Offshore fishing only requires you to have a big boat, a fishing kit, preparedness, luck, and a whole lot of patience. Those are the ingredients needed for successful fishing. They’re tried and tested but there’s still room for improvement for both the man and machine.

After all, technology keeps advancing and you, the fisherman, have to be updated with the latest tech for an efficient and bountiful catch. You’ll want to do it because it will provide you with a surefire way to navigate any body of water in the Philippines and know where the fish is no matter how the tides are.

Not Just for the Big Ships

The technology in question is marine electronics. It’s a set of gadgetry located at the helm of a variety of boats and may consist of an automatic identification system (AIS), chartplotter, electronic position indicating radio beacon (EPIB), personal locator beacon (PLB), fish finder, multifunction displays (MFDs), radar, VHF radio, and even wifi.

They’re easily available in specialty stores in the Philippines or even online depending on your choice. You’d probably want everything on your offshore fishing boat but you gotta know what they all do. Sometimes you don’t need everything since a dashboard could only hold so much equipment.

The most common electronics you’ll need in an offshore fishing boat are the following:

Chartplotter

It displays digitized charts and it allows you to navigate on an LCD screen. Everything is displayed in realtime which includes your position, waypoints, routes, and other navigational data integral to getting from point A-Z and back.

Fishfinder

Use the power of sound to your advantage! Fishfinders use sonar devices to detect where the bountiful catch is at real-time. These fishfinders come in three forms which are the traditional sideway scanner, down-looking scanner-imager, and the detailed CHIRP scanner.

Multifunction Displays

Think of it as multiple monitors for a desktop computer except it’s mounted on your offshore fishing boat’s helm interface. They are simply screens consisting of networked systems that enable you to view, let’s say, a fishfinder on one side and a chartplotter on the other. It makes monitoring everything you need a breeze.

EPIRB/PLB

You can basically call it your lifeline. Both EPIRB and PLB broadcast an SOS signal to satellites so any nearby rescue authorities know where to find you. It’s handy if you’re in a pickle and it’ll definitely save your life. Offshore fishing is risky at times after all.

VHF Radio

This is a mandatory and essential piece of electronic equipment in an offshore fishing boat. It lets you communicate with other boats and rescue services from miles away. Again, this is another lifeline you’ll need on your boat.

Going Minimalist

Your console may only hold so much and that’s why you gotta pick everything that counts. It’s a good thing that some manufacturers combine other functions to let you have a bit of everything.

 A prime example is a chartplotter. Some chartplotters on the market has a fishfinder or depthsounders integrated and displayed exactly as an MFD does.  More functions mean more space to add crucial gadgets.

Most offshore fishing boats you’ll see in the Philippines, especially the high-end ones, have most of these marine electronics installed. A good example is Robalo which has Garmin tech readily available. Just remember to try the stock equipment first then decide if you need something better.