Would be interested to get some views on the smart cast fish finder.

Has anyone used them and what do they think of them.

I know they have a limited range has anyone thought of trying to increase the range.

I was thinking of purchasing one to make feature finding easy and quick,which i feel would give me a edge when fishing large or new lakes,what do people think.

Finally someone told me they dont work in under 5 foot of water,is this true.

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I work on land, at a desk

I use and like the smartcast. As you say, limited range although it should be possible to get 50-60 yards with one.

I use a rod mounted receiver since it is easy to watch while reeling in the sounder head. Also easy enough to change the terminal tackle to replace the smartcast sounder with something else when I need to.

The display is good enough to give a pretty decent picture of the bottom except that it only reads in 0.5 ft increments. However, you can easily spot features and can also get a good idea of how soft or firm the bottom is and if it is soft mud, how deep that goes until the ground firms up.

The 'fish finder' part isn't completely reliable since it will show a variety of floating objects as fish. However, I have noticed that if I see no 'fish' on the display, I don't tend to catch from there.

Under 5 feet is interesting. The display does work but you are dealing with a very tiny cone so it is only showing you a few inch diameter circle of the bottom and from the display, there is no way to know that. It is just a function of the way all echo sounder systems work.

Smartcast is certainly not a magic cure and there are things a good marker rig will show you that the smartcast won't - IF you are good with a marker. But all in all, I'd say it is a very nice addition to your kit and well worth the cost.

I especially like being able to cast it out and retrieve until I find a feature then stop and cast my rig to the very easily seen sounder head as it floats. No chance of getting fouled on line reaching to the bottom as would happen with a marker rig. If, for instance, there is a small patch of firm bottom (sand, gravel, whatever) or a small patch of underwater weed, you can locate it precisely and cast to it.

Haven't got one yet but hoping my mate can fetch me one back from USA @ Xmas (much, much cheaper out there!!!).Dont' buy the cheaper ones, wrist mount screen is hard to see and difficult to use
Apparently normal range is only about 30mtrs but this can be greatly increased by raising the screen/base station as high above water level as possible. One guy at the Woolpack has mounted his on a long bankstick and has it at sort of eye level. It's claimed he gets nearly 100mtrs range.
Not sure about the under 5 foot bit but I'll ask him next time I see him.
Although I rate them highly I wouldn't pay UK price for one, much too expensive. Can pick one up in USA for as little as £50
If you do get one make sure you use a wire spinning trace as the "tug-boats" as I call them are prone to pike attacks and quite expensive to replace

$20 to replace the sounder head.

Careful if using the US ones in the UK. They operate on a frequency that is restricted in the UK and while I don't know how likely it is, you could get hit with a £5000 fine if caught using a US version.

On a more practical note, ours have a shorter range than the UK version.

you sure yours have a shorter range newt? uk laws and restrictions on any radio transmitting equipment are much tighter than any other, we definately have much shorter ranges on walkie talkies, radio microphones etc etc.

i have the smartcast with the display, and i think it has helped me to catch plenty of fish. the one i have tends to mess up in under 2 foot of water but in over 2 foot of water it gives prety accurate readings. it says on the box it has a range of about 30 metres or yards (i cant remember) but i have found it to be more like 40-50. unfortuneatly at the moment there is somthing wrong with mine but i have had it for nearly a year, and i think its the orange probe which is at fault which retails at 30 quid. I fink the smartcasts are great!

Smartcast VS Marker Float?

Both is the best answer.

A Smartcast is brilliant especially when you`re trying to fing clear areas over weed. When you find an area that seems likely get the marker rod out and have a lead around. Using both together keeps disturbance to a minimum, no more leading round for ages trying to find a place to bait.

jeepster - I'm not sure but I do think I remember reading that the UK version was designed to have a slightly longer range. Maybe 50% longer than the US one.

So your saying the range is higher than stated newt? Most of my carp fishing is close in to mid range so i thought it might help.

What i want is something i can use in coarse and sea fishing to increase my knowledge of whats down there as my marker float work leaves a lot to be desired!

Could anyone give me advice on using and reading them please as i have never used a sounder before.