LA CROSSE, WI (WXOW)—Almost every fisherman in the BASSMASTER Elite Series is using at least one depth finder.
Depth finders aren't new, but recent advances in technology have made them more effective.
"Technology is constantly changing," Dave Carlson, Northland Adventures Host said. "Everything from the baits to the electronics running in the boats. And certainly it has improved fishing. One thing it hasn't done is it still can't get the fish to bite."
Bobby Lane, BASSMASTER Elite Series Professional Angler, said the only depth finder he had when he started fishing was his rod.
"We would stick our rod down in the water to see how deep it was. We never used depth finders," Lane said.
"It all started with the Lowrance fish locator showing you objects between you and the bottom," Carlson said.
"It was in a little green box that opened up and that was won of the original flasher graph depth finders," Butch Johnson, Gander Mountain Sales Associate said.
A lot has changed since then, most recently bottom and side imagines and GPS have become popular additions to depth finders.
"It leaves a bread crumb trail and you can just follow that all the way back so if you have foggy day or foggy evening or if its just real dark out you can just look at that and know I didn't hit anything so I can follow that trail back," Johnson said.
"You can actually get spun out a little bit there's so much out there an you can actually lose fishing time trying to figure out what you're looking at or what fish are down there," Lane said.
Most of the professionals, like Lane, are running more than one of the best depth finders available on their boat.
"I put one on the front, middle by steering wheel and one on the right, big one for GPS," Lane said. "It's so you don't have to switch screens to look at depth or GPS."
They can also mark hot fishing spots on the depth finder and it will bring them back to it later.
"Almost guaranteed these guys have got probably hundreds of spots marked where they caught fish or seen fish in pre-fishing they can just run right back to," Johnson said.
Johnson said he thinks the future of depth finders is 360 degree technology, which allows you to see all the way around your boat, becoming the norm.
"There's a lot of technology out there," Carlson said. "You got to know how to use it. You've got to practice with it and it's no good if your batteries aren't charged."
