Sonar question/Fish finder

[iwaterdave]

Had this boat and finder for 3 seasons now. However not sure if I fully understand how to use it.The screen shows what I believe to be fish... however after hours of fishing several spinners and at different depths no bites. Is what I'm looking at really fish or something else?

 

[Georgesalmon]

your sonar can show fish, but it can't make them bite,,,,,,,,

 

[dingbat]

your sonar can show fish, but it can't make them bite,,,,,,,,

+1......w/o a picture it's hard to say what your looking at

 

[Texasmark]

Sometimes it's turbulence (bubbles), other times it could be interference picked up from the engines ignition. Quick way to see if it's that is to look at it with the engine off. Sometimes bait fish group together and appear as a larger fish.

I have used it in catching fish years ago when all you had was a spinning neon light "flasher". I mounted the transducer under the seat where I sat and using a cane pole and minnow, I fished for Crappie by noting the depth of a reply and responding. It was a great day and I had a lot of fish. That was the only instance I can remember.

The owner's manual should tell you how to operate it and how to interpret the replies. Mine did.

Mark

 

[iwaterdave]

+1......w/o a picture it's hard to say what your looking at

Thought I attached it when I posted.

 

[undone]

Do a search on using a fish finder, it will go over the details and show you what fish look like on the screen. They don't typically look like that.

 

[jigngrub]

your sonar can show fish, but it can't make them bite,,,,,,,,

LMAO!!! Boy ain't that the truth!!!

I hate hate hate hate hate insolent fish!!!... I can see them on the display! They're right down there! WHY WON'T THEY BITE???:mad-new::mad-new::mad-new:



Seriously though, there looks to be a few fish "arches" on your display... but most of those marks look to be junk or maybe baitfish, or both. Whatever it is down there, it looks to be scattered and unorganized which wouldn't be conducive to a fish feeding pattern. One of the things me and my OCD really like about fishing and finding fish with a sonar is that when they're biting the fish are pretty organized. Tight bait balls with fish holding just outside and below the bait picking off stragglers or rushing in to grab and injure as many as they can with the fish below the bait feeding on the injured that fall out of the ball to the bottom....... ok, that done it. I've gotten myself all excited and now my sticker is pecking out. :embarassed:

 

[iwaterdave]

Thanks for the input.

 

[MH Hawker]

thats why they make depth charges

 

[roscoe]

I think you need to turn the sensitivity down a bit.

 

[gm280]

If you are slowly moving, you should see arches for the fish. I also agree to turn the sensitivity down a little. It doesn't look like fish to me, but then it has been so long since I fished (refurbishing a boat now) that I can't say for certain.

 

[R055]

Last year while camping my friend had a fish finder, lesson learned after 3 days that the fish on the fish finder never bite, sell your fish finder and enjoy fishing

 

[airshot]

I have that same fish finder on my boat, and yes the gain or sensitivity is set to high and it is showing junk in the water. Mine hardly ever shows an actual arch for fish so I just leave the fish symbols turned on. Played with the arch setting for quite some time but was never successful with it. But...as stated by others you have no idea how many times I see fish and no bites. Then again there are times when I am catching fish and there are no marks on the fishfinder!! Just depends on whether the fish are in the cone of the signal from your transducer. In 30 ft of water your cone diameter is less than 10 ft in diameter on the lake bottom, and as you come up near the surface the cone becomes smaller, so not much area for the fish to swim thru. I use mine more for searching for bottom structure and bait fish.

 

[ondarvr]

Nothing on that screen looks like fish, just interference or some other form of disturbance.