Our Story of FishFindersJudge
Hi, this is Wade Johnson, the founder, editor-in-chief and mastermind behind ‘Fish Finder Judge’ – sometimes I take help from my wife and son in the vocabulary and the tech side of things. I’m also the guy who will help you wade through water and catch fish like a pro.
Fish Finder Judge is not going to judge you for your lack of knowledge and practice regarding one of the world’s most thrilling and liberating sports, fishing. Ah, that’s the die-hard fisherman in me talking. You come to this site, and we serve you in the best possible way. That’s all this is about.
I started this website with only one aim in mind: to build a platform where our angler friends can get tricks and tips to catch more fish and unbiased reviews of fishing gear that actually deserves their time and money.
How We Started
Before I take you on a trip to how I create review content and rank products and what future goals I have in mind for this venture, let me tell you how it all started.
It won’t be wrong to claim that fishing is bred in my blood and bones. My grandfather and father used to go fishing, then it became the duo of my father and me, it’s my son and me now, it will be him and his son and so on. The legacy will continue.
My grandparents’ cottage is in a rural area with a trout stream running a few miles away. It was our tradition to catch fish and serve the grilled heaven for get-together dinners on weekends.
This keen interest in fish-catching tools came from my arch-nemesis, Marc. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we have been best buddies since childhood, but you know how friendship works between kids. He was the next-door neighbour of my grandpa. One fine weekend, we were experiencing a ‘bad fishing day’ and the little devil made it worse by boasting about how he got the biggest trout from the same stream with a new fish finder his father bought that works like magic.
That was the day I started taking fish finders as seriously as if they were life-saving drugs. It wasn’t a new thing for me as my grandfather had an old puny-looking device that he would lend us sometimes. But like every other beaten and outdated product, that one would also work when it had the mood. Don’t get me started on the results; that ‘fishless’ weekend dinner alone is enough to tell the tragic story.
I didn’t know how much that small device had the potential to make or break the game and how necessary it was to update the tool with time. I knew what present I wanted for my upcoming birthday – a fish finder carrying all the features that helped Marky (Marc) catch Trout and rub salt into my wounds and already injured pride – I prided in my fishing skills as I had learned from the best; my grandpa was one of the most skilled fishermen in his village.
Back to the topic, the journey began with a pocket-size fish finder containing primary functions. My next step was to challenge Marc to a fishing contest on the next visit. Guess what, yours truly, Wade Johnson won with flying colours. I caught two fish, ignoring that my father helped me, while the poor kid went home with only one. Since then, I have been indulging myself in upgraded fish finders as often as possible.
As for how this website started, I saw something similar a couple of years ago when my son and I were testing our luck in dock fishing. A father-son duo returned from their venture with the kid in a pretty bad mood – he couldn’t catch a fish. Nostalgia hit me and that’s when the idea of ‘Fish Finder Judge’ was born. My sole reason back then, it still is, was to show ordinary anglers and hobbyists how to turn a bad fishing day into a ‘great fishing day’ with the right fishing equipment.
I have decades of experience with hundreds of fish finders, owing to my graduation in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. My wife is good with words and my son is a computer genius – these damn software-obsessed Gen Z brains. Their encouragement led me to this stage where now you are getting benefitted from years of my education, fieldwork and research.
It isn’t easy to admit your ignorance and ask someone to recommend to you which fish finder to choose and how to choose. You can come here and learn everything about fish finders, both new and old, low-priced and high-priced, without admitting your lack of knowledge publically.
How We Create Reviews and Other Content
Because of my educational background, experience and interest in fishing gear and ties with other anglers, I provide all the content about fish finders, what factors to consider to purchase the right tool and what possible questions may come up in your mind. The information that I share here is what I have learned through experience over the years. Let’s not remind me of the wrong purchases I made during that process. If you expect sponsored content and false advertisement, you have come to the wrong place. Team Fish Finders Judge doesn’t want to play with your sentiments here because I don’t want you to experience the heartbreak I and that kid went through. So, trust that whatever I say here is coming from the mouth that has firsthand practised with the gadgets discussed here.
I have gathered quite a collection of fish finders over the years. I borrow some that I don’t possess from peers and friends who like the same sport – perks of having a big friend circle. You have to be at least a millionaire to purchase every new unit that comes on the market, particularly those deluxe ones that cost thousands of dollars. However, thanks to friends who share the same love of fishing, including Marc, I get my hands on the latest devices without depleting my bank account.
I take a fish finder for a test drive of around 3-6 hours and check all its functions, including sonars, display, GPS chart plotters, maps, connectivity and onboard storage. I jot down every aspect to present here later. If I happen to catch fish in between, that’s a bonus. And let me tell you, my family enjoys this bonus quite frequently.
It’s not easy to spend hours on this work, considering I have an office job alongside a wife to help run our household. But, the satisfaction that comes with the knowledge that my efforts in pursuit of sharing authentic information might be helping the audience hone their skill keeps me driving.
Testing Methodology
Here’s a brief overview of how testing and ranking products takes place here to assure you what these posts say is authentic. You will not find us biased about specific products. My selection of products is versatile. I am willing to examine any unit ranging from the lowest price range to the highest, limited popularity to praised worldwide. I tested fish finders of versatile range, from some nobody brands costing a few bucks to top-notch units manufactured by gurus like Humminbird, Garmin, Lowrance, and Simrad costing grands.
Every article that I pen down here is born after a two-step investigation.
Primary: The data that we collect through my fishing ventures with different fish finders and that of my friends.
I contact local fish business owners and friends abroad to collect information about the units, particularly those that I have not tested myself.
Secondary: I cross-check all the information with video evidence and customer reviews available online.
I was lucky enough to accompany our local fish vendors and fisheries owners to a couple of fish hunts to witness which units they were using and what were their two cents about them. I intend to do the same in the future as well because there are units I won’t be able to purchase, no matter how badly I want. So, my only option is to bother other owners to see how those fish trackers work.
Finally, I rank our products based on experience, performance, efficiency, longevity, customer reviews and price range.
What are the Future Plans of Fish Finder Judge
They are the same plans that kickstarted this site in the first place: help you catch fish in all fishing scenarios. The roadmap for doing that is simple.
- Update and improve the website regularly.
- Present all the information with proper outlines and guidelines in simple jargon.
- Get my hands on as many upgraded models as possible to bring you new and updated reviews.
- Retain this neutral approach in the selection of fish finder units of various companies.
- Answer questions that beginners and average anglers often experience while purchasing a unit.
Meet the Team of Fish Finder Judge
We don’t have a huge team here; I am a one-man team here.
Wade Johnson
I am that guy who aspires to wade you through the challenges of the fishing journey. Fisheries Science and Aquaculture was my major area of learning at the graduation level. In a way, you can say that I pretty much spend all my life around fish. I told you about my fishing background but not about the place where it all began. Minnesota is where my grandparents live – the origin of my interest in fish finders.
I am responsible for providing the audience with in-depth reviews, guidelines and other critical information.
On weekends, when I am not working as a handyman, you may find me making these finned creatures run for their lives in a lake, river or sea.
How You Can Contact Me?
You can email me at Wade@Fishfindersjudge.com or use Contact Page to say Hi!