smartcast FISHFINDER?

[My-insane_M8]

i'm lokking into buying a smartcast fishfinder, but before i do, i was wondering if anyone out there has played or bought one?

 

many thanks in advance.

Dale

[Newt]

If you click on the search link near the top of the page and use smartcast as your search term, you'll see some past discussions on the device.

[keithf]

we played around with one last week at our lake it was the watch one usa version. not bad bit hard to read the watch sometimes but it does give a good pic of lake bed also found some fish but unable to tell size. every now and then it lost the signal but otherwise i was impressed.

[Scott]

I ordered one on Thursday morning, paid the extra for next day delivery, its not here yet.

Hopefully it shouldbe ok if and when it arrives.

 

Scott.

[Elton]

Tried it yet, Scott?

[Paul_D]

Heard a bit of info about them today but am not sure if it is true or not. Many on the likes of Ebay are selling the US version which operates on a frequency apparently illegal over here. The US versions have a green transmitter unit whilst the UK ones are orange. The sealed battery has an operational life of around 400 hours it would seem and then the whole transmitter unit is changed on an exchange basis for £35, trouble is you then get the UK version which is not compatible with the receiver i.e. the watch type bit. Food for thought but as I say I'm not too sure if this is all true or not.

[Steve Burke]

I've just spend several days using a Smartcast (the full size one) at Wingham.

 

I thought I knew my own waters pretty well, especially having often used a fishfinder from the boat.

 

I didn't! The Smartcast told me about bars and other features I didn't even know existed! The problem with a boat is that it's never still, although it's excellent for a general overview. Using a Smartcast from the bank isn't as quick, but it's much easier to get an accurate map of a swim and line the features up with trees etc.

 

Of course the range isn't that great, but is more than the 100 feet advertised, except in choppy weather when it's definitely reduced.

 

The secret is to raise the unit as high as possible - I rested the one I borrowed on a stool. Additionally, if you lift the unit above your head you can often pick up a signal at much longer range. If you slowly bring the receiver down you don't then lose the signal.

 

It doesn't show the bottom hardness nearly as well as the conventional sounder I have from the same maker. It did however show up fish that normally I'd have spooked in the boat, although that's not what I was using it for.

 

The Smartcast makes both mapping a water and plumbing the depth on the day a doddle. I shall certainly be buying one myself.

[trent.barbeler]

Dear All,

 

A very well known "Tabloid" newspaper gave this contraption a definate thumbs down the other day. Their "angling expert" said it would ruin fishing and take away the need for watercraft skills.

 

Personally, I don't give a fig who uses them but I won't be buying one. (I said that about computers by the way!!!)

 

Each to their own I say.

 

Thats why I won't use a wooden rod, double handed reel, and reserve an Englishmans right to fire ounce and a half drilled bullets at bait boats that wander into my swim.

 

Regards,

 

Lee.

[Steve Burke]

trent.barbeler:

A very well known "Tabloid" newspaper gave this contraption a definate thumbs down the other day. Their "angling expert" said it would ruin fishing and take away the need for watercraft skills.

I wonder if it was his predecessor who refused to use a fixed spool reel as it would make fishing too easy?

 

Joking apart, I can see his point. But talking of points, he's missed the main one. For me, the Smartcast is an aid to fast, accurate feature finding - not fish finding.

[Guest sslatter]

The conservative rag known as the "Daily Express" had a one-page article today on the pros and cons of the Smartcast. Putting the "Pro" argument, the well-known celebrity angler John Wilson; putting the "Con" argument, that well-known celebrity "angler", who now "only coarse fishes for pike, because they are so delicious": Clarissa Dickson-Wright.

 

Huh?

 

Made me smile, anyway.

 

[ 08. April 2004, 06:15 PM: Message edited by: Graham X ]