Just wondering…if I am staying completely inshore and fishing creeks, creekmouths, flats, etc., how much do I really need a depth finder, GPS, and VHF radio? I am sure that they are nice to have, but I am wondering how well my iPhone will substitute.
VHF vs. iPhone: Since I mainly fish around Hilton Head, I think I should have sufficient coverage to make an emergency call if I needed to.
GPS: IPhone has GPS and I have heard that the Navionics app is pretty good. I don’t think I can get too lost even without a GPS but I wouldn’t mind having some additional help in case fog rolled in or something.
Obviously, iPhone is no help as a fish finder/depth finder.
Thoughts on any of this?
p.s. I am sold on the idea of a trolling motor, but I need to wait a bit.
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
its always nice to have backups. What if you fell in and your phone sank, battery dies, etc ? VHF may be your only means of getting help. Depth finder ? I use mine all the time but to mark drop offs and bottom structure not to see a fish. They are also good for exploring creeks so you know how much water you have to navigate.
The GPS is invaluable for leaving tracks while exploring at low tide and thus providing a safe pathway when you return to fish at higher tides. (oysters) Outside of the obvious reasons to have a depth finder for locating productive fishing spots, it also helps you determine how much time you have to evacuate an area before you get grounded by the outgoing tide. For example, creeping along in 3’ of water during outgoing and then the depth goes down to 1’. Better evaluate where you intend to go and how long you should stay there.
O.C.
It’s good to have all those, but if you are like me and have to buy one thing at a time, I would start with the depth/fish finder mostly for the depth finder part of it. Navionics is an awesome app. I have all the gadgets on my boat, but I still use Navionics from time to time.
I agree with all of the responses. I have all on my vessel as well. But, inshore a fishfinder is never used for fishfinding… only depth. IMO. I typically don’t even plug in the GPS around here as I know where I frequent, and if not, I’ll use the depthfinder to help me watch for tide changes. The only time I use GPS, is in Bulls Bay. I don’t trust that place on sight alone. My iPhone works everywhere I fish/cruise as well, but a rechargeable handheld VHF never hurts. Good for weather alerts too! First purchase I made was the depthfinder… if any of that helps.
I agree totally on a depthfinder at the very least. An Iphone is great and all but a VHF can contact other boats in the area (people you dont know) for emergencies or a quick tow if needed. What good is that phone if you need to contact a random boat you can see 500 yards away for something. With that said I need to buy a new VHF radio myself
A VHF isn’t necessary for inshore in most cases, however it’s the one time that you actually need it that might save a life. It’s a direct line to the USCG and towing services.
Something else to think about, a handheld gives you about five miles of range on a clear day. A fixed mounted VHF will give you 25ish. When the weather gets bad, these distances can go down considerably.
GPS is completely a nice to have item for inshore.
I think a depth finder is a must have, especially for someone who will be navigating new waters. 2’ can look like 200’.
most have already pointed out the gps and vhf items but the depth finder is one that you will not want to go without if you learn how to operate it, find fish and underwater structure that might hold a fish or just plain shallow water. you will get what you pay for in the finder. go to a dealer and check them all out, or take a look in one of the pro bass magazines
For me the inshore minimum is - A black and white FF and a smart phone, handheld is nice as well. I fished the Chesapeake for 15+ years with no GPS, now doing the same around here. They are not required - if you have some basic chart reading skills and can read the water - go out a low tide and learn where the shallows are, you are set to go. $$ color fish finders are not required inshore either, even at the grillage or jetties. A nice B&W unit will do if thats what the bugdget allows.
Navionics for the smart phone is a great addition. As well as google earth…google earth will track you real time, and shows many of the underwater sandbars/channels.
Dear Surf…I’m going to go out on a limb here and stir up the level of debate. I see that you are fishing from a 13’ Whaler. I cut my teeth on inshore fishing with a 14’ Waccamaw and a tiller operated 25HP Mariner back in the early 1980’s. Cell phones had not been invented, and depth finders were bulky, unreliable and relatively expensive for a young guy with a job that payed $8.00/hr. I learned to fish by only going out at dead low tide, and finding my spots visually. I learned where the drop offs were, the points,flats and oyster bars that held fish. I used a boat paddle as a depth finder, and I went slow in new areas until I learned them. If I did hit bottom, the worst case scenario required me to get out and push, or sit there until the tide came up. I learned fast from Mother Nature, and experience. I caught my share of fish, and logged quite a few hours getting skunked. I learned how and where to throw a cast net, put out a minnow trap, and fish with plastic grubs. I’m no pro, like many on this site, but I’ve got a manila envelope full of citations from the Chas. Trident Annual Fishing Tournament, and most of them date to those “good old days”. That was back when gill nets and seine nets, and tri nets were the approved way for “locals” to get a mess of fish, and there were no real limits, slot or otherwise, that people adhered to. I caught a lot of salt water catfish, toad fish, and other trash fish for my efforts back then. The fishery is exponentially better today as a result of catch and release and enforced limits…there’s just so many more people out there trying than back then, and that has dampened my enthusiasm for going…or maybe I just got old. What I’m telling you is…“It’s not the arrow, it’s the Indian” Get out there and work at it…“Hard work always pays off” and the effort is mild compared to the memories. Good luck Kid.
Boss, thanks for the response, and especially for calling me a kid. It has been a long time since someone thought I was young. (Immature yes, young no.)
13ft Whaler with 25hp Johnson
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
