Zercom clearwater classic basic questions please

[FOOTDOC]

I have owned this unit for 3 years and use it successfully most of the time. It is awesome but the owners manual stinks. Could someone please tell me what the suppression dial is for and when I should use it. Also, any tips on how to set the sensitivity? I typically have been fishing 34' of water and am using a 1/32 oz jig and am able to pick it up just off the bottom with aggressive jigging only. I suspend a small spit shot 12 inches above this and find this set up difficult to pick up. Any advice? The other night, I wondered into 58' of water(I think) and switched the depth dial to over 40' and could really not see my set up at all. Any thoughts would be appreciated. It is GREAT to have the computer back!

[Herky]

The suppression combines similiar signals or basically makes the unit have less target sepparation. I always turn it down to zero. If your unit picks up the jig when jigging and not when stationary then the jig is probalbly more horizontal and gives off a stronger return signal when moving. It takes a certain amount of surface area to send an adequate return signal. A pointy streamlined jig which hangs vertical is hard to pick up. I often add a hollow brass bead above my jig to help my locator.

[vetspet(ind)]

my zerc has 1000 watts...think we have the same unit...my unit sees everything...i us a 1/60 jig and minnow and can see both the jig and minnow as separate lines....usually i fish in 30 ft or less...i do set the sensitivity way up to see the little jig and probably get some artifact...but i can easily see my jig...steve...i can see a crumb go all the way to the bottom if i want to...

[FOOTDOC]

Ya, Steve, I agree with you regarding the crumb. When I change spikes, I drop the old into the hole and watch it go to the bottom in 34' of water. From what I gather, just ignore the suppression and deal with the sensitivity dial. Have you tried your unit in water any deeper? I tried the range beyond 40' and was unable to pick up my jig. I might try a 1/16 ounce jig just to see if it can be picked up and then downsize from there. Enjoy and thanks for the info.

[vetspet(ind)]

no water deeper than 36 or so on bass lake...did use it last yr on lake of the woods in bremin....on my canoe....it 20 something feet...when i jigged my jig a fish would rise off the bottom every time i jigged it...sit next to the jig...for 1-3 minutes and then decend back to bottom of lake...kept doing it for like 20 minutes of longer...he would rise each time i jigged and must have just watched the jig...what would a person do to entice this one?...maybe it was not a game fish...maybe a minnow?..that is one place the vex would give size via color....steve....ps.. i'm gonna be the first to catch a coho/brown in the mouth..hehehe

[AquaMan]

LAST EDITED ON Feb-01-01 AT 10:00AM (CST)[p]All the Clearwater Classics have 1000 watts and the suppression is used to reduce or eliminate feedback gain and interference common when there are several other electronics in your boat or on the ice OR when the bottom is hard and produces lots of signal rippling. Lots of light bars means you are over a soft bottom or there is debris in the water. Adjusting your suppression will eliminate some of that. Unless you are getting lots of "flutter" on the screen, keep the suppression dial all the way off. The sensitivity should be set so that just the one dark bar appears for your jig. This will allow you to see the fish move from the bottom up to your jigs and respond accordingly. Tweeking the system is key to "seeing" the fish and I suspect every situation is different and requires different settings. Play around till you find the best reading for your environment.

I have used the suppression to improve the reading in the boat at high speeds to find suspended crappies. I turned it down when we stop. Otherwise, mine is off while ice fishing.

Hope this helps.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- "It all begins and ends at the water's edge"

[FOOTDOC]

Thanks for the info guys! I do enjoy using this Zercom on the ice but have not tried it on the boat yet. For sure this season!

[manitobawalleye]

i have very good luck with small jigs for crappie down to 40'
and also lakers down to 80'
one thing you did not state was the degree of your tranducer
i use a narrow 9 degree for ice fishing
a 20 degree for summer