Again, I have a noob question. Any of you guys use the Switchfire mode on your Humminbird unit?

Is it better than the normal mode?

Again, I have a noob question. Any of you guys use the Switchfire mode on your Humminbird unit?

Is it better than the normal mode?

I'm also learning a new Humminbird unit, the 598ci SI.  I was told and found true that Switchfire is not recommended for water less than 10' as it will show a lot of surface clutter and not be as useful as clear mode in shallow water.  However when your in deeper water with switchfire on you can truly see your bait on screen when it's in the transducer cone which is really cool.

I only use it for deep dropshotting and jigging spoons. I can see the bait better on the screen.

If the unit is operating, you are using Switchfire.

 

That is the trade name for the feature that gives you two levels of 2D sonar Sensitivity settings. The two choices are Switchfire Max and Swithfire Clear.

Max is for manual Sensitivity settings.

Clear is for mostly automatic Sensitivity settings with adjustability at a lower power level and some filtering.

 

In operation you can use Clear until you don't see what you want to see, then you change to Max and adjust the sensitivity to show what you want such as a vertical presention in deep water.

 

I don't use Max and rarely even adjust the Sensitivity in the Clear setting past the Default.

The unit is sensitive enough to show plankton and the thermocline with no help at all.

Usually the deepest water I am on is less than 80' and I doubt I would attempt to use a presention beyond that level if presented with deeper water.

 

Humminbird describes it like this:

 

The key features of SwitchFire™ Sonar are:

1. You can choose between two distinct modes for displaying returns on the sonar views
2. Max Mode shows the maximum amount of sonar information
3. Clear Mode reduces noise to show only structure and fish
4. Sensitivity, filters, and all other sonar adjustments are available in both modes

This is an example of Switchfire Clear and Default sensitivity setting with a summer thermocline:

 

 

This is a column of plankton:

 

Agreed. I always use clear mode.

are there any in depth videos to help me understand my electronics better? I only see them for Side Imaging and it really doesn't go in depth. I have a 597 CI HD DI. WayneP, I liked how you posted pics and explained it. It would be nice to see a video like that. Any suggestions?

RyneB, There is a bunch of stuff on youtube on interpreting the returns and adjusting settings the units. Type in how to use a fish finder

Look up the name Doug Vahrenberg. He is a Humminbird pro staffer. He has lots of instuctional videos on his web site.

He explains the settings for all functions. Really has some good ones about Switchfire.

Wayne is right, Doug V is the man when it comes to Humminbird.

One thing I learned from Doug Vahrenberg is using switchfire Max Mode for identifying the bigger fish in a school. The air bladder shows up more in a bigger fish in Max Mode.

thanks everyone, looks like ill have videos to watch over the weekend.

How do you tell where the thermocline is?

Stew, the thermocline shows as a horizontal band across your sonar screen.  If you have a least medium quality sonar, you should be able to see it - if it exists.  Turning up the sensitivity a little may help.  If you can't see a band but are marking fish suspending at a certain depth around the lake, you can infer that a thermocline is just below them.  The water below the thermocline is colder and is depleted of oxygen, so fish suspend just above it to enjoy cooler water but still be able to breathe.  Thermoclines are very common starting in spring and last until the fall turnover when all the water in the lake mixes.  If your lake, stream, or river has current, no thermocline may form except in coves or creeks that have little water flow.  But it's useful to know if one exists and if so, how deep it is because it shows you the depth beyond which you are unlikely to find fish.