows, the Internet, and tackle shops for new and unusual electronic inventions to fascinate and make your time on your boat better. I found a range of things for practical safety and communications plus some stuff that isn't even electronic—but you have to have it.
How far did I look? I went into Bed Bath & Beyond, which I usually leave to my wife, and found a durable digital thermometer by Taylor that measures to the tenth of a degree. It's handy on a boat for checking the conditions in your baitwell as well as... Read More
For years I have said that marine electronics should be made by marine companies for durability and for the specific applications. But now you can't deny the crossovers as we bring smartphones and tablets onboard our boats and we take charts and recorded fishing trips off the boat and work with them at home.
Many marine chart companies have embraced the smartphone craze and now Raymarine becomes the first and largest hardware builder to tie iPads and wireless connections into their new product line. ... Read More
Is CHIRP just another way of showing the same old picture on your fishfinder or do you gather lots of worthwhile information from this state-of-the-art technology? I was really impressed when I played with a new Garmin GSD26 off of Pompano Beach, and I'm looking forward to investigating Raymarine's new CP450C Clear Pulse™ CHIRP Sonar introduced at the Miami Boat Show. It's easy to see that finders using this new technology are far better than anything previously available.
With this new technology you will be able to target a big kingfish feeding in the middle of a school of bait, and you can operate these new sounders at a higher boat speed. ... Read More
Because the boating market is not as large as the consumer electronics world, new electronic designs for your boat have always been adapted a few years late to match up to consumer things like CDs, iPods, and mobile phones. Some years ago, government funding for wars made for new products for military ships, but then we had to wait for the secrets to become public before we got the technologies on boats.
I was out with friends jigging for bluefin tuna last week and having a great time of it. The lump we were drifting was loaded with bait holding near the bottom in 150 feet of water and the LCD screen clearly showed big red blobs mixed in with the bait schools. Those blobs were the tuna tearing up the sand eels and occasionally some of the baitfish would be driven to the surface.
We all have milestones in both our personal and professional lives. SKA members will always remember the first time they finished in the money or took first place in an event. A fifty- or sixty-pounder caught in a tournament won’t soon be forgotten. And earning the title of National Champion or Angler of the Year will not only cement your place in angling history, but also give you lifetime bragging rights. ... Read More
Click here to view the St. Lucie County reef locations featured in the February 2011 issue of Angler magazine by Christine Rodenbaugh entitled "If You Sink It They Will Come" ... Read More
This article appears in the April issue of Angler magazine. In an effort to allow readers to view the screen shots in color as they would appear on a computer screen, we have included the article online as a Web Exclusive. We hope you enjoy this online content provided as a companion to Angler magazine. ... Read More