Depth finder question

[fisheater]

What kind of unit do you need to be able to see your lure on the screen and the fish react to it.I didnt know if it has to be an expensive unit or just configured a certain way.Also do the screens scroll like normal to acheive this or stay still and everything on the screen moves.Thanks in advance from a big dumb ole boy.

[small boat basser]

The newer units have gotten to the point where it is pretty automatic about being able to accomplish this. This is largely because of the increase in resolution (pixels) and power over the years compared to old units. You could still do it with older units, but you had to know how to tweak them in manual mode to get the best readings.

On the newer models, if you start with a base unit having a minumum of 1500 watts of power or more, and a vertical pixel count of 320 or more, you'll be good to go. The more power and the more pixels above this base unit, the easier it will be.

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[fisheater]

Thanks for the info.I had read or talked to someone about this before but i forgot the information.I dont think my fishmark 320 has that kind of power.lol.The way i fish most of the time i only use mine for depth.This spring i have a couple ambitions.1.To try and master my electronics or upgrade and learn them.2.Learn how to fish offshore structure.3.And maybe put down my finesse gear and go strictly for monster fish,,,unless im fishing for a fish fry that is.Thanks again...John.

[small boat basser]

John, your Fishmark 320 does have that capability (1500 watts/320 vp) which is why I listed it as a minimum base unit. I have the same model on my boat along with a more powerful X-15MT. Just check to make sure you're not running any high filtering on the unit that would filter out those small returns. I would also check to see if you're running in auto, what sensitivity it typically is running at. You might need to override that part in manual (bump up to 85% or more if screen clutter allows). Other than that you should be good to go.

As a quick example, I was out 2 weeks ago and was able to watch my 1/16-oz. crappie tube on my 320's screen in 25' of water. So I know it can be done (LOL).

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[fisheater]

I knew that it had enough pixels but i didnt think it had that much wattage.I am just currently running it on auto since im mainly just worried about depth.Do you run the speed of your screen fast or slow it down?Also my tranducer is on transom so do i need to fish from the back?I never worried about the fish on the screen unless i was trolling.As far sensitivity and clutter and all of those setting i never knew enough to really fool with it to make it better so i just left it on auto. I would love to be able to fish this way on offshore structure.If you really dont feel like typing that much i could p.m you my number.Thanks alot for your help.

[small boat basser]

Do you run the speed of your screen fast or slow it down?

I like to run it faster than factory setting. So scroll speed should always be 100%. However, you can also go in and adjust ping speed. Settings above 50% will move the screen into "hyperscroll" mode. I usually run at either 75% or 100%. Both these settings will speed up your base screen speed.

Also my tranducer is on transom so do i need to fish from the back?

If you want to see your lure you will. Remember that the general rule of thumb is your cone coverage is about 1/3 your current depth. As such, if you are in 20' of water, you have about a 7' cone. If your lure isn't straight underneath your transducer in that cone, it won't show on your depthfinder.

As far sensitivity and clutter and all of those setting i never knew enough to really fool with it to make it better so i just left it on auto.

Settings are pretty simple. You have 'OFF', 'LOW', 'MED' and 'HIGH'. You almost always want to be in either 'OFF' or 'LOW'. Anything else is doing too much filtering.

I would love to be able to fish this way on offshore structure.

If you mean fishing vertically and watching your bait on your sonar, then you're pretty limited on setup. However, you can still fish deep water without going vertical by utilizing buoys and such to mark key breaks, points, etc. and fishing those with more traditional approaches (deep cranking, carolina rigs, heavy jigs, etc.).

If you really dont feel like typing that much i could p.m you my number.Thanks alot for your help.

If you have more questions you're more than welcome to. I promise I won't sell it to some spam advertising agency.

[fisheater]

Thanks alot for the great information.Ive been fishing for alot of years and its always embarassing for me to ask questions on what i feel like i should already know.Thanks again and when i take the boat out next ill give it a try and if i have any more questions i appreciate the offer....John

[DaveR]

Doesn't have to be alot of power, just all the right settings. a 10 year old Lowrance X75 works just fine if you set it up right. 240 vertical pixels. it should be easy to see a 3/4 oz jigging spoon.

[gump]

Here's a good article on using your electronics to catch fish.
http://heartlandtackleservice.com/spooning.stm (thanks Daniel)

[small boat basser]

Doesn't have to be alot of power, just all the right settings. a 10 year old Lowrance X75 works just fine if you set it up right. 240 vertical pixels. it should be easy to see a 3/4 oz jigging spoon.

You're right Dave. I've used all kinds of older units and been able to get most of them to do what I want. Like you said though, the key to the older units is "all the right settings". For most people today, they just want to turn the unit on and be able to see all this stuff. For those kinds of guys, the newer more powerful units (and high pixel units) are the way to go.

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[fisheater]

Its all the right settings i want to learn.

[fishman115]

I have a hummingbird matrix 12 fairly inexpensive for the quality 5x5 screen user friendly not a lot of stuff you don't need.And you can see your bait drop move up and down ect.150.00 online ****'s sporting goods.