Mark Romanack
Recently a
friend asked me how important a speed and temperature at depth probe is to open
water trout and salmon trolling. I think I shocked him when I said if forced to
choose between a sonar unit or a speed, depth, temperature probe I’d pick the
depth probe every time.
Trout and salmon
are so temperature sensitive it’s possible to target these fish by simply
finding layers of water that are at the preferred water temperature. For my
money the best tool for this job is the Fish Hawk X4+ Depth or the new X4D that
uses bluetooth technology for monitoring and saving data. These invaluable
machines measures trolling speed at depth, water temperature at depth and also
surface water temperature.
All of this critical
fishing information is achieved using a transducer based signal that eliminates
any need to transfer data through an oversized downrigger cable. A small probe
mounts just above the downrigger weight and communicates with a transducer
mounted to the transom. The data is in turn viewed on an LCD screen that can be
mounted at the helm or any convenient place in the boat. With the X4D models
anglers can view this invaluable information on their smart phone or tablet.
I generally
mount the LCD screen on the Fish Hawk right next to my downrigger. This way
when I’m moving the downrigger weight up and down in the water column, it’s
easy to monitor temperature breaks and thermoclines.
A short break
away cable is mounted to the downrigger weight and the probe. This way if the
downrigger ball hangs on bottom and breaks off, the probe is not lost.
The Fish Hawk is
useful for finding warmer water early in the season when the main lake
temperature is icy cold. During the warmer part of the year the Fish Hawk again
is invaluable for finding cooler bands of water that typically concentrate
salmon and trout.
The Fish Hawk is
also invaluable for monitoring trolling speed at the ball. Often due to
subsurface currents the speed the boat is moving over ground at the surface is
much different than the speed the downrigger balls and other gear are moving at
depth.
Most trolling
gear is speed sensitive, so knowing exactly how fast the gear is moving at
depth is another critical piece of information anglers can’t get without the
help of the Fish Hawk. The Fish Hawk is also a durable piece of equipment that
will last the average angler a lifetime. Easy to use and accurate, the
information the Fish Hawk provides is every bit as valuable as that provided by
a sonar unit.