A fishfinder feature I think would be incredible

[Sterling]

As most of you know, fishfinders get their information from a cone-shaped signal sent from the boat to the bottom. Near the boat, the signal is narrow, and at bottom, the signal is largest. For this reason you're more likely to mark fish on bottom than right under the boat, often giving the illusion that there are more fish at greater depths.

 

In reality, marking 10 fish at say, 8ft depth vs. 20 fish at 30ft means there are more fish hanging out at 8ft. It's a simple matter of trigonometry, but in this example fish density would be 3.75 times greater at 8ft!

 

I would love to see this as an automated feature on fishfinders. Maybe a vertical axis on the left or right of the screen showing roughly fish density.

 

This wouldn't be perfect because units can't always differentiate fish vs interference or junk, but it would be a start. And for trout fishing, recognizing exactly where they're hanging out in the thermocline would be dandy.

 

Thoughts?

[dave524]

Pretty simple math, going back 50 years to High School, I think if you double the distance, you are looking at 4 times the area, so if there 4 fish marking at 20 feet, if the depth is increased to 40 feet you should see 16 if they are at the same density. Now , we still have to deal with fish at the edge of your cone marking 10 maybe 15 % deeper than they really are and downrigger balls marking deeper than they really are.

[Terry]

I had a transducer on the shaft of my trolling motor and one at the bottom of the motor. And could switch back and forth. I never really found it that useful. How ever garmin does sell a transducer. To do that As does side image partly do that

[misfish]

I just dangle in the water ,while Terry holds me by my ankles. Only let go once. LOL

[Terry]

so far

lol