Five tips to keep fish finders working

written by The Lost Anchovy

Introduction

I will admit that I have destroyed my fair share of fish finders over the years. Some died by pure neglect, while others were poorly made. I fish hard and my gear needs to keep up.

I fish the salt. That means the big blue, and all the problems that go along with it – mainly corrosion. This means corrosion of wires, connectors, fuses and everything in between.

Here are some tips to help you keep you gear lasting longer.

Corrosion X

I use corrosion X on everything, and I mean everything on my kayak.  This miracle chemical saves gear – plain and simple.  Most fish finders are waterproof, which means the internal electronics are sealed from all forms of moisture. However, there are sensitive points on each FF that is susceptible to corrosion, wear and tear.

One sensitive point is the connector pins. Kayaks are closer to the water, as opposed to boats, which means our fish finders are more adversely affected by the corrosive power of the salt water.

TIP: Take some corrosion x and spray it on the connector pins. Leave the chemical over night to let it adhere to the pins. This will greatly extend the life of the pins and ward off pin corrosion.

Dielectric Grease

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Besides corrosion X, dielectric grease is my second most dependable combatant against corrosion. Once the Corrosion X is removed, I immediately place some dielectric grease over the connection points.

The dielectric grease serves two functions. One, it prevents unwanted sparks and jumps that can short circuit electronics (fuses do too), and second, it also protect the pins from corrosion.

TLA – Essential Fish Finder Maintenance Equipment List

• Corrosion X
• Dielectric Grease
• Marine Goop
• Marine connectors and Shrink wrap

Marine GOOP

Goop works well to seal away vulnerable joints and sensitive areas. I goop the end of all my connector points to make sure no water gets in and corrodes the connection wires.

Lowrance brand fish finders are highly susceptible to damage around the SD card area(This isn’t a hit on them, i really like Lowrance fish finders a lot). Moisture and water can enter the FF through this area, leading to foggy screens, corroded SD slots and eventually a destroyed FF.

I use goop to seal of the SD card slot, and it has worked amazingly well!! Foggy screen gone and 1.5 years with no problems! (Fingers crossed)

NOTE: I don’t really use the SD Card slot anyways.

Marine connectors and shrink-wrap

There is nothing more frustrating, for a kayak fisherman, then getting on the water, turning on the FF, and it goes blank. Ninety percent of failures are connection issues: corroded leaders, compromised connection points, and battery terminals. The last ten percent is a bad fish finder that can remedy by following the steps above.

Using strong marine grade metal connectors helps. Goop the exposed crimped ends with goop and cover the connection with heat shrink-wrap.  Wrap the connectors with electrical tap and duct tape. It works pretty well to keep the moisture out from the connection points.

Got Rice

Sometimes, against all odds, our fish finders get dunked– It happens. We are kayak fisherman. Rice is a great solution to drying out wet electronics. If the FF was submerged in salt water, make sure to rinse off all the salt quickly and pat it down.

Uncooked rice is great at absorbing moisture. Fully submerge the fish finder in uncooked rice and leave it for a few days. Hopefully, fingers crossed, the fish finder comes back to life once the moisture is removed.

This method works well with other electronics as well such as wet cell phones. Give it try!

Conclusion

Truth be told, I enjoy getting a new fancy fish finder, opening it up and seeing all the new features of my new toy. There is a sense of euphoria that is hard to explain, it is akin to opening presents to Christmas day.However, I still like to keep my gear going for as long as possible.  I’m just cheap that way.  Hopefully this helps you guys out. 

If you have tips and tricks to help extend the life a fish finder please feel free to comment below. We would love to hear from you!

Good luck and tight lines –TLA

Edited 7.5.2020

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