Fishing: How to keep an eye on everything beneath the keel
Thorsten Trojan
· 21.08.2026
How technology has transformed fishing. Depth sounders, transducers and live sonar have revolutionised the modern fishing boat. What used to be a simple depth gauge is now a networked system comprising a screen, nautical chart, transducers, bow motor and power supply. There are moments out on the water when it becomes clear just how much fishing has changed.
The engine is off; the bow thruster is quietly holding the boat steady against the wind and the current, and the water lies dark beneath the hull. In the past, one would have relied on experience, knowledge of the waters and a good instinct. One would have looked for a ledge, watched the seagulls, read the wind and made the first cast.
Digital transformation in fishing
These days, we’re looking at a screen. Or two. Sometimes three. On them, we see digital nautical charts, depth contours, our own waypoints, sunken trees, schools of bait fish, sharp edges and soft seabed. And if the system is modern enough, we don’t just see what was beneath the boat.
We can see what’s happening right now – live and almost in colour. The fish finder is therefore no longer just a single device. On a fishing boat, it is a system. It consists of a display, one or more transducers, a bow motor, a power supply, a network and software. The technology has not only improved in recent years; it has created a new language on the water. Our author Thorsten Trojan writes about it:
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Join in: Show us your fishing boats! From minimalist electric boats to full-scale offshore vessels – we want to see your set-ups and feature them in one of our upcoming issues! Send us an email at: redaktion@boote-magazin.de with photos of your boat.
Post photos of your boats on Instagram using the hashtag #myfishingboat and tag us: @boote.magazin. We’re giving away three copies of *Einfach angeln von Bord* in a prize draw open to all participants.
Thorsten Trojan
Freier Autor, Angelexperte
