When I first saw the Eagle Cuda 128 Portable fishfinder I was impressed by its functionality, rugged construction and value for money. As the owner of a small dinghy - a 3.3 metre rigid inflatable - I had often wished that I could fit an echo sounder but without 12 volt electronics this was not possible. Now, however, with the boom in portable electronics, that situation was no longer the case. Before I received it, I have to admit that I was a little bit worried about connections to the unit. Then, when it arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to sort out and fit. One bolt, one screw and a battery compartment, that is all there is to it. With clear and comprehensive instructions it was not long before the unit was ready to go. I connected up the transducer - the part of the device that gives out and receives the signals - to the suction cup mounting and attached it to the hull of the dinghy. I was ready to test it out.

Digit is small but very fast for its size with the only real chance of hull mounting the transducer on the transom. I wondered how it would cope at speed. I need not have worried.

In the event we ran the engine at speed for a long time, some of it on choppy water, where we were slammed around quite badly, without any problems whatsoever. The suction cup was as firmly fixed to the hull as if it had been glued!

Making sure that the transducer was in position to bounce a signal straight down, rather than at an angle, we slipped Digit into the water and began to make our way round the coast from Brixham to Dartmouth, where I wanted to fish. It was quite choppy, with a tidal surge at Berryhead to contend with, but we soon rounded the headland and, with flatter waters ahead, opened up the engine to get there a bit quicker. The suction cup on the transducer certainly got a working out. With it being situated just a short distance away from the outboard, I was worried that the slamming of the hull plus turbulence from the engine, which is fitted with a hydrofoil, would tear it loose. I need not have worried. It was as firmly attached as if it was glued on. It had no problems staying in place whatsoever. Even later, when we ran into much heavier weather, it stayed in place like a barnacle. The spot I had chosen was one which I knew from previous experience had a number of pitfalls for the unwary angler. Patches of sand were occasionally present but these were broken by reefs which thrust up from the ground like outstretched fingers to snatch at your tackle. One moment the depth would be 90 feet the next it shallowed dramatically to 25 feet or even less. Without an echosounder I had lost an awful lot of tackle, especially when drifting, but now, with the Cuda 128 fitted and working, I was prepared to push my luck a little and see how we got on. I was joined on the trip by my son, Anthony, and one of our junior club members. Together we rigged up flowing legers and baited our hooks with live sandeels, dropping them down to the ocean floor and letting out line as we drifted slowly with the tide.