Fishfinders: How useful is COLOR?

Hi guys,
I am comtemplating purchasing a second (bow mounted) fishfinding unit to complement my monochrome Eagle FF/GPS unit.

I think I understand the concept of color fishfinders. The colors are a clearer indicator of “hard” targets. Fish and hard bottoms return in red while baitfish and soft bottoms return in blue (or whatever). Just easier to read then the “old” dark grey/light grey.

Question is: How useful is this to you? Just marginally useful or are you blown away by how much better color is?

Thanks in advance!
Dave

Dave, you are right with the concept of color units. The color units come in handy when you are a distant away from your unit. If your unit is mounted on the console and you are running the boat from the back. Saves alot of leaning forward and squinting. They may also may be easier for some to interpret the picture.

You will find that color units are easier to read targets. Most mono units blend the targets into other targets making them hard to read. The only mono unit that I have found to that will break up this problem is the Vexilar Edge. Vexilar also makes a color unit, the the CLC-200 . If your going to buy a color unit, make sure it has a TFT screen. You may also want to check out the new Raymarine Digital Hi-Fi units Raymarine DS500x . Wade from Jolly Ann Marine should be getting some in soon.

Derek, maybe I am not understanding your statement on target seperation. There is no difference in the units functions, The only difference is the color.

Yes that is correct Don but not all units are created equal.Target density. Color units and mono units use density(usually the size of the fishes swim bladder) to show fish targets. Sometimes on mono units, the targets will show as a blob or for example when fish are laying on bottom they may appear as a rock or lump when in fact the fish is actually suspended a few inches off bottom. Another example is large fish suspended under baitfish which can also show as one big grey blob. When color is used, the different colors make the targets more easy to see. Some color units will show a hard bottom in red and fish as yellow. Anything softer than the bottom will show as fish, rocks etc will show as red. The new Raymarine digital units claim they can even separate schools of baitfish. Another thing to remember is not all units use the same processor which interprets the data to the screen. Units like the Vexilar Edge that ping out at 40 pings per second(PPS) will show a much better picture on a mono unit. Problem is, most manufactures will not disclose the ping rate of their units.

I agree that not all units are created equal. However with two like units, one being color and one not there function is the same. With proper gray scale settings the only difference is going to be the color. thanks for explaination though.

IMHO I’d get a flasher instead, instant feed back is awesome, know that I know what I know I’ll never be flasher less.

Color makes it easier to interpret data. This is eapsecially true for the casual user, but is also helpful to even the most serious anglers. If you think about how the human eye works, how we interpret what we see, we depend greatly on color variations in that interpretation. We can get by on shades of grey, as most of us do, but color does make a difference.