Sounder Tips
What can i say about using sounders . They are one of the most valuable
tools we can have on a boat with us , but people still use them the wrong way . In this
section i will try to explain very simply how they have been used and how they should
be used .Probably the most common thing i hear when talking to people that have
 them is "i saw heaps of fish swimming around under the boat but i couldn't
 catch any " , well i am hear to tell you that about 80 percent of those nice little
 fish pictures aren't fish .

When the fish id feature is turned " on " the sounder will turn any signal it
recieves back to itself into a fish , these fish are most likely just rubbish like weed
and all the other stuff that floats around in the water , , but NOT fish .

The best way i have found to use one is to turn the fish ID feature off , then set the
sensitivity up just enough until you get a bit of clutter on the screen and then back
 it off untill the screen just clears a bit . Once you have done this any signal other than
 the bottom you recieve should be a fish . What you will see is an " ARCH " . It pretty
well looks like one half of the Mc Donalds logo .
 There will be "half arches " , "quarter arches " , and " full arches " under the
boat as you have a look around , these should be fish , what type ? Who knows
 but at least you will be on the right track .
Above the two pictures show the difference in what you may see , The left has Fish ID turned "on" ,the right has Fish ID turned "off " .It is possible that the arches you see on the right may not even be there .
The icons on the left may be just a false reading ,no fish there at all , just rubbish in the water There is a big difference in the amount of "real" fish you see on the screen

Above is an example of where the fish may be holding , look for holes and rises in the sea floor fish will ussually hand around these changes in the bottom , partly for protection and to ambush their prospective prey .

This is what you would loosely call fish holding structure ,rocks , poles or anything that sits on the bottom will provide cover for fish .These are infinitly better places to fish . They can be small differences in contour on the bottom or a huge canyon , look for them and fish on and around them . You will still get fish on the flats such as Whiting ,so it's not the be all and end all but it does help .


Once you have had a bit of practice you will see that the Fish ID feature is really just a bit of a gimmick thats looks good . Remember practice makes perfect , Once you have the hang of using them this way you won't be sorry