Ice fishing can be cold and downright hot at times. The key to getting in on a hot bite is finding the fish. Sonar has become the modern go-to tool, for locating and testing schools of hungry fish.

When I started fishing as a child, sonar was just beginning to take over the fishing world. That was over 30 years ago and since then, fish-finding units have come a long way.

I had fished without electronics for most of my life and wondered how much it would help. I was reluctant to spend more on a fish finder than I had spent on the john boat that I would be fishing out of. After a few trips out with fishermen that had sonar. I was sold!

This was on open water before I started ice fishing. When I got into ice fishing, it was the same song. I was being outfished by guys looking at a box with colored lines on it. It wasn't the typical sonar that I was used to seeing, but it was helping them catch fish. I was intrigued enough to start looking into affordable units. Modern electronics can tell you where, when, why and how. All you have to do is buy one, or two, and maybe another.