We all dream about fishing off the continental shelf, but lets be realistic, most of us don’t do it! Make sure that the depth meter of your saltwater fishfinder is accurate enough to read the depths that you navigate in the most. Most lakes and bays do not need very large depth range. However, if you are fishing in the ocean the water depths change quickly and drastically. Depending on how often you are out there you may want to find a high powered salt water fishfinder that can accurately read a few hundred feet. This will give you the depth of almost every situation you will ever be in, not to mention it will help save you a few bucks.

This depends on the type of fishing that you will be doing. If you are fishing in lakes, or shallow coastlines, you can get away with a low powered saltwater fishfinder. The power only becomes an issue when you are interested in seeing higher quality and more detailed images.

Different boats come with different types of power capability. Find out how much power your boat can provide and identify where you will be fishing (lakes, bays, oceans) to figure out which type of fishfinder is best for you and your boat.

In other words, how big of a screen do you need on your fishfinder? Similar to fishfinder screen resolution, this also comes down to personal preference. There are a few different types of screen sizes and displays that come in black and white or color. One question might be, how good is your eyesight? All jokes aside, the most common sizes are:

• 6 inch screen
• 5 inch screen
• 4 inch screen

Also, the larger the screen on the saltwater fishfinder, the more expensive the unit will be.

It really comes down to personal preference when deciding what display resolution you need for a fishfinder. In case you did not know, as the screen resolution increases the image quality increases as well. Similarly, as the fishfinder display resolution increases so does the price of the unit. Higher display resolution screens are generally recommended if a GPS unit is used with the saltwater fishfinder, otherwise, the average display resolution will do just fine.

Well the general rule is that single frequency transducers are used for lakes and shallow waters, while dual frequency is used for larger bays and deep see fishing in the ocean.

It really depends on what part of the country you are located in and what type of fishing you are trying to do. If you live on the coast and you will be fishing in the ocean, or bays, a dual frequency transducer is the way to go for your fishfinder.

The Striped Bass fishing has been so good that you can start to see swells of fish rolling on the surface of the ocean.  Fisherman have been having success right off of Montauk Point Lighthouse.   Both inshore and offshore fishing are red hot and are seeing action from both sides.  There are so many striped bass around that it looks like they are swimming on top of each other.

More specifically surfcasters have been seeing great success fishing off of Ditch Plains and Turtle Cove.  Some reports have it that it is as easy as casting a line out and snagging bass.  Imagine that!  Most reports have the bass coming in around 28″ to 35″ inches off the beach, but you never know when that big one is going to come around!

Humminbird offers a wide variety of marine products such as:

• Humminbird Fishfinder
• Humminbird GPS Units
• Humminbird Transducers
• Humminbird Maps & Charts
• Humminbird Accessories

Not only does Humminbird create an assortment of marine GPS and fishfinder units, but they also manufacture a wide variety of price points to suit any boater’s needs.  Humminbird fishfinder models range from the 300 series to the 1100 series.  Here is a list of Humminbird product series:

Our site mostly takes a look at saltwater fishfinders; however, Humminbird offers a wide range of products the serve both the saltwater angler and the freshwater angler.  They even have special equipment for ice fishing expeditions!

Depending on what your needs are, what type of fish you are going for, and where you are located, you can easily find a fish finder to suit your needs.  More and more recently fishermen have been opting for the combo fishfinder/gps unit to outfit their boats.  As the cost of both fishfinders and GPS units come down it makes it a no brainer for someone who has the cash.

The first mate told us that the morning trip maxed out at twelve keeper striped bass.  At least we knew the fish were biting!

Our trip departed the Montauk docks at 11:30 AM and returned at 4:30 PM.  During that time period we caught probably about 10 or so striped bass (no blue fish!).  Of those ten fish, seven of them were keepers.

We did not use bait.  We were trolling around the point “jigging.”  I am pretty sure the captain was using some sort of saltwater fish finder, but it also looked like he was using his experience of his other fishing trips.  While at first this method may seem extremely tedious, you know it is worth it when you land a fish.  It is always a pleasure going fishing in Montauk, Long Island with guys who have never done it before.  ”How will I know if I have a fish?”  Trust me, you’ll know.  There’s nothing better than seeing the expression on their face when the hook their first bass.

Overall, the trip was a great success.  We brought six guys on our Montauk fishing trip, and everyone caught one.  Each of us actually caught a keeper!  The striped bass fishing in Montauk truly is some of the best fishing around.  No, we didn’t catch the largest bass in the world, but there was constant action all day, leaving everyone wanting more.

Get ready for the upcoming fishing season, and know how to use your new gadget! Once you learn how to use a fish finder you and how to install it on your boat, you will be catching the “big one” in no time!