Fish ID

Fish finder units can easily display appropriate signals to look like little fish on a screen and may be useful to novice users who are not quite sure how to interpret signals at first. While being a good learning tool in the beginning, as the angler gets better at interpreting fish finder signals he might find less use for a fish ID function.

The fish finder has an optional feature to display objects suspended in the water as fish. Added firmware is programmed to interpret the signals and display them accordingly on the screen.

Fish ID algorithms which vary across different brands may differ in results. Many anglers say that it takes time to learn how to correctly distinguish fish from other objects in less than perfect conditions. If experienced anglers find this to be true, then it is unlikely an algorithm will interpret signals as accurately an angler who knows the water, and the fish.

Depending on the quality of the fish finder signal processing and screen resolution, anglers become very good at distinguishing between species of fish by analyzing returned signals in a known environment.

Most popular fish finding units include fish ID functions anyway, and so it is more often included and not an option.

High-end commercial fishing units are in a league of their own and not included here.