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Post by daryl on Mar 25, 2014 19:08:56 GMT
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Post by onerun on Mar 25, 2014 19:34:32 GMT
Hi Daryl,I have the rod mounted version rf15e. You have to accept the limitations of this kit - its not a top of the range fishfinder and you cant cast to the horizon with it. The range is quite short 30-40 yds. If it is windy and there are waves forget using it as the signal will not get to the receiver. I would suggest using the rod mounted one as you can raise the rod up to pick up the signal better.
But
I think mine is great. Its worked well on rivers finding drop offs and close in on gravel pits and is normally in the bottom of my rucksack.
Always dry the transducer off after use to preserve the batteries and use a wire trace to protect the transducer or pike will have a go at it.
Gary
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Post by philpot on Mar 25, 2014 22:16:19 GMT
You can pay £20 on ebay up to £1000 for a ff/gps unit. The screen on these things are very basic and the more you pay, the better the quality of the image. Around £100-130 will get you a good ff from Garmin or Hummingbird. The one you are looking at are handy little things but do not compare to the fixed ff unit.
I bought a similar unit from ebay which has a fixed wire from the transducer to the screen which to be very honest is quite good for what it is and I use it on one of our holiday kayaks for when I fish on those holidays but it doesn't compare to my Hummingbird 383c. When you see the results that other kayak anglers get from their ff, you will want to upgrade without any question.
Phil
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Post by daryl on Mar 25, 2014 23:15:00 GMT
I was thinking about one of these Smartcasts as I fly fish mostly, so I would have it on a lure rod. Cast it on the lure rod and fly fish around it, being able to see what was around actually under where I was fishing. But this is with very little knowledge of fish finders, and there ability to see fish at fly / lure fishing range? I.e do some fish finders give good distance side scanning views of fish or are they mostly only good at a producing a cone view under the boat / kayak of a certain cone angle?
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Post by Izzetafox on Mar 26, 2014 9:30:39 GMT
FF's normally just give an idea of what is under the kayak, there are models out that give 'side imaging' or 'side vu' these ive a much larger field of vision but this is reflected in the price. To be honest I think the Smartcast range have their place but generally it is with bank anglers. With standard FF's you will get water temperature, accurate depth, structure and weed you can also tell if the bottom is soft or hard. Oh and sometimes see fish too.  Many of us though tend to think of them as 'feature finders', find the feature and you will often find the fish. Terry |
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Post by daryl on Mar 26, 2014 11:40:41 GMT
Hi Daryl,I have the rod mounted version rf15e. You have to accept the limitations of this kit - its not a top of the range fishfinder and you cant cast to the horizon with it. The range is quite short 30-40 yds. If it is windy and there are waves forget using it as the signal will not get to the receiver. I would suggest using the rod mounted one as you can raise the rod up to pick up the signal better. But I think mine is great. Its worked well on rivers finding drop offs and close in on gravel pits and is normally in the bottom of my rucksack. Always dry the transducer off after use to preserve the batteries and use a wire trace to protect the transducer or pike will have a go at it. Gary have you had any issues with the batteries running out on the transducer / sender unit? A lot of the bad reviews are about the battery life of the transducer. But I presume this is because it has been left somewhere wet, or on a conductive surface? Also Hummingbird don't show it as a current model on there website? So wind and waves?... means shore Bass fishing is a no go? Again it would be useful to cast out and check things out when searching for Bass from the shore. |
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Post by snapper on Mar 27, 2014 14:14:41 GMT
Spent half my time replacing bloody transponders when I ran the Humminbird desk. Make sure you dry off the contacts and don't short them out to extend their life but also be wary of how long the unit has been around for.
They're okay for what they are and also as mullet/bass volleyballs, they go mental at them.
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Post by daryl on Mar 27, 2014 19:13:59 GMT
Ah right, so if you get one make sure you dry it and keep it in a water tight bag with some silicon packets!
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Post by snapper on Mar 28, 2014 1:22:54 GMT
That'd not be a bad idea when not in use...the unit switches on with the metal contacts on the bottom
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Post by onerun on Mar 29, 2014 13:34:10 GMT
Snapper is right, the transponder switches on when the metal contacts are wet. I keep mine in a small food saver box with some silca gel (you know the small packets you get with leather shoes to absorb moisture). My transponder is about 2 years old but it is used for 15 mins each time to "find "the swim then packed away.
There are some instructions for cutting the top off and changing the battery online if you want to try but it's not something I have tried myself.
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Post by daryl on Jun 10, 2014 11:05:08 GMT
still on my search for a cast-able fish finder - any body used or no anything about these? buydeeper.com |
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Post by Izzetafox on Jun 10, 2014 18:36:33 GMT
Interesting.  Terry |
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Post by philpot on Jun 10, 2014 20:07:57 GMT
Very interesting but at $235, I would stick with a good fixed unit and a decent one at that price
Phil
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Post by Daryl as a guest on Jun 10, 2014 21:43:35 GMT
Harris Sport have them for £169? Having played with the FREE app for a bit, the app is a pretty cool bit of kit. With GPS, Moon phase calander, camera and all of the rest of the data collectible into a data base for your catches. The app side seems pretty awesome, but it would be good to know if the unit has any issues?! Before splashing any cash!
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Post by Izzetafox on Jun 10, 2014 23:19:03 GMT
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Post by daryl on Jun 11, 2014 11:02:01 GMT
Thanks Terry,
god I hate that type of polar opposite group of reviews. You start thinking all sorts of things like: competitors PR departments 'Dissing' a new product on the scene and then the new guys doing the same back to lift the start rating. Some of them look genuine though. The bluetooth does looks like a possible problem. Crap, I had my hopes up on this one! Perfect saltwater shore fly fisherman's device, that you can stick on the kayak too.
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Post by philpot on Jun 11, 2014 15:48:14 GMT
I don't know what others do but I always switch off my ff as soon as I have reached my mark because the sonic noise created by the ff. To find a spot suitable for your fishing is great but I would not leave it switched on while fishing.
A couple of years ago, a friend and I were fishing on the Humber no more than 15yds apart. Same bait and rigs, I was catching loads of whiting and my friend caught nothing. I had switched off my ff and on finding out that he had his switched on, suggested he turned it off. Within a couple of minutes he started hitting the fish at the same pace as me so now never on more than really needed.
The thought of casting a ff transducer out there and fishing around it, hmmm, I think it would not benefit the user in my humble opinion.
Phil
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Post by daryl on Jun 11, 2014 16:55:42 GMT
Not sure I'd be fishing around it. Just a handy device to find / make sure the Bass are there. You can end up doing a lot of walking looking for Bass. And something that helps determine if it is worth spending the time at a mark, changing flies for size colour etc would be helpful... or possibly just another aid to frustration! ;-)
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Post by philpot on Jun 11, 2014 17:33:11 GMT
Not sure I'd be fishing around it. Just a handy device to find / make sure the Bass are there. You can end up doing a lot of walking looking for Bass. And something that helps determine if it is worth spending the time at a mark, changing flies for size colour etc would be helpful... or possibly just another aid to frustration! ;-) Your last few words strike a strong chord with me Daryl  Phil |
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Post by onerun on Jun 11, 2014 19:43:50 GMT
I've seen the ad on the Harris website. The new finder uses bluetooth right ?. The range of most bluetooth devices is around 10m max. I don't think this will be castable very far.
Gary
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Post by Renrag on Jun 18, 2014 15:32:26 GMT
Got one of the 'Deeper' units. Will do a review after a few goes.
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