If you have an electronic sonar unit on your fishing boat, there is a very good chance you will sever your transducer cable.
If that happens, you're going to need a doctor. You need the Transducer Doctor.
That would be Joey Cook of Tulsa. There are so many transducers suffering from electronic amputation that his transducer cable repair clinic has become a full-time job. Cook used to be a crappie guide. He used to fish in crappie tournaments, and he was very good. He doesn't have time for any of that now because fixing transducers is a more dependable income with less overhead.
A bow mounted transducer almost always attaches to the bottom of the trolling motor. The cable winds around the trolling motor shaft, makes a tight loop at the top away from the trolling motor mount and runs to the graphing unit. If the cable is not properly attached to the shaft, the loops will loosen and widen. Ultimately, the top loop will enlarge to the point where it gets between the trolling motor and the mount. When you snug your trolling motor into its mount, it pinches the cable. One pinch is all it takes to sever it.
Attempts to repair a transducer cable are usually unsuccessful, and the few attempts that are successful are short-lived.
There are two alternatives. You can buy a new transducer, or you can send your transducer to a specialist.
Again there are two alternatives. Send it to a specialist who makes a temporary or slipshod repair, or send it to somebody that repairs it right.
Cook repairs it right.
Preventive maintenance is the surest bet. Cook recommends using electrical tape to fasten the cable to the trolling motor shaft.
"I always recommend to keep a roll of electrical tape in the boat," Cook said. "Some people use Velcro, but it doesn't hold the wire good in my opinion."
Cook strongly dissuades using zip ties because they can cut into the cable.
Once a cable is severed, it's a major operation to make it operational again. A forward scanning sonar has 21 wires inside the cable, Cook said, some of which contain just three strands of a wire that is smaller diameter than a human hair. You can't splice such fine wire effectively with butt connectors. Cook said he solders the wires, and that is a delicate job.
Also, Cook replaces the wire shielding, a thin foil that prevents interference between wires.
A crucial step is waterproofing the wires. If water enters the cable housing, electrical current from the wire will activate electrolysis, a process by which electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen molecules. The molecules will travel the length of the wires and rust the entire system.
Cook repairs all major transducer brands. He charges $225 to fix LiveScope and Active Target sonars. The price to repair Humminbird cables varies by model.
Manufacturers don't repair cables. If you send a severed transducer cable to a manufacturer, they will only sell you a new transducer. A live scanning sonar transducer costs about $1,200. That's big money for a manufacturer because so many anglers sever their cables. Business is so brisk that Cook says he's making almost a six-figure income doing nothing but fixing transducer cables sent to him by anglers from across the continent.
Cook still participates in crappie tournaments, but he said he doesn't really fish to win anymore. He is on the water more as a floating billboard for his Transducer Doctor clinic. The need for his services increases as anglers increasingly rely on their electronics. In the past, if an angler's electronics failed, they just fished without them. Nowadays, Cook said, an angler won't get on the water if their electronics don't work.
You can find the Transducer Doctor on Facebook or on TikTok at @transducerdoctor. You can reach him directly at (918) 946-0362.