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Show Electronics makes fishing high tech Utah Outdoors by Mike Hemingway I just finished flipping through the latest Cabela's Mail Order Catalog, and I am amazed at how high tech fishing has become. It used to be that all you needed to catch a fish was string, a hook, and a worm. After looking at some of the latest electronics, it wouldn't hurt to add a degree in electrical engineering to the list. Finding the fish has always been the first task when going fishing. In the past you would go to the lake and stop at the boat ramp. When someone came in with a limit you would ask him where he caught his fish. He would give you detailed instructions, instruc-tions, smile and go on his way. You would immediately know that there were no fish in the area he described and could eliminate that area of the lake for fishing. A second method was to stop in at the local bait shop and ask where they were biting. You would probably get some good information, but would have to pick up a few of the items that the "fish are really hitting." Be aware that the fish are usually hitting on those items that the store is overstocked with. Today, you don't need any of these methods. Modern technology created the fish locator, which once only showed you the depth of the water and possibly any underwater structure. struc-ture. Today, the lowly locator has been replaced by even greater computer technology. The new Dimension 3 by Humminbird will not only identify iden-tify fish, but it will give you a three-dimensional view of the area of the lake where they are swimming. By punching a couple cou-ple of buttons, you can see what planned on falling out of the boat. You knew ahead of time how cold you were going to get Now Walker Downriggers has introduced a down rigger that has a temperature sensor at the ball. It tells you the temperature of the water at the depth you are trolling. It really is a good idea that will help when looking for fish that are deep. If you happen to be one of those people who gets lost, you might be interested in one of the new electronic navigational devices on the market. These hand held units receive signals from Global Positioning Satellites and will provide you with information on your present position, direction, and speed, if you happen to be moving. They will even give you directions direc-tions to preselected points so you can find your way home or your way back to your favorite fishing hole. Finally, if you like to talk to your fishing or hunting buddies when they get out of sight, a company named Maxon has introduced in-troduced a headset two-way radio. These little units have voice-activated microphones so you can talk to your partners while keeping your hands free. Their range is one-quarter a mile, but would be ideal for snowmobilers, four-wheelers, hikers, or stream fishermen. All in all, the world of electronics elec-tronics has entered into the outdoor out-door world. Modern technology can give you an edge when fishing or enjoying the outdoors, but even with all of the ad- ! vancements, you can still catch fish with a string, a hook and a lowly, very un-high-tech worm. the bottom looks like, if it is hard or soft, where the fish are located in relationship to your boat, how deep the water is, and at what depth the fish are holding. It will even show you if the fish are big or little. All of this is displayed on an easy to read screen. If knowing what is under your boat is not enough, there are now locators that will "look' out from the side of your boat in a horizontal direction. The Sidefinder, by Bottom Line will let you "see' under docks, brush piles, rock overhangs, and logs to find those fish that are next to impossible to cast to. These locators must be a blessing to lure manufacturers who know that you will lose hundreds of dollars worth of lures trying to cast to fish you know are there but can't quite reach. Everyone knows that fish are sensitive to the temperature, so it makes sense to have a thermometer ther-mometer to tell you the temperature of the water. A couple cou-ple of years ago, one manufacturer manufac-turer introduced a fishing rod that had a thermometer in the tip with a digital read-out in the handle. While fishing, you could stick the tip of your rod in the water and know how cold it was. This was particularly helpful if you |