New gadget helps fishermen

Gone are the days when anglers on the river bank had to trust to judgment or blind luck.

Now a small sonic device shows exactly where the fish are lurking. It can pinpoint a potential catch up to 75 feet away and 100 feet deep.

Using the latest mobile phone technology, a scanner in the shape of a float beams back underwater images to a small screen. The screen can be worn on the wrist like a watch or attached to the rod.

When the sonar locates the prey it flashes up an image of a fish. It also triggers an alarm in case the angler is taking a nap.

The "Smartcast" device shows the shape of the river bed and the screen is refreshed every half-a-second so the fish can be tracked as it moves.

But it is dividing the angling world with accusations that it is cheating by taking a large element of luck out of the sport.

Leading match angler Neil Machin said: "Anglers should be able to work out where the fish are for themselves."

And Dick Clegg, of the Nat ional Federat ion of Anglers, said: "I would not entertain the idea of using such an artificial device. Coarse fishing is all about walking the banks and identifying the right areas."

But Gill Neighbour, spokesman for manufacturer Humminbird, said: "It's not cheating because you still have to con the fish into biting your bait. That and actually landing the fish takes a lot of skill. What the Smartcast does it take away the hours anglers spend sitting on a bank waiting for a bite. If they cast off on a stretch of river and hardly any fish come up on the display then he can move to another part of the river where there are some. It gives them a chance of wandering the river banks looking for features of the river bed and possibly fish before they start.

"They can still spend hours sitting on the river bank waiting, it's just they will have a much better chance of getting a bite." Andy Lush, who owns the Friendly Fisherman shop in Tunbridge Wells, said: "For the pleasure anglers these will be fantastic.

"It is mainly carp and pike anglers that have taken an interest so far."

Smartcast will not dispense with tradition entirely.

The gadget picks up any significant item in the water and cannot distinguish between a fish - and an old wellington boot.