Questions about Fish Finders [Archive]

Doctor

05-14-2006, 10:47 PM

bigfish,

The higher end units will give you much better resolution but with some tweaking you can get your unit to read much better, there are a few things I do each and every time I hit the water.

First always check your transducer, they seem to get bumped around while trailering and the angle may be wrong, I like for the transducer to be angled just a tad from the front to the back with the back a little lower than the front, each and every boat is different because of the angle of the transoms or ribs or chines on the bottom, most times when people are not getting good pictures on there unit it is because the angle is incorrect.

Second take a wet rag make sure it is wet and wipe down you transducer, it is amazing what those things will gather on the bottom side when you travel down a highway and if it is mud or dust and it sticks to the face of the transducer then when the crystal vibrates inside and sends out that sound wave that dirt or dust will redirct that sound or block it then you see these weird echoes on your unit. if you use a dry rag then you may scatch the surface of the unit and that will change the sound pattern.

Remember when you here that click sound out the back of the boat the sound goes down to the bottom bounces and returns back to the unit then it is processed and the picture is painted on your screen, happens thousands of times, anything that gets in the way is painted on the screen and that includes sticks, leaves, air bubbles, grass and fish and turtles and anything else that swims or crawls under your unit.

Time on the water and trusting what you unit is telling you are great to boost your morale, marking a fish and then anchoring down and catching that fish is one of the greatest thrills you can have..................Doc

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 12:53 AM

Posted from : Aftercats

Good info, I have been working on my boat today and had check out my transducer. What happens if they mounted it flush with the bottom of the boat?

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 12:56 AM

Aftercats:

alot of times you will not get a correct reading from your unit, it will not get a flow of water thru the unit to be able to read properly and therefor you could have problems reading the arches or showing alot of lines in the unit while moving trying to locate fish.

Aftercats

05-15-2006, 01:00 AM

Thanks I will check that out in the morning, Does it matter where on the transome the transducer is mounted?

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 01:02 AM

This is a reminder if you have any questions please post them in this thread as we fill in the other areas there will be no post allowed until its completed all post will have to be copied and posted here for now.

Remember when you post it wont come up right away it will have to be approved to this section, this is just so we can get this built and maybe put in these posts what your asking about.

Thanks BOC Staff

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 01:04 AM

Aftercats :

I always have put mine on the drivers side of my boat, I try and keep it about 14 to 15 inches from the motor prop wash. but it has to be mounted down like in the one picture I showed in the digram that I did on the X135. and you should be ok then.

Doyle

05-15-2006, 09:16 AM

ShilohRed

05-15-2006, 09:58 AM

I do almost all my fishing in 6 to 12 ft of water. My lakes max depth is 30 ft. I think my readings in the deeper water are better than shallow. How are your experiences in shallow water. I dont think that I get very good readings no matter how I adjust the sensitivity.

Doyle what unit do you have? And a little info on it? Like what transducer does it have?
My humminbird 987c Si or the Humminbird 400TX tri Beam will work great even in 5ft of water. But then again there is more then one beam at work there. I do have to turn down the power when in that shallow of water.

I plan on doing some research on mine do find out what it will do in shallow water.
But remember in 6ft of water your lucky of your seeing less then a 3 ft circle more like a 2ft circle . So its not giving you much feedback.
Here is what I do. mine will track a jig to over 40ft and separate targets within 2 ½ inches!
So I plan on seeing if it will track my bait in 5ft of water down to XXXX depth. I do know it will track a 4/0 hook rig.
If yours will not track that small of a jig or hook. Switch to a 20 Oz coke bottle that has weight in it to sink. And tie that to your rod. With the unit running move back until it shows up and then measure from that spot on the boat back and you will know what your unit is covering in that depth.

Pete

SubnetZero

05-15-2006, 10:13 AM

Working in the PC world, Sonar/Fish finders appear to be like computers, they look to be out-dated quickly with all the new advances/bells/whistles,etc comming out all the time.

I am a complete newbie when it comes to dealing with sonars. The two I have were already mounted on the boat when I bought it last year.

I have a Lowrance X25B mounted on my console, transducer mounted on my transom. I also have an Eagle Cuda 128 mounted up front with the transducer mounted on my trolling motor. The Eagle seems to give me a better picture than my lowrance, but it is also a newer unit.

The specs on my Lowrance:
Dimensions ...................... 5.9" W x 5.35" H x 3.4" D
Input Voltage .................... 10 - 15 vDC
Current Drain ................... 350 ma (lights off)
........................... 500 ma (lights on)
Transmitter
Frequency.......... 192 kHz
Output Power ..... 600 watts (peak-to-peak)
........................... 75 watts (RMS)
Display ........................... 100 pixels (H) x 65 pixels (W)
........................... Supertwist Liquid Crystal Display

At what point is it worth spending the cash to upgrade to a newer unit.
I realize spending $2k with give me picture like shots of the bottom, but that is just not affordable for most. I am wondering, is it worth spending the $500-$600 to upgrade to a mid to low-high end sonar or just keep what I have ? ...

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 10:47 AM

These are small computers (lol) and sometimes they can be a pain in the rear when trying to learn them and how they work. The biggest thing is making sure it is set up just right to give you the maximum usage out of your system that you have.

At what point is it worth spending the cash to upgrade to a newer unit.
I realize spending $2k with give me picture like shots of the bottom, but that is just not affordable for most. I am wondering, is it worth spending the $500-$600 to upgrade to a mid to low-high end sonar or just keep what I have ? ...

1. On upgrading your unit , that will be your choice, you will know when its time, if your using your system to find structure and depth then that unit will due well for that, If you are going to try and target your fish and see and I.D. different things in the water then you should move up to a 3000 Watt or above peak to peak power, and at least a 480X480 Pixel system.

Right now I would love to Upgrade to the system that Pete has but just don't have the money to do it with, but there is systems that can give you 4000 watts peak to peak power and good pixel range in black and white for around $400.00 Now if you move up into a Color system to get the 4000 watts peak to peak your going to get into the 600.00 to 700.00 range real quick.

If you fish all the time and want to expand on your fishing then its worth the spending of that money, but if your happy with what your seeing and catching fish then I would stay with what you have until you can afford to get a little bit bigger of a unit. As I have said in many of my posts about fish finders its hard to tell someone they should upgrade. Here is the best I can tell you to do find someone in your area that has a bigger system with the higher watts and go with them and watch there system you will see a big difference and it will tell you then to upgrade or not.

I hope this helps and you understand I am not pushing to sell any of these just trying to help everyone understand there units better.

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 10:55 AM

From :

primitivefrn

jim wainwright Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: collins mo
Posts: 102
Rep Power: 2
39

102 lowrance

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for input, just bought one.
jim

Bigmagic

05-15-2006, 11:02 AM

Tim ultimately it is a personal decision, but for me I like a Finder with at least 3000 watts. I think a lot of "bells and whistles" are added to attract impulse buying from fisherman. I know someone who still uses and old Lowrance paper graph unit and it works great. I have three sonars on my boat, one I use just for its GPS(LCX-15-MT) one to locate catfish(Lowrance X-97) and one to locate shad(Hummingbird 3D Paramount). I didn't set out to have three sonars on my boat. The 3d unit came with it and I added the X-97 from my old boat. I got a deal on the X-15 from ebay.

From using units from two different manufacturers I have learned a lot about sonar. Being able to compare what the 3D unit "sees" with the Lowrance units has provided me with a great learning tool. My 3D unit fires six beams in different directions so it always "sees" more fish than either of the Lowrances. It quickly identifies shad schools and shows location of fish in all directions in relationship to my boat. The Lowrances with their single beam show a much smaller area but have arches and great detail(very useful). I often have fish or structure showing on the 3d that are not on the Lowrances (due to single beam) but I can repostition the boat to view the same stuff with the Lowrances. This has proved invaluable in my quest to get become a better catfisherman.

When I first fired up the Hummingbird I thought it was a useless piece of junk.(After using the X-97) I have since come to appreciate it as another tool in my arsenal.

In the end upgrading depends on your budget,expectations and personal preference. If your unit has the power and detail but lacks the latest "bells and whistles" stay with it. But if you've got a depth finder thats under powered or only offers minimal detail and bottom information by all means upgrade and get a professional unit and learn how to use it.(VERY IMPORTANT) Unless you have experience with a higher end depth finder allow yourself some time for learning and like Eric has already said "leave the rods at home". See ya on the water!

Doyle

05-15-2006, 11:35 AM

metalman

05-15-2006, 11:54 AM

I am not sure that the computer analogy is fair in the case of sonar units. The problem with computers, I think, is that to run the programs and applications currently available you often need to upgrade. Trouble is that when the 'puters become more powerful the software people produce programs and applications that require even more power.
Fish, on the other hand, are not constantly evolving and inventing new ways to avoid being seen by sonar.
In my humble opinion upgrading is not a necessity if you have a good unit in the first place. If your unit does a good job at showing what you are looking for, be it structure or fish, then a newer unit with more bells and whistles is not necessary. I used to run a Lowrance X70-A and I think that it was the best unit I have owned. The only reason I upgraded was that Lowrance no longer had parts to repair it when the screen went bad.
Now, if you have a "low-end" unit that you got perhaps as an entry level unit or maybe it was already on the boat when you bought it, then by all means get a good unit, one that is as good as you can afford. Do not however fall into the trap of thinking that the next year's model will do a better job of showing what you want to see. There are, from time to time, quantum leaps in technology that really do set new standards but for the most part, if your sonar shows you what you want to see today, it will show you those same things next year or in ten years.
A $200 unit that is properly adjusted and being used by a guy who actually knows how to interpret what it is showing is much more prefereable to a $5000 unit in the hands of someone without a clue. It's just a tool and as with most tools the person using it is what makes the biggest difference
...W

ShilohRed

05-15-2006, 12:11 PM

I have the Hummingbird 400TX, it is the one I think is not doing well in shallow water. One thing I did… I shortened the cable when I redid the wiring on the boat rather than leaving it rolled up. Is there a possibility than these cables are tuned and not to be shortened?

I hope that it was only the power cable. and not the transducer cable. As when you cut a transducer cable it will at times not work as good.

But I have 2 of the 400TX units. and still use them both on the 17ft war-eagle and on the trolling motor on the 20ft boat. And have not problem with shallow water on them.
Are you running yours in factor mode? If so take it and play with it. Use the setting and get a lot more out of the unit.
Pete

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 12:32 PM

katfshn50

George Ostrom
Location: Brooklawn N.J.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have an Eagle 320 fish finder. I have read the book time and time again and am having trouble with the sensativity settings. I am always getting what the manual refers to as clutter. It is not constant yet it exhists and scrambles what I am tryin to read as far as markin fish is concerned. What may I be doin wrong. And don't say tryin to use it. LOL!
__________________
BIG GEORGE/ MEMBER SINCE NOVEMBER 2003

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 01:31 PM

SeedTick
Greg Rettig

Location: Conway Arkansas

Thank you guys for this much needed new forum!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Pete, What is the meandering line that kinda connects the beds?

ST

Bigmagic

05-15-2006, 01:51 PM

Winston, I agree with your point that upgrading an already useful and working unit isn't needed but I think the computer comparison was a fair one in that a computer only manipulates data. A computer in the hands of the right person is a powerful device and yet some people have one gathering dust on their desk.

I love the new Lowrance sonar units like the X-111 or the X-110 but are they enough of an upgrade for the money? In some situations for some fisherman the answer may be yes, for me though I have not one but three solid useful sonar units(my wife thinks thats two too many) and the $2500 dollar price tag will keep me using them for a while. If your a serious fisherman there are a number of units in the $400 dollar range that are very good units.

Maybe we need to talk about "what features make a great sonar unit" so we can find some common ground. For me it starts with power, the additional detail that comes with units with at least 3000watts is worth the difference in price. Vertical resolution goes right along with power in my book. Wouldn't do much good to have power and not be able to display it. Dependabilty is always a consideration as well. I need a rugged unit to withstand the abuse it will get fishing nearly everyday. What's your criteria?

DeerHunter01

05-15-2006, 03:24 PM

George Ostrom
Location: Brooklawn N.J.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have an Eagle 320 fish finder. I have read the book time and time again and am having trouble with the sensitivity settings. I am always getting what the manual refers to as clutter. It is not constant yet it exists and scrambles what I am trying to read as far as marking fish is concerned. What may I be doin wrong. And don't say tryin to use it. LOL!

katfshn50

George do me a favor check that unit see if it is set on auto sensitivity instead of it being on manual where you set it to where you want it at and let me know.

That could be the problem with it.

ShilohRed

05-15-2006, 08:49 PM

I for one will disagree with the part about updates not being necessary. My humminbird 987C SI has a SD disc and every time Humminbird comes out with a update ( They can update it to show better scans) all that I have to do is download it to the SD card and my older unit is as good as a new one made now.
So to me that it well worth it. And as long as they keep adding updates I will sure add them. Some of them may not be much but if it makes the unit better, Its well worth it.
Pete

I am not sure that the computer analogy is fair in the case of sonar units. The problem with computers, I think, is that to run the programs and applications currently available you often need to upgrade. Trouble is that when the 'puters become more powerful the software people produce programs and applications that require even more power.
Fish, on the other hand, are not constantly evolving and inventing new ways to avoid being seen by sonar.
In my humble opinion upgrading is not a necessity if you have a good unit in the first place. If your unit does a good job at showing what you are looking for, be it structure or fish, then a newer unit with more bells and whistles is not necessary. I used to run a Lowrance X70-A and I think that it was the best unit I have owned. The only reason I upgraded was that Lowrance no longer had parts to repair it when the screen went bad.
Now, if you have a "low-end" unit that you got perhaps as an entry level unit or maybe it was already on the boat when you bought it, then by all means get a good unit, one that is as good as you can afford. Do not however fall into the trap of thinking that the next year's model will do a better job of showing what you want to see. There are, from time to time, quantum leaps in technology that really do set new standards but for the most part, if your sonar shows you what you want to see today, it will show you those same things next year or in ten years.
A $200 unit that is properly adjusted and being used by a guy who actually knows how to interpret what it is showing is much more prefereable to a $5000 unit in the hands of someone without a clue. It's just a tool and as with most tools the person using it is what makes the biggest difference
...W

WylieCat

05-16-2006, 12:57 AM

One note about clutter.

Clutter is something you have to deal with and learn to separate visually from fish. If you crank the sensitivity too low you will also eliminate some smaller baitfish from your screen. I have fished with professional guides who crank the sensitivity nearly all the way up and use their judgement to determine what is what in the picture.

A note about transducer angle.

My transducer is NOT parallel with the bottom of the boat, but it is parallel with the surface of the water. My boat sits with the back lower in the water than the front, so tilting it slightly helps to get much better arches. I learned this lesson on my pontoon. That transducer was mounter parallel witht he pontoons and the boat always seems to being sitting slightly nose up. One notch on those adjustments can make a notable difference.

As for "must have features", here is what I have to have:

1) Obviously water depth
2) Water temp
3) Boat Speed, a must for trolling

chrisblue

05-16-2006, 11:58 PM

Does anybody else have this unit and have noticed that the lake maps are a little bit off.

Patmansc

05-19-2006, 12:15 PM

Eric, I'm about to buy an X135 to replace the Garmin 240 that's mounted by the driver's console. I was thinking about having it mounted (I"m not mechanically inclined) in it's place, but was wondering if I shouldn't have it mounted by the bowseat which is where the trolling motor is. This was I could see it instead of having to run back and forth. Basically, I guess I'm asking if 2 sonar units will be ok & can the battery handle both?

DeerHunter01

05-19-2006, 11:39 PM

Patmansc

I think your asking if you can have two units running at the same time with the transducers on the transome of the boat. Your answer would be some people do this and they work but I have heard alot of problems that happen with them both on. If you ran one and shut the other off then yes it would work.

Here is where I get lost you running back and forth here. why are you going back and forth on the boat ? I have mine mounted by the steering wheel where I am operating the boat then find fish and set up on them, the first thing I do is shut my unit off and don't turn it on until I leave. If you are running your trolling motor then why would you not mount one on the trolling motor and if your using that why not have one unit mounted near the Bow of the boat so when your up there you would be able to view it.

If I am lost here please help me out.. Thanks

Eric

Bigmagic

05-20-2006, 05:25 AM

Pat are you running back and forth when throwing a shad net? I have often thought about putting one of my transducers on a trolling motor to aide in staying on a school of shad in deeper water. I know a couple of Hybrid fisherman who have two transducers and two gimbal mounts and when they locate a school of Hybrids they move the unit to the trolling motor mount and try to stay on the school. For just locating catfish I would choose one location or the other usually I want it on my console because if I don't find what I'm looking for I'm on the the next stop. See ya on the water!

RRaider

05-21-2006, 12:10 AM

Does anyone have any experience with the Hummingbird bank fishing models?

chrisblue

05-21-2006, 12:53 PM

Patman 1 battery will run 2 graphs but I would get a second one to be on the safe side.I assume you use your trolling moter to drift when the wind aint blowing or while youre catching bait.The thing I would do is get a trolling moter that you can control anywhere in the boat theyre much nicer and it would be easier than putting another depthfinder in.Or if you fish out of the front of the boat mount one graph up front and the transducer on the bottom of the trolling moter.If you go with a new trolling moter I would reccomend minn kota auto pilot with the co-pilot remote you can strap it to wrist, rod or where ever you want.

ribsplitter

05-21-2006, 11:08 PM

Lowrance® Full-Size Color LMS-334C Recording Sonar/GPS+WAAS Combo

deerhunter do you have one of these units im looking seriously into one for my boat...

Patmansc

05-24-2006, 11:42 AM

ShilohRed

05-25-2006, 10:53 AM

Guys - sorry for creating the confusion about running back & forth between the bow and the console, so I hope that this clears things up. I like to drift around/along structure like channels & humps, and use my trolling motor when there is no wind, or when it's too stong (to keep from moving too fast). Because the Garmin is mounted on the console, and the trolling motor control is on the bow, I'm constantly moving between both to make sure that I'm where I want to be. I think that the best solution is to have the new unit mounted on the bow, so once I locate a spot where I want to fish I can trun off the console unit and turn on the bow unit. Then I would only need one battery to power both! Does that make sense?

I do the same way when fishing. But I have the back one. Mounted where I can turn it around. And watch both the front and back unit at the same time.

Drift fishing will and can catch more fish. And when you control the drift and watch both units its better.
So mount the back one where you can turn it around and then theres no running between them.
Pete

loanwizard

05-25-2006, 03:21 PM

Eric I have a Lowrance X135 just like you. I have put it on auto sensitivity, manual and messed with it quite a bit (at least 10 minutes lol) I get a very thick top line meaning 1/4 of my screen shows the surface and junk approx 1" thick on screen. My bottom contour in 5-12 feet of water show huge changes. It shows huge dips and sways, like I'm always over a stump field. I also am not getting arches. The only way I seem to be able to mark fish is with the symbols. I've been to the lowrance site and downloaded the tutorial and can't get it to work either.

Help me I've fallen and can't get up.

drc3

05-25-2006, 03:27 PM

I have mine mounted at the console and on a swivel. When I get on the T-motor I just spin the unit around to face the bow of the boat.

rpcathunter

05-26-2006, 05:07 PM

I have a lorwance 110 (very nice unit ) but I want more detailed maps than the hotspots that I have for it, I want the Texas coast, Eagle mnt., Ceder Creek and others. Now how do I get these with minamal cost?

Doyle

05-27-2006, 09:35 PM

I should have a Hummingbird 947c 3-d Tuesday. It was shipped Friday. I will following the instructions for installation but is there any pit falls that I can run into. Any fairy screws or traps.

Bigmagic

05-28-2006, 06:51 AM

Shawn what are your sensitivity settings? How much of an Arch are you getting? Are you using a thru the hull mount or a transom mount? Usually you will get either the front half of an arch or the back half which are you seeing? Can you post a picture of your arches or lack of arches?

Manually adjust your sensitivity settings until you are getting a lot of clutter on the screen then lower the setting until most of the clutter disappears. Make sure your transducer is in the water and not in turbulance. A transducer too close to the motor can cause electrical interference. If your getting half arches(front or back half) its easily fixed by adjusting the transducer angle. Usually the angle or the sensitivity settings can make a difference. Always test you finder in deeper water so you have a wide enough cone angle to see "arches".

jsharper

05-30-2006, 07:27 PM

Hi, I got my Lowrance 334c in. I am going to install it myself. Doesn't appear to be anything I can't handle as I am replacing and old cheap one. That one is going on my jon-boat. My question: do I need to hook up the NMEA 2000 network wires and install a switch since all I have is the unit with gps. I am a little confused; looks to me as if this is just if I have the optional stuff.

Jim

ersel

05-30-2006, 08:17 PM

I have the X-87 and my goal this year is to use it to it's potential or my capabilites. I just finished re-reading the manual and know the 87 & 97 are similiar any tips?

DeerHunter01

05-31-2006, 10:09 AM

Lowrance® Full-Size Color LMS-334C Recording Sonar/GPS+WAAS Combo

deerhunter do you have one of these units im looking seriously into one for my boat...

No I don't have one of these. I have ordered the new LMS-339C DF iGPS: let you know what I think of it once I get it on the boat and running.

knapperheadmatt

05-31-2006, 01:27 PM

keep in mind that the depth of the water dictates how much of the bottom you will see on your graph. usually the cone is about a third of the depth. so if your in 30 feet of water , your looking at about a 10 foot area on the bottom. when in 10' your only seeing about three feet. another thing confidence in your unit is critical. trust what you see. one more thing, the zoom feature helps me distinguish stump and other pieces of cover from fish.hope this helps.
matt

borntocatfish

05-31-2006, 04:12 PM

I've been looking for a good finder but don't have a clue on which one is better than the next. I don't want to get rip off or worst buy something I don't know how to use.

rcneman

06-01-2006, 12:04 AM

ok, so i have an old antiquated( worn out) finder that..well the LCD is just gettin hard to read...so i wanna buy a new finder. I have surmised that I should expect to pay around $300 for a decent piece of gear.

give me some ideas on where to go, what to pay.

thanks in advance
robert

SFISHER

06-03-2006, 01:55 PM

I am loosing my picture of the bottom at speeds over 10mph my digital depth is still being posted on the screen but the bottom line goes blank. I know I will have to adjust the transducer but I dont know which way. Right now the center lateral line on the transducer is inline (level) with the hull of the boat. When my boat is planed off I do have a small rooster tail kicking up from the transducer.

DeerHunter01

06-03-2006, 02:38 PM

One of the things I can think of right away is the watts peak to peak on it maybe too low to do the bottom at faster speeds. What is the unit you have and also the transducer could be set up wrong too. but would have to see what you got if you want you can post a picture here of the transducer on here so we could see how you have it mounted. but I think if you give us the model of your unit it would help.

When I had my eagle 320 I lost bottom every time I got up to 20 MPH then when I went up in higher watts and better pixel I never lose the bottom at speeds of 52MPH

brad kilpatrick

06-03-2006, 02:45 PM

DH,
Does it matter what type of water you are running in? I ask this because My unit (lowrance x100c) works much better in lakes then it does on the river. on the lake I paint these beautiful fish arches and when on the river I paint partial aches and a bunch of blobs. I've messed with all the settings and can't quite get the performance on the river That I want. Any help?????

blackhorse83

06-03-2006, 11:43 PM

Is it true that you can mount a transducer in the bottom of a boat and shoot thru the alumnum? Before I buy another one I want one in the front of the boat too. I need to up grade but want to use the one I have and relocate it to the front.

SFISHER

06-04-2006, 12:27 AM

ShilohRed

06-04-2006, 05:51 PM

Its a Eagle fish strike 2000 I put it in the previous title. Its 4000watts peak to peak 500 rms, It should have the power. When I am idling along it is excelent, but when I plain off I lose the bottom.

Sounds like you need to work on the transducer. Make sure theres noting in frount of it. That will make air bubbles. And that its mounted right.
Getting one to work runing is a hit and miss deal.
Start out with it 1/8" below the hull. and see how that does. Also make srue its level .
Also page 21 of your manual shows how to mount it.[Link only for Registered Members]
PEte

brushpile

06-08-2006, 10:56 PM

I'm looking to put a unit at my console. I'm wondering if the X 135 is worth the extra $200. I almost exclusively fish in water that is 25 feet deep or less. In the 10-25 foot range, is the X135 worth the extra cash?

Thanks for the help...

SeedTick

06-15-2006, 04:34 PM

Hey Brothers, DH I was checking out your post where you and Ryan were fishing and I have a question or two. How fast does the boat need to be moving to get a defined arch on a catfish? I've been fine tuning my x107 and adjusting the transducer and I am mostly getting an arc with a few arches mixed in. I'm thinking that the really good arches I'm getting are scaled fish.
Next question, is it harder to get the transducer adjusted on a smaller boat, say a little 10 ft flatbottom as compared to a large pontoon? The reason I ask is because the last time I was out with my main fishing partner, my sister who weighs about 115 pounds, I was getting more arches. Well then me and another fishing buddy, TopSgtLawerence who weighs at least 120:roll_eyes: , marked plenty of fish but I don't think we had over 1 or 2 that were good arches. My boat is 15' long by 42" wide so will I have trouble getting the transducer set for different pay loads?
Thanks in advance for everybody's response.

ST

DeerHunter01

06-15-2006, 10:55 PM

SeedTick

06-16-2006, 12:08 AM

SeedTick:

Weight load should not matter, I am a little lost with this, is the fish transducer mounted on the boat as the directions gave ? It should be if I remember right on your unit half of the transducer up above the boat and the other half below the boat, what I call dead center of the bottom of the boat. Make sure your not inline with a skag or rails on the boat make sure its between them. The transducer should be level with the bottom of the boat sometime if its up r down some it will not give you arches.

With a boat moving about 2-5 mph is what I run when looking for fish and this gives me very good arches. If I am drift fishing then the arches will become almost like a straight line. My boat I put into gear and don't give it gas when I am searching for fish but I have a 150 HP motor on the boat which gives me about 2-3 MPH.

I hope this helps you some. let me know if your still having trouble, and please post the unit you have in case I got it wrong with the transducer mount.

D/H

Yeah DH, I think it's mounted right or at least I had it mounted at a boat dealership here in town. It is a Lowrance x107c df, it is a color unit without gps and it has the skimmer dual angle transducer. It took me several adjustments on the transducer to get good arches (most of the time) and then when me and Top went I only got a couple of good sharp pointed arches like it shows to have in the simulator mode. I also read that scale fish would give a better defined arch than a catfish.

In the beginning I started out with mostly straight lines for fish so I changed the angle of the transducer. The next time out I got the half arches so I gave it more adjustment. Well I went too far and had half arches the other way. Finally I got good defined arches on most of the fish. I am a happy camper.

Now I go with Top and most fish show up as an arc, kinda like this ( but rotated 90 degrees clockwise. I was just wondering if it was because the boat was setting differently in the water.

I have a lot to learn yet but the main thing I need now is experience and that will only come with time. I can find fish with it now and you guys get the credit for that.

example;
We fished a hole on a Monday, we anchored, and didn't use the graph to set up because we knew (thought we knew) where we needed to be and didn't get but a few bites. We decided they just weren't biting. I went back on the following Wednesday and I probably spent 20 minutes trolling back and forth playing with the graph before I set up, my first cast never hit the bottom. I was just catching small fish but it was like setting on a bream bed they bit like crazy. I was close enough to throw over to where we were fishing on Monday so I tried over there. It was like fishing in the dead sea, nada.

I re-learned something when me & Top went Monday, just because you can see them it don't necessarily mean you can make them bite. Oh well.

ST

DeerHunter01

06-16-2006, 01:37 AM

Posted by Seedtick:
I re-learned something when me & Top went Monday, just because you can see them it don't necessarily mean you can make them bite. Oh well.

How true this statement is, this happens alot in the middle of summer, the dog days. you will mark big fish and sit right over them or think your line is on top of them and most of the time your right , but they don't feed all the time either. But I had a guy tell me a few weeks ago there is a catfish somewhere in this river thats hungry right now, all we have to do is find him..

Last night the area I was fishing had lots of nice cats in it, and they were turned on for eating for a little over a hour and then all of a sudden they shut down, but I was still marking the same fish , they just did not eat.

Katmaster Jr.

06-16-2006, 02:38 AM

How true this statement is, this happens alot in the middle of summer, the dog days. you will mark big fish and sit right over them or think your line is on top of them and most of the time your right , but they don't feed all the time either. But I had a guy tell me a few weeks ago there is a catfish somewhere in this river thats hungry right now, all we have to do is find him..

Last night the area I was fishing had lots of nice cats in it, and they were turned on for eating for a little over a hour and then all of a sudden they shut down, but I was still marking the same fish , they just did not eat.

First let me say I enjoy reading this thread, great info!

You guys are definitely right about them not feeding all the time, we do the same thing, mark a lot of nice catfish, and sometimes they just won't bite, or we will wait in the spot a long time and then all of the sudden they start biting. I think they eat a lot at once and then get full and set there to digest before eating more, may not be the case all the time, but I think mostly that's what they are doing.

AwShucks

07-18-2006, 02:22 PM

blackwaterkatz

07-23-2006, 02:52 PM

I have three boats, three depth/fish finders. My problem, is what model is this one? Trying to find out how to mount the transducer as it seems to hinge in two places and won't set level when the boat moves...it planes or tilts due to the water drag.
I've seen those units, but don't know the model. There should be a label someplace on the unit with s/n, etc. If not, you may be able to email a photo to the folks at eagle. Go to their website and look for technical support, for starters. Do you have a photo of the transducer and mount?

stephens

07-23-2006, 04:08 PM

i would call eagle and ask them i know they can tell you with the serial number off the unit hope this helps.

ShilohRed

07-24-2006, 11:33 PM

It is held by pressure. And should be 2 places that is sunk in. That is what holds it together.
You may need to bend that part that has the bends in it. Or tighten it up some where theres more pressure on it.
Sorry be gone out of town for a few days.
Pete

Winkstr

07-28-2006, 04:40 AM

Currently have Bottom Line Tournament 480Max...480VX480H 3200 watts power pk to pk / Unit is a little over a year old having major problems...unit is locking up, showing 8 foot then reading 24 ft showing 3 bottoms and then not showing any readings. Etc. Never/Rarely shows arches has trouble locating bottom most of the time, but occasionally works great....but can not trust anymore.
I am considering getting the Eagle Fish Easy 320C BPS sale $149 until 08-06-2006 / 320Vx240H 800 watts power pk to pk
My question is this, This unit only has 800watts and is color, would this unit be better than a 800watt gray scale unit?
I fish in the Missouri river 99% of the time, would the small amount of power and the fact that color shows more seperation of bottom and suspended "Fish" be better than a grayscale unit with 1500 watts?

Sentry Dog Man

08-03-2006, 01:29 AM

Just picked up a Lowrance 337C DF, Wednesday afternoon. Hope I made a good choice.

Do any of you have this unit?? If so, please let me know how you like it and what your experiences have been.

I will post a review later, after I have had some experience with mine.

I have only opened the box so far and have not even dug all the stuff out yet. Looks like there is a ton of stuff I am going to have to hook up.

4Low

04-10-2008, 11:09 PM

Rubes, What you are seeing on the screen is directly under the transducer in a cylindrical fan or "cone" shape. The transcuer is constantly sending signals down to the bottom, receiving those signals, processing and amplifying the signals and then displaying them on the screen for you to view. What you see on the right side of the screen is what's happening at that very instant. What you see on the left side is old news. Obviously fish can and do swim in and out of the "cone" so that's why if the boat is not moving and you are above suspended fish, they will reappear on the screen.....if the fish are moving in and out, they will disappear.

The best way to utilize a fish finder is to think of it as a camera taking very very fast multiple high speed pictures from the boat to the bottom, watching the "old news" on the screen and the "new news," factor in boat movement and water current (if any) to determine exactly what's going on down there and the relationship between your boat and what you are watching.

ProElite22

06-07-2008, 10:09 PM

I am looking to buy my first fish finder. It is a present for my brother-in-law. I'd say from my reading so far that $400 is a good price range to start looking. Trouble is I can't afford that much. Not even on one for myself!

He lives in Florida, fishes small shallow lakes in a small boat that is either paddled or hauled along with an electric motor. He likes to fish, but isn't the avid fisherman most of you appear to be. That could change in the near future as he has reached the ripe old age of 64! :big_smile:

While visiting 2 weeks ago, we had the opportunity to fish from a boat with a cheap depth finder. Although it was definitely better than his without one, I'd like to get him something a little better.

Unfortunately neither one of us has any experience with a finder. No idea which are good, which are only so-so. The Bottomline Buddy 1200 was rated as very good for the money on one website. This is actually a little more than I had originally thought to spend. However, I would prefer to spend a little more than I had planned, then to spend less on an unsatisfactory one.

Others I have looked at so far (on the net!) are the Hummingbird 535, the Garmin 140, the Garmin 160C, and the Eagle CUDA 242 or CUDA 245DS. The 160C is color with Dual Beam. None have the power that is suggested as a minimum to have an average finder. Article I read said 2000 for average, 3200 for good. Think 1200 or 1500 is tops on these. Most are a lot less.

It needs to be portable due to the thievery in his part of the country.

Please help me spend my hard earned cash wisely. Thanks.

wolfman

06-14-2008, 10:39 AM

Obviously anglers have caught catfish that they marked on there fishfinder. Is it safe to say that catfish are not affected to the sound waves or watt power put out from the transducer?

Would they most likely to feel anything in shallow water more so than deep water?

Big Vic

07-25-2008, 06:35 PM

SkipEye

07-25-2008, 07:10 PM

I had one 15 - 20 years ago. They are pretty basic by todays technology. You can get them on Ebay for like $20-$40 total with power cord and transducer. Just go to Ebay and type in "LCR 4000" and see what they have available.

Sunbird

10-23-2008, 07:19 PM

I find it hard to believe that everyone in the BOC has their sonars figured out enough that this thread is not used.:ooooh:
So, I have a question, or two, about the unit that I have. LMS 522c iGPS I have purchased the hotmaps for my region and have enjoyed using it. It really is no better than the map except I don't have to fool around with folding and wind. :wink: I am not sure how to properly use the unit. I have tried several different settings and still feel that it's not qiute right. Is it possible that the transducer is mounted to high? To low? Also how important is it to have the transducer parallel with the water. My boat changes from drift or trolling motor to wop. I see some full arches but I should be seeing more. Lastly what is a good colorline setting? To get the most out of the echo is one better than the other?

blackwaterkatz

10-23-2008, 08:17 PM

Jonathon, I would highly recommend downloading the simulator for you unit from the Lowrance website, if you haven't already. It will allow you to play with all the different settings on your pc and see what effect they have. Also read the users manual very thoroughly, the leave the tackle at home, go out on the lake for a day and use that unit in different areas; take the manual along for reference. I make changes to my units quite a bit, depending on water clarity, depths that I'm fishing, salt or fresh water, etc. If you make settings and want to go back to the default, it's real easy. Just go to the second menu and reset everything. If you have more questions, I'll be happy to help if I can, and I know others will, too. You won't be able to become an expert in one day, but you can learn a little something new each trip. The basics are enough for most folks; you don't need every bell and whistle on the unit.
Your transducer needs to be level with the surface of the water at the speed you are moving to get good arches. If your boat has a bow high attitude, the transducer may need to be adjusted to allow for that. I usually try to keep mine on the same plane as the bottom of my hull, though, and it works great at speeds up to about 6 mph, and also at speeds up to full throttle, but the arches won't be as detailed above idle speeds. There is usually an optimal speed (2-6 mph) to get the best readings. Don't look for a lot of good arches in water less than maybe15-20' deep.
I usually have good luck setting the transducer level across the transom at about the centerline of the transducer.

Foxhound

10-23-2008, 08:19 PM

Jon
I have the same unit on my pontoon boat and have had to play with the transducer setting to get the proper arches at speed, wich for my boat is only about 15 mph on a good day. Mine reads best if I set the transducer a couple clicks aft so the transducer rides level when the boat is in motion. Also those arches are going to straighten out when you are stopped or trolling slow. You can go to the Lowrance website and download the emulator and learn a lot about it just from playing with it on your home pc. One good bit of info i picked up for that unit is to run your ping speed and chart speed at 100% all the time.

roundhill

10-23-2008, 11:03 PM

Jon let me take you fishing i will show you how to on electronics an techniques on all ways of fishing that's what i like to do it makes you better an gives me the big head:embarrassed::roll_eyes::cool2: the roundhill

blackwaterkatz

10-24-2008, 07:15 AM

Now that's the best tip yet, Ron! I always recommend fishing with others in order to learn and share.

ShilohRed

10-24-2008, 08:47 AM

Still looking for some advise on a hummingbird 4000 I have a chance at possibly buying one but dont know anything about it. I want a different finder but I want a good one I dont fish real deep water and would like to be able to find the under water structure,along with the fish,water temp. Any advise or comment good or bad would be helpful. Thanks

If its the standard LCR 4000. I had 2 of them. Did well with both of them. But they show block fish. But did show fish.
Then they came out with the LCR4-ID.
The 4000 works good for depth and showing fish moving . But not anywhere as good as a $99 unit of today.
Pete