Learning Sonar

[Shanadoia]

We all seem to need more lessons in sonar and time on the water is not enough unless you are a pro. using it everyday. I personally learned from an Eagle Mach 1 Paper Graph and after many hours it was like swiming underwater. Most average fishing people cannot afford the best units like myself, i use a Eagle Mark 320. Priced right and has great features. But for learning i wish someone out there in the BOC could tell me where to purchase a dvd video of on the water footage of locating structure, fish, baitfish, dropoffs, humps, points, of areas that hold catfish and crappie also. I have looked over the internet and at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's and cannot come up with one. If anyone knows of one please send me a Private message or post it here! I think this would be a great idea for one of our videos on the BOC. I have a new Mini Cam DVD Corder but haven't had it on the water yet. Maybe i will try this and send it in, but you more profesional cat fishermen and Ladies might help.

[bigun12]

We all seem to need more lessons in sonar and time on the water is not enough unless you are a pro. using it everyday. I personally learned from an Eagle Mach 1 Paper Graph and after many hours it was like swiming underwater. Most average fishing people cannot afford the best units like myself, i use a Eagle Mark 320. Priced right and has great features. But for learning i wish someone out there in the BOC could tell me where to purchase a dvd video of on the water footage of locating structure, fish, baitfish, dropoffs, humps, points, of areas that hold catfish and crappie also. I have looked over the internet and at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's and cannot come up with one. If anyone knows of one please send me a Private message or post it here! I think this would be a great idea for one of our videos on the BOC. I have a new Mini Cam DVD Corder but haven't had it on the water yet. Maybe i will try this and send it in, but you more profesional cat fishermen and Ladies might help.

Read the 22 pages at the link below and you will come away far better off than when you began! I'll garantee it!

http://www.hightechfishing.com/lowrancetutorial.html

[Gary S.]

I can't thank you enough for posting that link! I have never understood how to interpret the 2D image on screen into a 3D image of what was really there! What an eye-opener. Thanks a million.

[mbandjb]

looking at sonar stuff and found this post!
Thanks a lot,it cleared up a lot of murky water!!!!!

mike b

[flagmax]

I fish anchored. Thinking of getting Lowrance X96, Eagle 480 or Hummingbird 565. I have a sonar question. If the fish is under the transponder and not moving, will I see a line at depth across the whole screen or few pixels long inplace of an arch?

If the fish moves back and forth at same depth, will I see any changes? Should the line stop and I see an arch?

Could one fish produce many arches?

Does anyone actually use a fishfinder if anchored? Or is it waste of money?

Thank you,
Andy.

[TIM HAGAN]

A fish finder will help out alot BUT I would step on up and get a color unit. I have had people out on trips and after seeing my lowrance color unit work and see how good the bigger fish show up on it they had moved up to a color unit. I run it on auto and never use the fish Id the bigger the arches the bigger the fish. Find them on or just off the bottom and set up just up river from them. As you use it more you will see just what arches are catfish and know when the arches you see our fish your looking for. Lowrance has a X67c for around 250.00 I have been told my some of the pros that the X510 is as good as you can get without going into GPS/fishfinder units. Hope this helps you out

[TIM HAGAN]

Andy spend alittle more money and more up to a color unit i use the lowrance 102C and will have the newer unit here soon X510 they have a smaller one X67c. The color will make seeing whats on the bottom 100% better and the bigger the arches the bigger the fish. I use my unit to set up all the time and alot of the people I have had out on trips have moved up to a color unit after seeing my unit

[oldprowler]

[quote=flagmax;600323]I fish anchored. Thinking of getting Lowrance X96, Eagle 480 or Hummingbird 565. I have a sonar question. If the fish is under the transponder and not moving, will I see a line at depth across the whole screen or few pixels long inplace of an arch?

If the fish moves back and forth at same depth, will I see any changes? Should the line stop and I see an arch?

Could one fish produce many arches?

Does anyone actually use a fishfinder if anchored? Or is it waste of money?

Many questions. In my opinion a sonar (fishfinder) is never a waste of money. Even if you just arbitrarily decide where to anchor and fish the sonar can provide assistance in safely navigating any waterway by providing water depth and depth change information. I usually turn off the sonar after I anchor but that is just my personal choice.

Even when you are at anchor your boat is almost never perfectly still. You will probably swing a bit on the anchor and there may be vertical movement from the action of the water (waves, ripples, etc).

IF however your boat was perfectly still AND the fish was perfectly still THEN in all probability you would only see a line at the distance of the fish from the transducer (represented as depth) across the entire screen.

IF the fish was moving back and forth at the same depth you may or may not see an arch. The display of an arch does require movement. The amount of movement required depends upon several factors such as the ping rate of the sonar, the sensitivity settings, and the refresh rate of the display and the rate of change of the distance from the transducer to the fish. If all things came together perfectly then you would see an arch.

[flagmax]

Thanks a lot for great info and recommendations. Its just amazing some of you guys are able to tell its a catfish on sonar :ooooh:

[bigun12]

IF however your boat was perfectly still AND the fish was perfectly still THEN in all probability you would only see a line at the distance of the fish from the transducer (represented as depth) across the entire screen.

Thank you! This is a KEY piece of information that a great many sonar users seemingly cannot get thier minds rapped around.

One more small point.

One fish CAN make many arches if it swims back and forth through the transducer cone but they will ALL be displayed and different times. Two or more returns displayed together are two or more different objects.

[flagmax]

Thanks for info guys. It means a lot to me to hear from the pro's.

I looked at the X67c and its sister Eagle 320c thats 30 bucks cheaper and I am kinda worried about the weak 800 watt peak-to-peak power and small 3-1/2" 320V x 240H screen. However it looks great in the emulator. I read somewhere that it better be 1,500 watt and 320x320 pixels minimum to start with for it be a good fishfinder. I was surprised how much easier it is to see the fish in thermocline on a colored unit compared to b/w. Also anyone know whats the deal with Lowrance and Eagle making exact same units but sell at different price?

[bigun12]

IF however your boat was perfectly still AND the fish was perfectly still THEN in all probability you would only see a line at the distance of the fish from the transducer (represented as depth) across the entire screen.

Thank you!

This HIGHLY important piece of information is apparently lost on a GREAT many sonar users!

And one other small point. Yes indeed one fish swimming back and forth through the transducer cone can produce many arches but they will show up at different times on the graph.

Many objects appearing on the graph together are indeed different objects.

[Shanadoia]

Well, i took a peek at the website you provided and it was awsome to say the least...I give ya a thumbs up for helping us all find some info. on sonar units and giving us some actual readings of on the water useage, this is unparlell to us weekend anglers...To me and my budget any money at all for a sonar unit is a large investment and although now after using many different types i have the NCC 5300 Bottomline which in my opinion is the best yet and with the gps built into the unit is just soo awsome you have to use one to understand...I always try to remember one thing about fishing for cats, if they aren't in a big brushpile or in the washout of a large bend of the lake or river then they are lurking along the bottoms highway looking for food and without a good sonar then you are just troling right over and more than likely past them...Sonars today have prices for every fiher-person, no matter what their budget is, so please get one for your boat and i promise ya will never, ever, regret it...

[droptine77]

Thanks so much for posting that link. I just got alot of the answers I have been looking for. Now if I could just figure how to cut it on!

[riverdasher]

Lowrance has the premium reputation. They cash in on the name. Eagle has a good reputation but not up to the caliber of Lowrance. After all, Lowrance bought out Eagle.