# Help with Depth finder



## jaredj (May 28, 2004)

Can anyone help me understand my depth finder? I never see archs. Please help.. Thanks





































Here is a link to all of them 
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=1507


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## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

After looking at the pictures you posted it may be the set-up of your transducer, I noticed that when you were showing the semi flat lines your speed was at 0.5 and so that would be correct, when your not moving the fish will show up as horizontal lines instead of arches.

The one picture looks to be a fish with baitfish below it, your speed is 4.2 and if the fish passed thru your cone he should have arched but if he passed thru the outside edge he would have shown like the picture. One of the other pictures shows a bunch of fish and I myself would be real happy to see that, arches are formed when a fish enters the cone of sound in the very center travels thru it and exits it, the only time I have ever seen a good arch is on the showroom floor, out in the field I see half arches, flat lines, quarter arches, big fish will show up looking like a "J" hook sort of symbol, well catfish that is maybe because they are on or near the bottom and my unit is 10 years old but I can still mark fish and turn around and catch them.

Check the transducer make sure the split where they put the two halfs together is below the boats hull,it should look something like this









the angle is critical also you want the front slightly higher than the back,it not much of a change, just a click or two now this also is critical when it comes to weight distribution in the boat as everybody's boat is different, they all plane and run at different angles, also the location of the transducer is critical, it is much easier to look at it than to explain it over the internet,









Mine I had to relocate because the boat dealership had it mounted to high out of the water column, would lose the bottom when I was running WOT, it is also mounted right between two ribs on the boat which allows for some clean water to run in, the bunk board sits between the ribs, I have seen a lot that are mounted right behind a rib and it creates all sort of artifact on the screen, mine is also on a slight angle because when I put the baitank and my fat arse in the boat it will lean slightly to that side  

Biggest thing is when you are running, the transducer has to remain in the water column when the boat is on plane. Also check your sensitivity setting looks like it might be a tad high as I'm seeing a lot of artifact on the screen from top to bottom. I like to run mine so that it will pickup small baitfish which will show up as dots or clouds on the screen when they are bunched together.

By the way I really like that color graph, hope this helps you out, ............Doc


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## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

Heres some shots I have taken of mine may help you out.










I know it is hard to see, glare from the sun so I shoot at an angle, big school of shad, the one on the left side of the screen is so thick it looks like a solid piece of structure.










Another shot maybe the same school that was just showing up on the screen.



















Here's some nice fish, I'm anchored down and they are passing underneath the boat.










I get real anxious when I see arches like this and my Shad are thumping the rods jerking the clickers on the reels, means only one thing.

It's Dinner Time!!!   

Doc


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## jaredj (May 28, 2004)

Thanks a million Dr. 

I'll check it all out tonight. I'll let you know how it goes. I'll take her out to griggs and test it.


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## jaredj (May 28, 2004)

It took me a little lonoger than I thought to get back on the water. I adjusted the transducer some and still getting the same resolts. Anything else I can do to improve the clearity and see arches?


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## lark101_1999 (Apr 12, 2004)

there is a two settings on mine in sonar features one for water clearaty the other is noise reduction or rejection try the last one it wil help clear some of the clutter off the screen like doc said i have never seen a true arch on mine if you have a old humming bird u can run them side by side to help u better under stand what u are cing


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

To me it just looks like you have the sensitivity too high. Turn it down until most of the small clutter goes away.


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## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

I have been messing with mine alot lately. i think after messing with the sensitivity and gray scale iam finally really close to were i need to be now. it doesn't look bad most of the time and can see the archs and lines.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am not trying to change the subject from JaredJ's problem but I wanted to pose a question that I have notice with my FF at times. I am still very much a rookie on FF's as well. At times I have noticed that at night I mark a lot more of what appears to be clutter or specks all over the water column. I have never understood why it changes in that way at night. It does not always do it. Mine is an older Hummingbird and I just wonder if whatever is causing my situation may also be happening to JaredJ. Does anybody have an explanation for what I am noticing?


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## Doctor (Apr 5, 2004)

jaredj,

I'm thinking that you have a 60 degree transducer on that unit, which would also explain the lack of arches, as an example my unit is a 20 degree transducer at lets say twenty foot the cone of sound when it hits the bottom is 7.0 foot of coverage, but on a 60 degree transducer we are looking at 18.5 foot of coverage, almost two and 1/2 times of the area of coverage, this could be why your not getting good arches as the fish has to pass thru the beginning and end of the sound cone to create an arch, just some thoughts.

Lark and Mike both saw the same thing I did so give that a try also.

bkr43050,
Your problem is very near Jaredj, but yours may be an interference problem from another boat, during the daylight hours the waves and movements of other boats will reflect some of the sound waves, but at night when everything has calmed down another boat on the water can cause interference just like what you described, you can screen it out by increasing the noise reduction or rejection at night it will look like a bunch of dots all over the screen or it could be a bunch of those 1/2 inch Shad that have just been born but normally they will show up as schools because that is there defense tactics against big fish.

Keep the questions coming at some point in time somebody will have the fix for you or you will figure it out.............Doc


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I know that my situation is not caused by other boat interference because this was happening even when I took my unit up to Canada with me and there were no other boats on the water at night. At times I was interpreting it as tons of bait fish but they just did not show up hardly at all during the day. When darkness came it showed all over the screen.


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

I see the exact same thing Brian. I've never come up with a definite answer to it.
I called Lowrance on their 60 degree transducer before I bought mine. If I understand it correctly, it's more of a theoretical cone possibility. Technically, they're still 20 degree transducers, but with the right power settings, you can increase the chance to pick up signals out beyond that. I'm still not clear on what those settings are.


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## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

I made some comments when I saw your pictures up last week. They are on the pictures....


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## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

Those are 1/2 arches in this shot. So just move the transducer up or back one notch( with the motor _off_ )


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## mrfishohio (Apr 5, 2004)

This picture bothers me, it looks like a nice fish, but with a kite tail on it. It might be some sort of debris hooked on that hump in front of it, like a rope with debris caught in it??


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