how to tune a fish finder – livefishcamera

Your fish finder is a great tool. Over the years they have evolved from a screen that gave you the depth under your and a group of blobs that may or may not indicate fish under the boat. Today, the fish finders are can provide a clear picture of what’s below, like structure that may house fish or bait fish. They can many times help you identify the species by spotting features like the fish’s air bladder and where it’s located.

As great as technology has become when it comes to fish finders, not having them installed and set properly can result is your current fish finder being no more useful than those of the past. Tuning your fish finder is imperative to the best operation and results possible. Follow these easy tips and you may be surprised what you can do.

Start by throttling up to cruise speed (20-30 mph). Make sure your screen is clutter free and marking the bottom. If not, this may be an issue with angle of your transducer or debris that may have accumulated on it. Also make sure that the transducer is located away from thru hull fittings and trim tabs that can create water disturbance and cavitation that will disrupt the fish finder’s readings. The angle of the transducer can also be a factor. You need to make sure the transducer’s rear end is squatted and the front is located below the bottom of the boat. Look for any other problems that could create water turbulence that can disrupt the signal. Also make sure to paint your transducer with a bottom paint that is made for transducers rather than the thicker bottom paint for hulls. You should also take a few minutes to take a brush to clean off the transducer every could of trips. Even if you keep your boat in the water you can bend over the transom (carefully and while the boat is still and the engine off) and reach the transducer to clean it.

When running 2 different fish finders as many anglers do, make sure to run them on different kilohertz settings. If no the units will interfere with each other. Running multiple units has a number of benefits. It can expand your view and show a larger portion of the bottom. Another benefit is that it allows you to focus on the bottom for structure and look suspended bait fish or your target species.

The next step is to adjust your gain upward without causing interference or the screen to fuzz over. This will allow you to run faster and still read the bottom effectively. This will also assist you when determining the type of bottom your over. You can Identify a soft bottom by read on the unit as a thin line with structure and hard bottoms reading as a thicker line.

Once you’ve located an active with a hard bottom and bait fish, it’s time fish. Don’t think you have to stay over a structure to catch fish. Many times there will be plenty of fish also in the areas near the structure. So gradually move around. You may be surprised. Also, be ready to mark a potential “hot spot” that you mark while heading to your target spot. No matter how many times you may go out the inlet, your liable to find new spots. With a finely tuned fish finder the sky is the limit.

As many anglers do, when using two separate fish finders, make sure to set them to different kilohertz settings. If no the units will interfere with each other. Running multiple units has a number of benefits. It can enlarge your field of vision and reveal more of the bottom. It also helps you focus on the bottom to find structure and to look for suspended baitfish or your desired species.

The next action is to raise your gain without interfering with other things or making the screen flicker. This will enable you to run more quickly while maintaining effective bottom reading. This will help you ascertain the kind of bottom you’re over. A hard bottom will read as a thicker line on the unit, whereas a soft bottom will read as a thin line with structure.

It’s time to fish once you’ve found an active with a hard bottom and bait fish. You don’t need to stay in a structure in order to catch fish. There are frequently lots of fish in the vicinity of the structure as well. So gradually move around. You may be surprised. While traveling to your target spot, be prepared to mark a potential “hot spot.” No matter how often you visit the inlet, you’re bound to discover new locations. A well-tuned fish finder allows you to go anywhere.

Your fish finder is a great tool. They started off as a screen that showed you the depth beneath your boat, but over time they changed to become a collection of blobs that might or might not indicate fish beneath it. These days, fish finders can show a clear image of what’s below, including any structures that might hold fish or serve as bait. They can frequently assist you in identifying the species by pointing out characteristics like the location of the fish’s air bladder.

You will gain confidence and expertise in your ability to fine-tune your fish finder with time, experience, and successful days on the water—possibly enough to impart sensitivity training lessons of your own.

Nevertheless, adjusting the sensitivity settings on a fish finder is still a crucial ability, particularly when the target species or water depth shift. In these situations, the same techniques of yesteryear still apply. Even in auto mode, you can nearly always improve the accuracy of your fishfinder reading by adjusting the sensitivity settings, according to Furuno USA’s product manager for fisheries and specialties Steve Bradburn. Readjusting the sensitivity whenever the fishing conditions change will improve your ability to locate fish and structure. ”.

First, the depth range is adjusted to be just over twice the actual depth. Set the range to roughly 110 feet, for instance, if the depth is 50 feet. After that, progressively increase the sensitivity until a sizable second bottom echo shows up. Then scale back the sensitivity just a tick or two.

According to DeVos, adjustments can also be made while a fish finder is in auto-sensitivity mode, but the process begins differently than when employing manual methods.

“This is a procedure that you might want to repeat anytime the target species or water depth changes, either within a fishing day or between trips,” suggests Bradburn.

FAQ

How do you adjust a fish finder?

It starts with setting the depth range to slightly greater than double the actual depth. If, for example, the depth is 50 feet, set the range to about 110 feet. Then gradually turn up the sensitivity until a large second bottom echo appears. Then scale back the sensitivity just a tick or two.

What frequency should I set my fish finder?

Frequencies commonly used by a conventional fish finder for recreational boat are 50 kHz (low frequency) and 200 kHz (high frequency). A lower frequency has a wider search angle and area. Generally, the searchable angle of 50 kHz beams is approximately 50 degrees and that of 200 kHz beams is approximately 15 degrees.

What is the gain on a fish finder?

The gain setting controls the sensitivity of the sonar receiver to compensate for water depth and water clarity. Increasing the gain shows more detail, and decreasing the gain reduces screen clutter.