Search for fish goes high-tech
By A.S. Berman
Gannett News Service
This season, underwater cameras, digital fish finders and automated rods that literally "get jiggy with it" are being touted as must-haves for the tackle boxes of the nation's 44 million anglers.
Even more impressive than the actual technology, says In-Fisherman magazine technology columnist Bill Diedrich, is that "what the dollar buys now is far superior to what it bought five years ago."
New gadgets help anglers nail the big ones.
Americans spent more than $5 billion on fishing equipment in 2001, according to the most recent American Sportfishing Association estimates.
This year, manufacturers are rolling out some very sophisticated technologies to hook even more in consumer sales.
Underwater view
Underwater cameras continue to rank high on anglers' wish lists.
Raymarine's DSM 250 high-definition fish-imaging system presents a graphical representation of what's going on underwater.
Aquaview's DT series camera lets enthusiasts see where their potential catch is swimming.
Lowrance sells fish finders that use basic sonar technology.
These rugged devices include monitors that allow users to determine what marine life is near and whether it's taking the bait — all in real time.
Nature Vision (aquavu.com) of Brainerd, Minn., which sells 80 percent to 90 percent of North America's underwater fishing cameras, will unveil its first Motorized Aqua-Vu, or MAV, system, says company founder and CEO Jeff Zernov.
When attached to a boat, the MAV lets users raise or lower the camera with the touch of a foot pedal. The picture is displayed on a 7-inch screen. It also indicates water depth and temperature.
Estimated price for the MAV is $1,000, Zernov says, about $600 more than the lowest-end Aqua-Vu camera.
The company also will offer the $29.95 Buzz Stix ice-fishing rod, which uses a vibrating motor to give your lure just the right jiggle.
Both products will be launched at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing trade show in July.
Sonar soundings
For those who enjoy a little more challenge when they cast a line, companies such as Lowrance, Vexilar and Si-Tex offer an assortment of "fish finders" that use low-tech sonar technology to locate potential catches.
Recently, Raymarine of Nashua, N.H., brought this technology into the 21st century with its new high-definition fish-imaging system.
Traditional fish finders are able to focus only on specified depths of water, says Raymarine President Terry Carlson.
Anything swimming above or below those depths appears as an unidentifiable blob, especially if several fish are swimming close together.
Raymarine's HDFI devices offer a detailed graphical representation of what's going on beneath the water, Carlson says, "from the first inch all the way to the bottom."
An entry-level HDFI fish finder runs about $800, not including a monitor, which starts at $2,000, Carlson says.
Basic sonar fish finders cost between $100 and $200, In-Fisherman's Diedrich says, and teach anglers "one of the skills you need to learn, which is, 'How do I interpret what I see?' "
