Lazy Fishfinder use

[Wawajake]

Okay I admit it I am a lazy fisherman when it comes to reading my Fish Finder .

I confess to using the Automatic Fish ID instead of trying to decipher arches on the screen.

I am sure there are many more out there ! So please convince me that there is an advantage to figuring out archs on the screen.

For example will I actually see many small arches when its baitfish, whereas my Fish ID will confusedly think one big fish?

Is there a link to any article that shows me a good overview of dissecting arches on typical Manual setting.
Even the manufactures seem to assume we will use automatic. (mine is a two year old Hummingbird Matrix black and white with dual cone transducer and GPS) and fish about 50 days a year .

Before that was a simple Eagle one but I was always the “Automatic” type ….have I been missing much?

jake

[jimmy4218 unlogged]

I'm the same way. I try to use the sonar mode, but eventually get lazy and switch back to automatic. If there is a good article I'd like to see it myself.

[bluegill 1]

Hey Lazy,

I would'nt get to worried over "am I missing something", heck, people having been fishing for thousands of years without the fancy electronics we have, and they caught fish.

I'm no expert by any means. Heck, I like to keep things simple. But I'm not sure what you mean by "Automatic".

When I turn on my sonar (Lowrance) I always start in "auto" mode. It displays "arches" because I have the "fish I.D." off.

I assume when you said "Auto Fish ID" you mean that feature that displays a little fish icon with the depth it's at and perhaps even gives you a little "beep' to let you know something is down there.

You mention "arches" in a "manual setting". I dont belive you need to be in a "manual mode" to get arches.
I'm in Auto mode all the time and get arches, I just make sure the "fish I.D." is off. When I want to focus on something, then I use the zoom feature. The zoom feature doesnt change anything (displaying arches)other than it focus' on a specified range, which will also "zoom" or "enlarge" anything in that target area. That will help you "see" things a bit better to figure out whats down there.

Thats about my level of sonar use. I'm not a professional fisherman, I just enjoy fishing (20-30 days a year)I am limited to the time I get to spend on the water, and I'm usually rushed, there and back.

Perhaps make a visit to the Lowrance web site. they have some "tutorials" that you can view. It's been a while since I saw them. Perhaps other manufactures offer something similar. Visit each , perhaps you can pick something up from each of them.

I too would like to know more about all the feature's on my unit that would help me catch more fish, but my time is limited, my knowledge is limited and my available time on the water is limited.

If I learn one new feature each time out, that will eventually get me more knowledgable to use whats available for a given situation on the water. When all is said and done, I doubt I will ever use more than a couple of features available to me, only because that's the type of fishing I do, keep it simple.

If you find a good book or video on the subject post it here.

Good luck, be safe and have fun,
David

[mcdee]

You can go crazy tring to read fish arches. I think that structure is more important. Forget fish alarm, That will drive you even more crazy. I just hit auto and set sensitvity and then your good to go. :cheers:

[Dacotah Eye]

Fish ID will show anything as a fish. A leaf 10 feet down will show up as a fish and so will a stick or branch sticking up from the bottom. I never use it, but that is just me.

[drfish]

Here is a good primer on sonar use from the good people at Lowrance. http://www.lowrance.com/support/Tips_Tutorials/Sonar/sonar_tutorial_01.asp

[Wawajake]

Yes I mean auto lazy with fish ID on ...and yes sometimes even beeping for me when I am otherwise occupied. (drifting and moving equipment etc)
I fully recognize that some of the fish id’s might be floating debris , but by those reading arches can you actually tell the difference between a leaf and a perch or walleye ? If that’s the case then opf course I should hone the skills of reading minor differences in arches.

I have printed off the 16 page article someone kindly linked , I will read and see how that helps.

Thanks

jake

jake

[perchjerker]

no, but you can tell a cloud of baitfish from a gamefish, for example. In fish id a bunch of baitfish can show up as one or a couple of huge fish where without it on you will see dots or something similar instead of a fish arch that would would see with a larger fish. I think fish id sets the sensitivity lower than to what it should be, thats why I like manual mode. and antoehr thing you can tell is if you see 1/2 an arch you know the fish is off to one side and when you see a nice perfect arch you most likely went right over top of it. (for the most part there are alwyas exceptions) the point about a tree or stick showing up as fish too is a good example of how it can mislead you.

do you understand why you see an arch instead of a fish shaped marking on your screen? If you dont know why an arch is formed its harder to understand what its trying to tell you. We can explain that pretty easy if you dont know. Im sure the linked article will explain it to you.

I never use fish id and I am plenty lazy too. Its just as easy to read once you get used to it.

[Wawajake unlogged]

Thanks Perchjerker and others.
I did read the article and it does expand a bit on arches more than I already knew from my Hummingbird fishfinder manual.
I will play with the manual settings this summer (last summer was learning the GPS aspects and using trolling paths etc.)

My camp lake has very few minnows, the walleye and pike primarily feed on crayfish or whitefish or each other. So the baitfish advantage of arches will be minor.

4 more weeks !!!!!!!!

jake

[perchjerker]

Im not talking about just baitfish. If you saw a mark that looked like a real nice fish, but it was really a few smaller ones swimming close together, that could fool you into thinking you are onto big fish when all you are fishing is smaller fish.

the point is with fish id you may not be seeing what you think you are.

just try it for a while. You might even get to like it after you do.

[Wade@JollyAnnMarine]

If you take the time to interpret your sonar, you'd be amazed at what you can detect below your boat. Your missing a lot by having your fish ID on. In addition to some of the good reading material out there, Doc Samson has a new DVD called Understanding Sonar and Interpreting the Display. It's very well done. If you don't have a local source, we have them, or you can get them directly from Doc. He really explains how the sonar works and how to interpret what you're seeing on the screen.


Wade Kuehl - Jolly Ann Marine
Jolly Ann Marine can be found in the Walleye Central Business Directory under Electronics/GPS
www.walleyecentral.com/phpyellow/