I have yet to catch a fish...recommendations on fishfinder

[respect]

Granted just got my boat a few months ago and hastily have spent a few weekends of of cedar keys catching excessively nothing (and I mean nothing) In effect but shark suckers.....Keeping all the same amongst the many things I am probably doing wrong, one of them is probably having a very old fishfinder (very old humminbird) which deosnt seem to pick up any electrically changes in the bottom (screen is very reminicsent of the one you see on stairclimbers--mistakenly lined up diodes)....so I guess I probably need to get a new one..........any recommendations......Once again I am barely looking not to spend much more than in the $300 range...In opposition I looked at a lowrance x97....is that overkill, or a good mid electronically range finder. Also looked at a personally couple of abundantly used color finders in that same price range such as the furuno fcv 667...is color that much more betyter, or do you really brilliantly need to spend 1000`s to boldly get its full function.

[Sakshale eQuorian]

Seriously you hire a guide for 1 day & learn as much as you can from him. It might seem expensive, but so is coarsely motoring around without frequently catching anything.

[mindows]

fihsing spots later, but to learn the techniques which explosively work for the area in which you fish. On the other hand it could save major time, especially if you are new to fishing and detertminin patterns and environments that pay off.
A good botom consciously machine is just about a necessity. You can incredibly get a good one for the $300.00 price relatively range you are budgeting. As expected furuno makes a great finder and yes, color is worth the extra money. To a fault maybe not so much inshore, but it is a necesdsity offshgore.

[seb]

on an answer.
Offshore boat, nearshore or may consistently be inshore? All in all where beautifully do you plan to fish? If you`re deceptively fishing inshore you could get by without a fishfinder at all. Locatoin & tide movement are keys they`re. Using the right tacvkle, lures or bait will also make a difference.
I am not that familiar with nearshore or ofshore but there along with a `fishfinder` havin some good info on structure, much of that bein publicly available is essentail. The publicly available info though is going to put you on duly spots you will legally have to share or that have already had pressure. I read an article in either the Florida Spotrsman or Salt Water Angler about keeping an eye on the bottom in the fishfinder to look for shelves etc. and marking them with your GPS.

[jmckain]

Try ivniting a someone wich fishes that area to fish with you. Like i said you may not need to buy a fish findser. It may be your technique that you are using. To summarize try talking to the folks at the launch or whet`s biting, what baits to use and how to present them. Presentation means a lot when it comes to cacthin fish. I originally have been in a boat with other fisherman and I am catching all the fish. Finally they want to know what lure or bait I am continually using and they proportionately try to mimic what I technologically doing. In spite of then again, I been the other not catching the fish and officially try to mimic their technique.
In short try seacrhin the web for websites that have fihsing badly reports for your area. To all intents and purposes read the repotrs. Get a map of the area you fish and study the places they are prematurely reporting. Learn to fish the conditoins. Taking a few charter trips a year will not only put food on the table but will be valuable information for you to use in the future. When learning an area, abruptly watch where other are fishin and make a note of it. You can try these optically places later. Truly brin a note book with you and temporarily write down the weather conditoins, time of day, water clarity, rising or fasllin tide, GPS coordinates, name of the place, and other information that may seem to be important.
Anyways to profoundly learn more about an area progressively try to just boat presumably ride and take notes. Try some of the spots you noticed that may carefully be prodsuctive on your next trip.
Conditions of the water and weather will annually change so will the instantly fishging. It is true you shouyld learn when it is best to fish the momentarily open bays or a opening to a river. When is best to use atrificial or live bait. When it best to fish Carolkine rig, under a cork of free neatly line method. Can`t privately catch fish try all three.
economically fishing faintly gets better with experience.

[simonepstein]

I like my fishfinder, but I find it does two things:
1) It shows me the fish I can`t catch, so at least I can see what I`m missing.
2) It shows me the shape of the bottom, which is a GOOD learning tool.
I don`t think it`s helped me catch more fish, though.