Hi guys,

    I just recently came across this cool looking fish locator and was wondering if anyone here has tried it and and could give some feedback on it? It looks like something that could really help me being that 98% of my fishing time is spent fishing from shore. One of my fishing biddies says they are junk because at Cabelas there are a ton of them in the clearence isle that are from returns. I really don't need allot of info in the display. mainly I am looking for depth and structure. By Hummingbirds own site it seems like it would be perfect for me but I am looking for a real world experience from use. The model I am looking at is the RF15. It has the biggest screen at 3 7/8 inches diagonal. And it even has water temp too. The average price is $169.99. Thanks.

Paul

*cough* crap *cough*

Kinda of have to agree with LBH. i bought one that was on clearance from Dick's, took it out and it was reading the bottom at 3 feet for everywhere it casted it, even 20ft off the shore from the dam.  Then i was taking with a guy in a boat and he said his depth finder was showing anywhere from 6ft to 30 ft.  I ended up taking it back.  

Wasn't that the one that was combo'd with the scooby doo rod and reel?

Hammer

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not a good use of great tackle money.

I wondered about these also, you would think that someone figured out a fix or tweak to get them to operate correctly. They probably work in a test aquarium, but are no good under real conditions.

I'd like to find one cheap and crack it open, see what the problem is. I'm no electronics expert, but I know some that might like the challenge.

Well after posting this question I got to talk with another fishing buddy. He said what he did was buy a normal locater and got a kit to make it portable. Then all he does is stick the transducer in the water. He says it works quite well. I will have to see it work for myself before I do that. thanks for the input guys.

Paul

Handy,

I'd like to know more about what he did too!  

Hello fellow anglers......

I got a brand new Smartcast RF20 for $50 at a yard sale in June.  This is the model that mounts to your rod.  I put it on a MH Baitcast set up and used it at several small nearby lakes and the lake I live on.  I generally canoe or kayak fish and sometimes wade so portabilty is the key.  As far as performance-  You definately have to reel slow and keep the receiver pointed at the sensor.  Also, if there is a little chop it will give false reads or stall out until the sensor stabilizes.  I like to use it as a general guide to find depth and structure and then use a crank or weighted plastic to "feel" for structure.  Overall I thought it worked fairly well.  As a matter of fact I have located structure and creek beds I never knew exisited and structure in places I never thought would hold fish.  I can actually back that claim up because I snorkeled down and visually verified sunken row boats, trees, logs, rock piles and creek channels that showed up on that tiny little screen.  I would vouch for the accuracy of my RF20 up to 35' because that is about all I can free dive to.   I am not sure if it is worth the $100+ retail price.  I personally find it useful in my style of fishing.  And it has definately improved my catch rate.   Maybe you you get one cheap on ebay...........

Aslo.....I can not honestly say the fish alarm works but have hooked keepers casting to the depths it shows fish.......

Been lurking for months and I registered just to respond to this post ...

I have one of these - the RF20 - and I really enjoy having it. I fish exclusively from the shore and, often, on new ponds that I find in satellite photos or chatting with folks at the local fishing store. When I roll up on a new body of water, I like to put the green sonar thing on the end of my pole and throw it all over. It helps me quickly find deep spots, channels, humps and the depth that the fish are hanging out at. Is it crap - no. Find me a single serious bass fisherman that has a boat and doesn't have a fish finder; they're few and far between. I don't have a boat; why shouldn't I have a fish finder? There's another thread on here asking who uses satellite photos or land surveys to find cover and deep spots on water ... nobody calls that crap. This is just another piece of technology to help you understand the terrain that you're fishing. I read lots of reviews on Amazon, etc. and there are definitely some people that haven't been happy with it. I happen to know a guy that has the RF30 and his big complaint was the range. Most of the complaits that I read were on the RF30 and so I decided to give the RF20 a shot. I've been very pleased. It has worked for months out of the box, as described.

But, be realistic, its $50ish. It doesn't work in 12' waves. I fish on small ponds and the "waves" never get much greater than a ripple on the surface. But, its easy to see how waves would make this relatively tiny sonar buoy wobble too much to consistently send/recieve the signal. The water I fish on is rarely 20' deep - most of the time, its 4'-9'. This thing is consistent and, seemingly, accurate - by that I mean, if I cover the same area twice, I get the same reading of the bottom; when I've been able to know the depth, either by clear water or a stick, the reading on my RF20 is consistent with my observations.

I get LOTS of rolled eyes when my fishing buddies see me using it. But, invariably, they'll ask - "how deep is it?" Before I answer, I ask, "How deep do you think it is?" Most of the time, they're within a few feet of the actual average depth. I let them have their moment and let them shoot a quick jab about how they don't *need* something like this before I ask, "Where's the deepest point in this channel?" That's a VERY different discussion and usually ends with silence (or, a demo of the fish finder).

Remember that this is a tool, one of many that we can employ to help us locate probable fish locations. I, for one, say that anything that works and helps you catch fish is a good thing. Remember, also, that it has its limitations. But, I've spent $50 on LOTS of other things that I've been less impressed with.

Before you buy consider:

1. How rough does the water get? If you're looking at "waves" this thing probably won't work. It does fine in ripples.

2. How deep is the water you're fishing? If you're fishing 200' of water, you probably want something a little more stable and higher powered than the $50 model. If you're in <20' of water, I've had great success with mine.

3. I've seen the RF30 and RF20 in action, in person. The RF20 DEFINITELY has MUCH longer range. I would say that the range on the RF30 (which is basically a wristwatch) was ~20'. I've seen the RF20 work from ~100', when fishing from a pier (elevated). The little antenna on the RF20 seems to help.

4. I don't know how many poles you carry. But, I carry two and one has a clip for cranks, etc. I put a swivel on my green sonar thing and attach that to the clip. Its MUCH easier than having to tie the thing on every time I want to use it.

5. Do you always fish the same water? If so, you'd probably only use this the first few times you get it. Once you know the lay of the "land" down there, there's not much reason to fuss with it.

6. I would have liked to have gotten the RF25 that would tell me water surface temperature. Again, not the kind of thing that I would use every time I fish on the same body of water. But, since I move around alot, it would be nice to know where we are on water temp.

I hope this helps. Just my .02 ...

Just thought of a few things - don't buy a used one. The green transducer is sealed and the battery isn't replaceable. So, in a used one, you run the risk of getting one that the battery's been burned out. Which reminds me, wipe it off when you pull it up - it'll save battery. Also, the guy who converted one into a portable - the nice thing about this is that the transducer is wireless, which means I can cast it out. I can't think of a way to do that with a converted one ...

again, just my .02 ...