Mobile sonar devices have emerged as one of the most exciting innovations of recent in marine electronics. Designed to provide fish-finding and bottom-contouring capabilities by way of a user’s smart phone or tablet, mobile sonar systems have made expert-level electronics available to small boat and personal watercraft operators.

There are only a handful of companies making these new devices, and a few of them are certainly worth considering. Of these, the FishHunter device and app is certainly a top-rate technology innovation. FishHunter’s mobile sonar device is a military-grade smartphone fish finder. The sonar device itself is relatively small—about baseball size—making it easy to deploy by casting it as you would a lure. The device communicates with your smart phone via a blue tooth connection, and boasts a range of 80 feet for maintaining a connection. There’s no question about FishHunter’s portability. The sonar device is small enough to be carried in your pocket or just about anywhere else. The sonar covers a range down to 120 feet in depth and has three different depth adjustments for more accurate reading. The device uses a continuous pulse, but the adjustable depth ranges work to adjust the pulse to provide the optimum range for the environment in which it’s being used. It’s also a rather durable device, made from polycarbonate (a thermoplastic polymer) and silicone, but it’s also incredibly light, weighing in at just over 4 ounces. The high-visibility-orange outer coating of the device is made from a protective plastic rubber compound that both increases buoyancy and protects the device.

The FishHunter is powered by a rechargeable internal 3.6 VDC 600mAh battery. If left on and in the water, the battery life can last for 6-8 hours, depending upon the communication distance. It takes about two hours for the FishHunter to recharge in its charging dock. The sonar device functions in water ranging from -22 degrees Fahrenheit to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

I recently spoke with Deepak Bassi of FishHunter who let me know that FishHunter is making some upgrades to the sonar device that should be available soon. FishHunter will be changing the skin on the device to be more buoyancy positive, allowing it to float even more. The internal antenna design will be modified to increase connection capabilities. And, the cone at the top of the device will require some modification. They expect the updated devices to be available soon.

The quality of the device that gather the information is one thing, but such a device is dependent upon a user-friendly application for interpreting information from the sonar and for making that information useful. The FishHunter app—which is available for both iOS and Android—is sophisticated, yet instinctive. It’s great app design and offers some choice features, but you should be aware that there are two parts to the app. The version that comes standard with the sonar device includes a GPS function, a catch log book, sharing/networking capabilities, and planning tool kit. The fish finder aspect of the app, which is sold separately, tracks fish locations, maps the area in which you are fishing, locates habitats, and checks water temperature.

The primary app’s GPS advanced tracking and mapping not only records and save the spots you want to store; it also allows you to customize the information that is stored with that waypoint. For example, FishHunter lets you add photos, text, and other information to the recorded information. It’s also got an intuitive mapping feature that lets you locate water hazards, marinas, bait shops, and even other anglers who are logged into the FishHunter network (if they opt to have their location made public).

The app also allows you to log your catches in a unique log book feature that lets you record the type of fish caught, the weight and length of the fish, the bait used to catch the fish, and pictures you want to add, including your best hero shots. The log book integrates with the mapping feature to record location information in the log entry, as well.

Of course, anglers like to boast about their catches, and the Fish Hunter app allows you to share your catch data and images through FishHunter’s social sharing and networking feature. This feature lets you post catch information through social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, but also includes its own social network which allows you to share information with others and follow other anglers. This feature is customizable, allowing users to determine what information to share and what to keep secret; after all, most anglers want to announce trophy catches but don’t want to disclose where they are catching fish. I spoke with a few manufacturers of mobile sonar apps that incorporate social media in their app design, and interestingly, all agreed that there are some definite distinctions in how various demographic groups use the social media portion of the apps. All agree that saltwater anglers are much more protective of their fishing locations, opting not to share location information, than are freshwater anglers. Likewise, as you might expect, younger anglers are more apt to use the networking features than are older anglers.

The FishHunter app also includes a great trip planning toolkit that provides fishing forecasts, moon cycles, and target dates for best fishing—all synced with the places you fish and the information you have gathered using the app previously. The planning segment of the app also provides pictures of hundreds of different fish species and strategies for catching them, including habitats for the fish and baits to use.

All in all, the FishHunter is a pretty incredible little device, and for an MSRP of $229, it’s an economical way to bring hi-tech electronics to the yak environment. To learn more about FishHunter, visit www.fishhunter.com or watch this video:

This Inventive Fishing Product Introduction is for informational purposes only. Inventive Fishing has not field-tested the product addressed here and, thus, neither endorses nor criticizes the product. For critical reviews of specific products, please see Inventive Fishing’s Gear Reviews and Tech Reviews.  

FISH ON!

 

applications, apps, devices, fish, Fishing, gadgets, mobile sonar, sonar, Tackle

By Sid

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