Do I need a Fish Hawk

[hawkeye625]

To your original question, there is a more economical way.  If you want a new unit...look at the depth raider.  Under $500 and gives the same information.  Reliable too.  If your ok with used...look for a depth raider or moor sub troll in the classifieds.  They usually go for around $300.  I'd lean toward the depth raider though, I don't think sub troll is still in business.  You do not need a fish hawk to get the information you want.

[sjhags]

With the amount of money time and effort that goes into this style of fishing, putting less fish in the boat because you don’t want to spend $700.00 is nuts! A speed and temp until WILL put more fish on the deck. Using a speed and temp unit will take the guess work out of it and allow you to figure out what speed and temp the fish prefer that day. Then you can repeat it over and over again with out guessing.
 
 
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You're giving the unit too much credit. Think about the situation the OP is in versus your comment. He's asking is it a nessisary. People make speed at the ball to be something it's not. If you're catching enough fish that you can determine what exact mph they prefer then how many extra fish is the probe going to catch you. And conversely when they aren't hitting your spread it definitely can't tell you a thing. A new fisherman has way more things holding him back then not knowing speed at the ball. Even less so temp. Watching you're cable angle as you change directions and tilt side to side tells you the current and speed for free. Everyone's phone does gps and sog. If you can afford it. Sure. But 700$ isn't chump change for everyone.

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[Dusty]

Used 840’s go for reasonable money in the classified section

[Fat Trout]

1 hour ago, sjhags said:

You're giving the unit too much credit. Think about the situation the OP is in versus your comment. He's asking is it a nessisary. People make speed at the ball to be something it's not. If you're catching enough fish that you can determine what exact mph they prefer then how many extra fish is the probe going to catch you. And conversely when they aren't hitting your spread it definitely can't tell you a thing. A new fisherman has way more things holding him back then not knowing speed at the ball. Even less so temp. Watching you're cable angle as you change directions and tilt side to side tells you the current and speed for free. Everyone's phone does gps and sog. If you can afford it. Sure. But 700$ isn't chump change for everyone.

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I will only throw out there that the OP didn't present himself as a total newbie.  He noted he has been doing this a couple of years and was looking to improve his game (more or less).  All posted points are still valid.  I'm just saying if he started out with , "hey this season is going to be my first, do I need a fishhawk"  my answer would be different.  The FH is nothing more than a tool.   If you invest in this game enough to come up more than once in while AND start to question why others may tend to do better,  is it worth it, well I think it is.  Lots of opinions out there though and there are still people that think fluorocarbon and lighter line doesn't matter in clear water. I don't try to correct them.  To each his own.

 

Full disclosure, I went so far as to choke down the cost of a smart troll.  Jury is still out on that one but prelim data made it fantastic to me IF it keeps operating right (had some operational issues).  I'm not suggesting anyone other than charters or the mentally insane (like me) should buy that one....but yeah, that's how bad I want to know the what and where's in this lake.

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2019 by Fat Trout

[GAMBLER]

1 hour ago, sjhags said:

You're giving the unit too much credit. Think about the situation the OP is in versus your comment. He's asking is it a nessisary. People make speed at the ball to be something it's not. If you're catching enough fish that you can determine what exact mph they prefer then how many extra fish is the probe going to catch you. And conversely when they aren't hitting your spread it definitely can't tell you a thing. A new fisherman has way more things holding him back then not knowing speed at the ball. Even less so temp. Watching you're cable angle as you change directions and tilt side to side tells you the current and speed for free. Everyone's phone does gps and sog. If you can afford it. Sure. But 700$ isn't chump change for everyone.

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GPS speed and cable angle are useless if you have weird or ripping currents.  For example:  Last season during the Sandy Creek Shootout, the currents were horrible.  On a west troll, in and above the thermalcline we had great lure speed.  A the same time, below the thermalcline, speed was way too slow for the lures to have action.  All of the cable angles looked good. If I'm going to spend thousands of dollars a year fishing this lake, I'm not going to half a$$ it and not spend $700.00 on a speed and temp unit.  The increased amount of fish you will catch will make it worth.  Take $700 and spread it over the life of the unit.  If the unit lasts 10 years, it is costing you $70 per year.  To me, A speed and temp unit is a necessity.  Now, I may be giving the unit too much credit , here is why.  The unit can give you the info, but you need to be able to take the info and use it to put the pieces of the puzzle together.  With a decent fish finder, speed and temp unit and some knowhow of the fishery, a speed and temp unit can make a huge improvement to the number of fish that hit your floor.

[whaler1]

With the amount of money time and effort that goes into this style of fishing, putting less fish in the boat because you don’t want to spend $700.00 is nuts! A speed and temp until WILL put more fish on the deck. Using a speed and temp unit will take the guess work out of it and allow you to figure out what speed and temp the fish prefer that day. Then you can repeat it over and over again with out guessing.

 

 

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You can lead a horse to water.......

 

 

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[sjhags]

You can lead a horse to water.......
 
 
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Way to bring something to the table... Smh.

Some really good points above though.

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[whaler1]

KMN


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[jth21usa]

So I’ve had a fish hawk, depth radar (on current boat) and a sub troll. All do the exact same thing, financially do yourself a favor and buy a used sub troll (under $250) and save $500 dollars. Knowing where the temp breaks are is critical to bait placement. 

[Paul Czarnecki]

I chartered for 15 years without anything but surface speed and did fine. I used cable angle and the bend in my diver rods to make sure my speed was right. It is a learned technique though. One that requires a LOT of time on the water—time you apparently don’t have.
Invest in the fish hawk—it’s definitely game changing but do yourself a favor—learn to fish without it and just use it as reference. As I always say in my seminars—once you’re used to fishing with it you won’t be able to fish without it—unless you train yourself.


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[back on eerie 2016]

I'll just have to go with a fish hawk td myself
. Got any tips?

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[Paul Czarnecki]

I'll just have to go with a fish hawk td myself
. Got any tips?

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Yep—get the X4. Don’t go cheap.


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[Sk8man]

The TD isn't a "replacement" for the Fishawk X series but it can be a very useful tool. One of the uses is attaching it to your downrigger and gaining an estimate at least of the temperature profile in the water column and this is especially useful during the late Spring and early Summer when the thermocline is setting  up or is already setup so that you can set your lines accordingly for the target species of interest more effectively. It is beneficial to carry a paper and pen with you to write down the temps at the intervals and then determine the band where the greatest variance in temperature is.The profile information can also be very useful if you use Seth Greens on the Finger Lakes. Another use is in determining an estimate of where your junk lines are actually running (e.g. leadcore and copper etc.). You will often be surprised at the answer. The TD at least gives you some information to work with which is certainly better than nothing. Paul and I have each mentioned the importance or value of experience in learning to fish without devices and when all things are considered the the actual in-depth fishing experience trumps the reliance on the electronics and when put together with the devices is very powerful.

Edited March 1, 2019 by Sk8man

[Hachimo]

After fishing my first year last year on Lake Ontario. Ive been debating myself if i should spend the money on a new fish hawk bein I’m a weekend warior 3hrs away from in NEPA.  After reading all these response think I’m gonna imvest the money amd get one on the boat.  I figure i have 10k imvested in my old 25’ trophy and all the gear to get started to catch a few kings a year and i did pretty well last year puting 2-3 kings a day every weekend i went up without it.  But i fished the marks with my riggers and watch speed on my fish finder but spent many hrs with no success.  Theres that WHAT IF my speed at 100FOW is faster or slower then what im lookin for.  If that fishhawk can help put 2-3 fish more a day by dialing speed and finding thermocline then $700 isn’t much compared to what i spent on everything else.  I also am on a budget bein getting married this upcoming August, but will have one on the boat by June. 

[thumbburn]

Yup...... buy some sort of speed and temp unit....


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[GAMBLER]

17 hours ago, Hachimo said:

After fishing my first year last year on Lake Ontario. Ive been debating myself if i should spend the money on a new fish hawk bein I’m a weekend warior 3hrs away from in NEPA.  After reading all these response think I’m gonna imvest the money amd get one on the boat.  I figure i have 10k imvested in my old 25’ trophy and all the gear to get started to catch a few kings a year and i did pretty well last year puting 2-3 kings a day every weekend i went up without it.  But i fished the marks with my riggers and watch speed on my fish finder but spent many hrs with no success.  Theres that WHAT IF my speed at 100FOW is faster or slower then what im lookin for.  If that fishhawk can help put 2-3 fish more a day by dialing speed and finding thermocline then $700 isn’t much compared to what i spent on everything else.  I also am on a budget bein getting married this upcoming August, but will have one on the boat by June. 

A X4D would make for a great wedding gift!

[Hachimo]

I agree Gambler.  That would make a great wedding gift.  Feel free to pm me for my address and you can send it out lol.  

[whaler1]

That’s how I read that too......,
Pretty cool of you Brian, great gift!


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[GAMBLER]

2 minutes ago, Hachimo said:

I agree Gambler.  That would make a great wedding gift.  Feel free to pm me for my address and you can send it out lol.  

No meal at the reception, no gift.  Sorry bud.  

[Hachimo]

1 hour ago, GAMBLER said:

No meal at the reception, no gift.  Sorry bud.  

Well, with that new fish hawk unit i can almost guarantee to have lots of fresh salmon to be served at the reception. 

[Hubbards]

If you can afford to fish a must have,  fish hawk top shell ,stay away from that other one can not trust there service, latest model  fish hawk is very battery friendly ,a must doooooooo alwayssssssss check the cable conectionsssssssss.

[rolmops]

With or without. Fishing is about enjoying life on the water. Yes it is nice to catch a fish. But it is not what makes a day on the water special. I have both a fishfinder and a fish hawk, but last summer I lost my probe and had to continue fishing on just a fish finder. I spent less time looking at screens and caught more fish because my attention was where it was supposed to be instead of trusting electronics.

Edited March 8, 2019 by rolmops

[HB2]

Back in I think 1977 when I bought my first boat I bought a Lowrance  Brown box paper graph cause I just had to have it . Was clueless , as most were , how to troll for salmon . After a long while  I figured out that I was more watching the graph than fishing . 

 

Worry more about location & presentation . And use the fish hawk for reference  IMO. 

[Sk8man]

The situation is kind of like that of the auto mechanic diagnosing a car problem: you have to learn the fundamentals of the car firsthand and then use the diagnostic equipment to help solve the problem. Otherwise if the diagnostic machine goes down....the problem remains just that a problem

Edited March 9, 2019 by Sk8man

[Ship Shape]

Does anyone have a recommendation for someone on west side by Hamlin to mount a fish hawk on an aluminum 19 ft outboard motor? Thanks


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