I realize that I’m not the first kayak angler to change electronics brands and encounter installation issues. But I figured that the more information and tips available online, the less complicated the task might be for others. Let me start at the beginning.

I like to change the electronics on my kayaks and boats every three to five years. Because I write about electronics for our publications, I usually swap electronics brands each time so that I can become more familiar with the user interfaces.

When I bought my Hobie Compass kayak several years ago, we installed a Lowrance display and transducer, using Hobie’s Lowrance-Ready transducer mounting system — which positions the long slender transom-mount sensor into a pocket beneath the hull. The transducer fastens to the hull using a plastic adapter plate and screws. Easy-peasy.

After three years, I decided to install a Garmin EchoMap UHD 74sv. However, the holes on the Garmin transducer did not match up with the holes on the adapter plate. My own internet search began. I found the BerleyPro Hobie Transducer Mount.

My initial excitement waned as I noticed the company was located in Australia. Shipping would be possible, but costly. Another search located the same product at fishingonline.com. At $73.14 with free shipping, I hit buy.

Once I found this product, the rest of the install went fairly easily, although I managed to fasten on the new adapter plate upside down at first. Attaching the Garmin’s power cord to a Nocqua cable to plug into my Li-ion battery was a simple matter of matching red wires and black wires.

Read Next: How to Choose a Fishing Kayak

I feel great satisfaction when I plug in something and it works instantly. I used Garmin’s Active Captain app to download and install g3 Vision charts to my MFD. My first fishing trip with the new Garmin showed me all kinds of new functionality as well as pointing out fish and bait schools.

Here’s the short video capture of the process:

Chris Woodward / Sport Fishing

The post Kayak How-To Video: Swapping in a Garmin Transducer appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Garmin has debuted two new series of multifunction displays—GPSMap Plus (pictured) and EchoMap UHD. The Plus series brings increased engine-integration and OneHelm third-party-integration capabilities to 7- and 9-inch displays. The new series allows anglers to monitor their outboards as well as critical onboard systems on one screen. The UHD series is a new line of midsize (7- and 9-inch) keyed and touchscreen-with-keyed-assist combos that come with built-in support for Garmin’s Ultra High-Definition scanning sonar and Panoptix LiveScope. Both series are available with preloaded BlueChart g3 cartography. UHDs cost $499.99 to $1,149.99, and Plus units cost $899.99 to $2,899.99.

The post Garmin GPSMap Plus/EchoMap UHD appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When I fish from my Hobie kayak, I’ve noticed that everything slows down. Not only is my speed diminished due to lack of outboard propulsion, but my expectations slow too.

I find more time to experiment with my electronics, and I’ve uncovered several key features in my multifunction display that have helped me better understand and learn about the marsh zones I fish.

Because of that revelation, I asked electronics-makers and pros, who use their MFDs daily, to describe some of the tricks that all inshore anglers can explore to improve situational awareness and fishing success.

Chart Art

“The cartography is exponentially better now than anything we’ve had even two years ago,” says David Dunn, Garmin director of sales and marketing. “We’re also starting to see a gain in momentum for QuickDraw Contours. Every manufacturer has some form of that. I think fishermen should use that more often.”

QuickDraw Contours software and similar sonar-charting products such as Navionics Sonar-Chart Live, C-Map Genesis and Humminbird AutoChart use your boat’s transducer to update chart contours—in 1-foot increments—on a real-time basis. So, if a storm shifts the sand near your inlet, you can turn on sonar charting and see the new patterns. Regions rarely updated on official charts can be updated any given day.

On a Garmin unit, you start recording sonar with this feature through the chart page menu, choosing Layers and QuickDraw Contours. You can turn off the overlaid contours when you choose.

Dunn also recommends using depth-range shading. If you’re nearshore and looking for even a slight break in depth, you can set the chart to display one color for depths of 5 to 6 feet, for instance, and another color for depths of 6 to 7 feet.

Companies such as Standard Mapping have developed specialty charts that work with many of today’s displays. “Standard Mapping offers a map package that is 90 percent satellite photos that they have gone through to show off the shallow areas,” says Jim McGowan, marketing manager for Raymarine/FLIR.

Satellite photos really help in areas with less-than-optimal water clarity. They can identify drop-offs and points that hold fish. Be sure to set your display to show aerial photos over land and sea rather than just land. Leave at least a little transparency in the photo layer so that you can see the depths on the chart beneath, McGowan suggests.

He also advises anglers to turn on tracks each day, which will record your boat’s path on the charts. Assign a different color to each day’s track and drop waypoints when you hook up to give you a real plan for success. Know too that every waypoint is electronically stamped with depth, time and date. When turning on tracks, set up the feature to drop an electronic bread crumb every two -seconds for better continuity.

Tom Rowland, a Florida Keys captain and TV co-host of “Saltwater Experience,” uses Florida Marine Tracks as the primary inshore charting software on his Yellowfin bay boat’s Lowrance HDS Live unit. “It comes with tracks for high water or low water, and then the aerial photos on that chip are better than anything else,” he says. “You can see every little dip in the flat, see sand holes, everything.”

Sonar Tips

Rowland also relies on his StructureScan side-imaging sonar to scout for tarpon while he’s idling at bridges and deep channels.

“You can clearly see the fork of the tail and the shape of the fish,” he says. “The other thing we’ll do is anchor in a channel for tarpon. That has been the best for me in terms of when I’m not seeing any fish rolling and thinking of leaving. Then, I see them swimming next to us on the sonar, and that makes me stick around till the bite turns on.”

In circumstances when you don’t need to see the water column on both sides of the boat, Raymarine’s McGowan suggests selecting an option on your display to show only the left side or the right side. “It makes the presentation bigger. You get more pixels in the display, so it’s better resolution,” he says. “When you’re trying to see greater distances, the targets will look bigger.”

Even in just a few feet of water, Raymarine SideVision can look out 50 to 70 feet, he adds.

When setting a range for SideVision, McGowan eyes the distance to the shoreline or structure, then sets the range so that he sees the edge of the structure. Raymarine’s new Element series of MFDs also offers HyperVision, a higher-frequency imaging sonar that offers even greater detail, though at shorter distances.

Capt. Eric Davis (vero​backcountryfishing.com), who runs a Pathfinder 2500 Hybrid out of Vero Beach, Florida, uses the LiveScope real-time sonar on his Garmin GPSMap 8612xsv to see bait schools ahead of his boat when scouting in channels, inlets, off the beach or offshore. “It’s an absolute game changer,” he says. “It mostly applies in the mid-range depths of 20 feet or more.

“I’ve literally moved up to a school of bait, looked at the screen, and said ‘Get ready, we’re going to get hit.’”

He mounted his LiveScope transducer on the transom rather than on his trolling motor because he often uses the sonar when he’s moving at up to 8 mph. He also peers under docks and at different structure, setting LiveScope to look forward on the auto setting.

Read Next: Choose the Right Electronics for Inshore Fishing

“With LiveScope, you see what’s going on now, live,” Dunn says, adding that the most helpful feature of LiveScope that he has seen is echo trails. “Even if you don’t see the fish on the screen, with echo trails on, you can see that something did just swim through.”

Regardless of the brand of electronics you use, the best rule of thumb—inshore and offshore—is: experiment.

Don’t stick with the status quo. You want more fish? Use the incredible electronic tools and information right at your fingertips.

The post Electronics Tips and Shortcuts for Inshore Anglers appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Fish finders might be the superheroes of the marine-electronics world, but transducers are the always important, though seldom appreciated, sidekicks. Without the right transducer mounted in just the right place, that fish finder can’t provide accurate, clear sonar imagery, and you’ll be fishing blind (unless you have superpowers yourself).

Choosing which transducer to buy should be equally as important as picking a display. Do you need chirp? Side-scan? Down-scan? 3D or multibeam? Real-time? To answer those questions, transducer makers boil down the selection to three factors:

• what kind of fish finder you own or are purchasing;
• how you fish;
• what size and type of hull you run.

Matching Brains
The easiest of the variables to resolve is fish-finder compatibility. “Most ­multifunction-display models today [which incorporate fish finders] can use 1 kW transducers,” says Craig Cushman, director of marketing for Airmar Technology, a primary source for today’s recreational and professional marine transducers. “It’s when we get into the 3 kW transducers that you need to make sure the MFD can output that power.”

Few anglers need to see to depths that would require a 3 kW transducer, which are capable of reading bottom to 10,000 feet. Similarly, few boats could really accommodate these higher-power transducers because of their size; some weigh 30 pounds or more.

Offshore anglers generally gravitate toward 1 kW or 2 kW transducers (offering 2,500 to 6,000 feet of depth capability), depending on whether those anglers fish more recreationally or compete in tournaments. Inshore anglers can easily manage with 600-watt units and transducers (capable of reading depths up to about 1,000 feet).

To use side- or down-scan, 3D or real-time sonar transducers, your fish-finder, MFD—or networked sonar module—must come programmed to interpret those kinds of sonar signals. Online product descriptions spell out a unit’s capability, and MFD manufacturers usually recommend transducer options for each of their units.

Fishing Styles
Once you recognize the need to match a transducer to its computer brain in an MFD, you face the second round of choices—based on how you fish. Many anglers today buy boats that can run inshore and offshore, so their needs vary on any given fishing day. They also might target multiple species by trolling, drifting, anchoring or casting.

For instance, I might troll for kingfish on a calm summer day, but in spring, I’ll sightcast to cruising tripletail or in winter, float a cork for seatrout.

Decide which types of fishing you’ll do most often (those that are most important to your fishing enjoyment). Gear your electronics primarily to those goals.

“We want to know where you spend the majority of your fishing time, at what depth,” Cushman says. “Based on that, we can talk about power, for one, and then the second question is: What are you trying to do? Pinpoint fish in structure or wrecks? Are you fishing for pelagics and want wide coverage to locate schools of fish?”

Airmar sells traditional and chirp transducers through its distributor to dealers. It also provides MFD manufacturers with transducers to package with units, and it works with those manufacturers to build brand-specific transducers for scanning and other uses.

On its website, Airmar provides a variety of helpful resources including a bottom calculator to help anglers understand how wide an area they’ll see beneath the boat at different depths. In most cases, offshore anglers want to see as much of the water column as possible, so they gravitate toward ultrawide chirp transducers, which incorporate two frequency bandwidths such as low (for greater depths), medium or high (for shallower depths and more detail).

A PM411, for instance, features an ultrawide low-frequency sonar beam and a medium-frequency beam. At a depth of 4,000 feet, the wide low beam can cover a circle at the bottom that is 2,912 feet in diameter (more than half a mile).

That’s extreme, of course, but a wide transducer beam can show an angler a very wide swath of the water column below and to the sides of the boat.

Scanning or imaging sonars—such as side- and down-scan, Furuno’s DFF3D multibeam and Garmin’s Panoptix Livescope—give anglers detailed returns that can be photolike. They really shine for locating structure, but they can be limited with regard to the depths they can reach.

Fish targets tend to be less defined with scanning sonar because the beams are thin fore and aft. Offshore anglers use scanning sonar to see bait schools to either side of the boat or to see what’s under weed lines.

To combine the best of both worlds, Furuno recently launched combo transducers that incorporate multibeam elements (for the company’s DFF3D sonar) with chirp elements such as those from Airmar’s B275 wide, high-frequency transducer. That gives offshore anglers elongated fish targets as well as the ability to see fish to either side of the boat, Furuno says.

Furuno’s multibeam unit differs from other scanning/imaging sonar in that it employs a lower frequency of 165 kHz compared with the 455 kHz, 800 kHz, 1.2 mHz and higher frequencies used by other companies. That gives Furuno’s product greater depth capability.

“Our RealVision 3D and HyperVision sonar transducers are a great choice for anglers looking for precise information about where the fish are holding in relation to the boat,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine marketing manager. “Like others, we can display accurate distances to fish and objects both vertically as well as horizontally. We can also combine those sets with additional data into a 3D model to enhance spatial awareness.”

Boat Type
Your boat’s size and hull shape play a major role in choosing a transducer. As with real estate, the prime consideration is location, location, location.

“Mounting options can make or break the whole experience,” says David Dunn, Garmin director of sales and marketing. “A poorly mounted transducer will not perform well. Transom mounts are really good now, if they’re mounted properly. But anytime you can use a through-hull, you’ll get better results.”

A transducer works best when it’s covered by clean, clear water without bubbles that can flow from scuppers, livewell pickups, hull steps and other hindrances. Dunn says transom-mounted transducers remain the most popular and cost-effective solution for many boaters.

Read Next: Choose the Right Sounder for the Way You Fish

However, larger boats with deeper V’s or steps often employ through-hull transducers, mounted using a fiberglass fairing block, or tilted-element transducers that can compensate for the sloping hull of an offshore vessel.

Once you walk through the three variables for choosing a transducer, you should arrive at a much narrower list of options. If you’re buying a new boat, the builder and dealer can help. If you’re installing newer electronics on an existing hull, consult a National Marine Electronics Association certified installer and check manufacturers’ websites for a wealth of assistance.

And remember: Respect the ­sidekick.

The post Pair the Right Transducer to Your Fish Finder appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Although I’ve been an ­electronics writer for 10 years, I have no magic power to predict the perfect helm setup for a new boat. The process of dialing in a new electronics package involves a lot questions about the boat, about fishing style and about budget.

But when a friend recently asked me to suggest options for his new 25-foot bay boat, and then he noted he’d be adding a second station, I hesitated. What exactly did I know about adding electronics to a supplemental helm — whether for a bay boat or small center-console?

Would he need a second fully outfitted multifunction display up top? Or could he opt instead for a less-­expensive plotter connected by Ethernet to the helm unit? Would a black-box sonar module be a more cost-effective solution? What about a repeater/controller app and an iPad with a waterproof case? Is there a wireless solution?

I reached out to several of my industry sources and discovered that my friend’s situation has become a lot more common, and that wireless connectivity is truly on its way.

Making Connections
“The trend to bigger bay boats has been accompanied by a trend to second stations,” says Charlie Johnson, marketing director for Maverick Boat Company, makers of Pathfinder bay boats. “Not only are the bigger bay boats better able to support and balance the added weight up high, in addition, they’re being used in more beach-style fishing situations, where the added elevation of a second station gives you a real advantage in seeing schools of fish swimming on or near the surface.”

Pathfinder Boats began installing second-station units at its factory four years ago; prior to that, the towers were all aftermarket add-ons. Among 25- and 26-foot models, 40 percent leave the factory with an elevated helm.

My friend had ordered a compact crow’s-nest-style tower, designed so the helmsman stands on top of the center console. He would have room for a 9-inch display, and was leaning toward Garmins.

If it were my boat, I’d use a single big screen at the helm and a smaller screen at the second station,” says David Dunn, director of sales and marketing for Garmin. “The helm unit shares waypoints, sonar … anything you could see on the lower display you could see on the upper. They’re both MFDs. Both are masters.”

Both units don’t have to come with sonar. The helm unit can be a sonar/plotter combination unit attached to an appropriate transducer. The upper unit could be a less-expensive nonsonar chart plotter; it will display the sonar from the helm unit.

The primary caveat is that upstairs/downstairs units must be networkable. Lower-cost MFDs such as Garmin’s Striker, Raymarine’s Dragonfly, Simrad’s GO and Lowrance’s Elite-Ti units do not fully network with other displays; they’re meant as stand-alone machines.

With complementary units, a second station can be functional as long as there’s a single Ethernet network connection between machines and a power cord routed to the power source. Most everything the helm unit can display, the networked unit can also show. Some systems, however, require a supplemental NMEA 2000 connection to display functions such as autopilot and engine data.

Alternative Views
Another option to consider could be a separate black-box sonar module that mounts below the console and feeds sonar information to a ­multifunction display. If you happen to have a sonar module and helm MFD already, adding a second nonsonar MFD to an upper station makes sense. If you don’t own a module, you need to price the components. The module route generally costs more. But consider these two roughly equivalent Raymarine setups: 1)an Axiom Pro 9 at the helm and an Axiom 7 (without sonar) up top: $3,198; 2) an Axiom 9 (without sonar) at the helm, an Axiom 7 (without sonar) up top, and an RVX1000 module: $2,797.

Raymarine and other manufacturers also offer apps that can pull electronics-display information from an MFD to a tablet, where you can see and control all functions. If you already own a tablet and a waterproof case, this could be a cost-effective solution — whether temporary or long-term.

“The downside is the typical tablet-on-a-boat problems: poor sunlight-viewing, glare, nonwaterproof, prone to breakage,” says Raymarine marketing director Jim McGowan.

However, if you purchase a RAM mount for the tablet so you can adjust the screen angle, you might find it workable.

In the case of Furuno and Lowrance/Simrad (both brands are owned by the same parent company: Navico), most of the same rules apply. However, Furuno does not make fully ­networkable displays in a 7-inch size. The company’s TZtouch2 MFDs come in 12- and 15-inch sizes.

“There are no low-cost options,” says Eric Kunz, Furuno senior product manager. “But the good news is that there are no usability limitations.”

Kunz did, however, grant that the TZT tablet app could provide a viable second-station option, “but I don’t see it being very common.”

Wireless is Here
Lowrance HDS and Simrad NSS displays can fully network and share data over more than one MFD. Simrad product line director Steve Thomas says that an NMEA 2000 network is also required to carry autopilot and SonicHub data as well as instrument information among two or more Navico-brand units.

However, the company has generated some interesting second-station ­solutions. Capt. Robert Trosset III, son of longtime Key West charter guide R.T., wanted steering in his second station without having to run hydraulic lines to the tower, Thomas says. With NMEA 2000 and Ethernet, along with an autopilot system, Trosset steers his boat through his Simrad MFD, using its knobs and on-screen buttons.

Read Next: Rig Your Bay Boat for Bluewater Fishing

Lowrance also just debuted ­wireless communication through its new Elite Ti2 units. This opens a whole new category of compatibility. With one Elite Ti2 at the helm and a second one in the tower, the two units wirelessly share information. The second-station unit would need only a power source.

Wireless represents the wave of the future. In a few short years, the debate over which units to use — either at two separate stations or side by side at the helm — will be moot. For now, my friend decided on a Garmin 7612xsv and a Garmin 942, and I have gained some valuable insight.

The post Second-Station Electronics for Smaller Center Consoles appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Just because your boat might be a bay or flats skiff, or even a kayak, does not mean you must miss out on the latest technology. In fact, some of the most innovative marine-electronics products today fit the small-boat ­market almost exclusively.

For instance, Garmin designed its new Panoptix LiveScope, the first-ever real-time scanning sonar, for nearshore coastal ­markets. The system delivers a videolike view of what’s beneath the boat that is so clear anglers can identify ­individual fish species.

To provide small-boat anglers advice on choosing inshore electronics, I asked experts which product types should top the priority list. Here are their suggestions (gathered alphabetically by brand name).

Furuno

While Furuno is best known for its offshore electronics packages, the company says its GP1871F (7-inch) and GP1971F (9-inch) combo units work well for inshore anglers. Both feature multitouch displays with a GPS/WAAS chart plotter plus chirp and conventional fish finders.

“Certain features can help find the best fishing grounds, depending on species,” says Savannah, Georgia, Capt. Sean Gill. “Some of the features that you want to look for are water temperature (either from a sensor on your transducer or through a weather service). Another is [Furuno’s] bottom-­discrimination feature to find low-relief areas.” Easy add-ons include Furuno’s DRS4W ­wireless radar, if your vessel is equipped with a T-top or hardtop. The DRS4W will overlay onto charts on the main display unit or ­network with an iPhone or iPad.

Garmin

David Dunn, Garmin’s ­director of marine sales and marketing, says he’s seeing ever-larger displays mounted on inshore and nearshore boats. “Builders are making consoles larger to accommodate larger screens,” he says. “These days, it’s certainly not uncommon to see a 16-inch display or two 12-inch displays on a bay boat. It all comes down to what you can fit and how much you want to spend.”

Dunn says sonar and GPS rank as the top-two needs for inshore anglers. Sonar, obviously, to find fish, and GPS “because you can mark your dock and your favorite spots, and you don’t have to worry about getting lost.” GPS also allows you to pinpoint your exact ­location in case of emergency.

Garmin’s new inReach Mini is a good option as a backup GPS and as a method to trigger an SOS, he suggests.

“The hottest setup we have right now is the GPSMAP 1242xsv Touch, a full-function 12-inch MFD that comes with built-in 1-kilowatt chirp sonar and chirp ClearVu and SideVu scanning sonars,” he says. “It comes with BlueChart G2 cartography, and it’s also compatible with Panoptix.”

Read Next: Garmin Panoptix LiveScope On-Water Demo

Panoptix adds 3D technology to sonar, particularly with the introduction of LiveScope. “Traditional sonar is literally history, and shows you where the fish were when your boat passed them,” he says. “Panoptix is game-changing.”

Dunn also recommends that inshore anglers use the Active Captain app, which networks with Garmin plotters. “You can use it to pre-fish and mark points that will automatically upload to your Garmin plotter through your smart device. You will also have a backup for your coveted fishing spots.”

Lowrance

“All inshore flats boats and skiffs or even shallow-running bay boats need a unit compatible with good charts,” says Daren Cole, global marketing director for Lowrance. “The charts need to have a way to create a plot trail that can be saved and used again on your next trip.”

Fishing backcountry regions means working with tides that can change the look of winding shallow creeks at various stages, he adds. An inshore plotter should also allow aerial photographic overlays, particularly for locations that are not well-mapped.

“Side- and down-scan [sonar] views can help in shallow situations. It can be invaluable for finding redfish or snook hanging under a dock, around jetties, in ditches and sloughs, as well as around rock and structure,” he says. “Lowrance side-scan has incredible range. It can help you check out those easy-to-spook tarpon lurking in the pot holes and ­mangroves without disturbing them.”

Cole also recommends that inshore anglers opt for in-hull or shoot-through-the-hull transducers for tracking bottom at high speeds and making frequent low- and high-speed turns. Add to that a transom-mount imaging transducer for low-speed prospecting.

Finally, a VHF marine radio and antenna are necessities. Today’s units integrate with multifunction displays and allow distress calls and AIS for safety.

Those with trolling motors should opt for units such as the Elite-Ti and HDS models that can link to a MotorGuide Xi5 trolling motor for seamless control. Additional options include installing an NMEA 2000 network to monitor engine data and fuel use, a WM-3 Sirius module and subscription for weather information, and a Point-1 Heading Sensor to ensure that the boat direction indicated by the arrow on the display is always matching the actual direction of the front of the boat while drifting.

Raymarine

Inshore anglers need a chart plotter or app with satellite-image overlay, side-scanning sonar, and multifunction displays with super-bright and/or IPS displays, says Raymarine marketing manager Jim McGowan. “Having the ability to run a track line on a satellite map is key to fishing the flats and backwater,” he explains. “The charts alone are good, but nothing beats the satellite image to be able to see the flats, ­sandbars, islands and channels.”

Side-scan lets anglers image much more area than downward-looking sonar. Today’s units offer incredible detail and clarity at a distance farther than anglers can cast. Bright displays are important because many smaller boats lack T-tops. IPS displays also offer broader viewing angles and are ­viewable through polarized sunglasses. Raymarine’s Axiom RV (RealVision) units support a wide variety of chart brands with satellite-overlay options, including Standard Mapping’s super-high-resolution aerial charts (Southeast only), McGowan says. In addition, RealVision 3D sonar provides chirp SideVision, capable of reaching out to 300 feet port and starboard in water as shallow as 1 foot deep. It also provides chirp DownVision, chirp traditional sonar and stabilized 3D views.

Transducers

Sonar units need transducers to function. Airmar Technology has some general recommendations for inshore/nearshore vessels that pair with many common multifunction displays.

Good

Better

Best

The post Choose the Right Electronics for Inshore Fishing appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Video by Chris Balogh

At the 2018 ICAST fishing tackle trade show, held July 10-13 in Orlando, Garmin hosted an on-water demo session for marine media to showcase the company’s new Panoptix LiveScope sonar technology. The demo occurred on a lake, and this video is hosted by bass pro Scott Martin, but the ramifications are the same for inshore saltwater anglers.

LiveScope offers a live, real-time look at what is ahead of and beneath the boat. The transducer can be mounted on a trolling motor for forward and down views, or on the transom for downward-looking views. The LiveScope technology improves on Garmin’s initial Panoptix sonar by combining the live technology with scanning technology for clearer pictures of fish, bait and bottom structure.

The sonar beam measures about 20 degrees forward and more than 130 degrees fore and aft. With the transducer on the trolling motor, anglers can literally follow fish by turning the motor handle. LiveScope is available now and costs $1,499.99.

The post Garmin Panoptix LiveScope On-Water Demo appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Garmin’s Panoptix LiveScope is a live-scanning sonar for recreational fishing that provides high-resolution, easy-to-interpret images of structure, bait and fish in front of and below the boat. The transducer mounts on a trolling-motor shaft or at the transom. On the trolling motor, the transducer can be easily aimed forward or down. The product won this year’s ICAST Best of Show award, announced last week in Orlando. It costs $1,499.99.

Simrad NSO24 evo3

Super-sized multifunction display screen: Simrad’s 24-inch NSO24 evo3. Compatible with all Simrad network modules and external extras, the NSO24 evo3 includes auto-routing and FishReveal Smart Target View, which blends data from chirp sonar and DownScan imaging to deliver an easier-to-comprehend view of fish below the boat. The MFD costs $10,999.

Raymarine Axiom XL

Raymarine Axiom XL multifunction displays come in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch sizes and feature a multitouch HD screen with IPS technology. These units network with other LightHouse 3 displays, sensors and peripherals. Prices start at $6,999.99.

Seakeeper 2

Seakeeper introduced its 12-volt gyro-stabilizer for boats in the 27- to 32-foot range in February. Previous models from the Maryland-based company could be deployed on boats as small as 30 feet. However, the new Seakeeper 2 is 25 percent lighter (at 414 pohttps://www.sportfishingmag.com/seakeeper-launches-stabilizer-for-smaller-fishing-boats/unds) and 22 percent smaller (at 24.8-by-25.5-by-20 inches) than its predecessor. The SK2 greatly reduces side-to-side roll when deployed; it runs on 12-volt DC power, costs $22,700 and can be installed in a variety of locations.

RAM Track-Node Adjustable Base

RAM‘s new Track-Node adjustable base accommodates RAM Tough Pole action-camera mounts (pictured) as well as RAM fishing-rod holders. The base is compatible with RAM Tough-Track and most third-party track mount systems. Prices for the base with attachments range from $40.99 to $101.49.

Fusion Apollo RA770

Fusion’s Apollo RA770 is the flagship for the company’s new Apollo Series, debuting the world’s first touchscreen marine sound system. Tap the screen to pause or swipe through a playlist to find a song. Wi-Fi streaming provides high-quality sound and digital-signal processing delivers audio to all speakers. The Apollo RA770 costs $649.99.

Humminbird One-Boat Network

Humminbird, together with partner brand Minn Kota — both owned by Johnson Outdoors, has created the One-Boat Network integrated system that blends the functions of Minn Kota trolling motors and Talon Shallow Water Anchors with Humminbird’s multifunction displays. When networked products “talk” to each other, they can navigate the boat automatically and reposition or anchor effortlessly. The network works with select current-generation Humminbird and Minn Kota units.

Power-Pole C-Monster Control System

In partnership with Lowrance, Power-Pole’s C-Monster Control is a proprietary wireless protocol designed for the marine industry. It allows anglers to wirelessly control and customize their Power-Pole products as well as other onboard accessories over an integrated gateway with NMEA 2000.

Mazu Sportfishing App

The Mazu Sportfishing app for iPad provides anglers with access to information such as altimetry, sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, group chat and more. The app allows anglers to plan at home and bring their iPad aboard. The company also sells hardwired mSeries components for bringing Iridium-network satellite information aboard beyond cellular and Wi-Fi range. The app costs $129.99; the mSeries costs $995 with connection plans ranging from $10 to $100 a month.

Deeper Start Castable Fish Finder

Deeper’s Start castable fish finder comes with a Wi-Fi connection to allow casting up to 165 feet. The 120 kHz sonar works to 165 depths as well and sends 10 scans per second. The Start costs $129.

The post ICAST 2018: Electronics and Boat Accessories appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

When Garmin debuted Panoptix all-seeing sonar in 2015, that product was the first to offer real-time, live sonar returns for recreational anglers. Panoptix provided forward, backward, sideways and down-looking views, even while the boat was stationary.

This week’s announcement of LiveScope ups the game by taking scanning, or imaging, sonar and combining it with Panoptix’ live capability. “By combining two game-changing innovations, Panoptix LiveScope delivers the best of both technologies and there’s nothing out there even close to it,” says Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “Once you’ve seen fish in this level of detail in a live, real-time image on your chartplotter, all other sonar is history — literally.”

LiveScope Down and LiveScope Forward modes are combined into one transducer that can be installed on a trolling motor or on the transom (recommended only for LiveScope Forward). Point the transducer downward to see directly below the boat or forward to see around the boat.

LiveScope delivers real-time scanning sonar images up to 200 feet down or away from the boat, Garmin says. The unit comes with an attitude heading reference system that compensates for heaving in rough conditions.

The Panoptix LiveScope system includes a GLS 10 sonar black box, an LVS32 transducer and a plug-and-play Garmin Marine Network connector for integration with compatible Garmin chartplotters, including five GPSMAP series and the ECHOMAP Plus 7Xcv/7Xsv/9Xsv combo series. Prices start at $1,499.99.

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Simrad’s new, free 18.1 software update for NSS evo2 and evo3, NSO evo2 and GO Series displays includes a number of enhancements, including the new feature FishReveal, which makes fish easier for anglers to see on DownScan Imaging screens. Previously DownScan views showed photolike images of bottom and structure while depicting fish targets as tiny dots. FishReveal’s Smart Target Viewing now combines the best data from DownScan together with chirp sonar views, which offer well-defined fish arches, eliminating the need to use split-screen viewing for proper interpretation. The update also adds auto routing functionality, C-MAP charting improvements and touchscreen control of MotorGuide Xi5 trolling motors.

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