Was out yesterday with my new portable fishfinder (Piranhamax 165). I'm new to fishfinders! I was amazed to see what I presume to be large schools of baitfish below me with many large fish in the midst of them. I couldn't catch any, no matter what I threw, but I didn't mind because the drama going on below fascinated me. This was happening all over the lake 20 or so feet down. This is what I saw:

                                     

Are these clouds baitfish? Echoes? Thanks!

 

Water spots!

I'm still learning about FF myself, but one thing I wanted to mention was that I've read those fish ID thingy (with fish icon) often times not accurate and give you false alarm. People suggest to turn that off and read the sonar straight to get a better idea, which I did. 

It could be, could be a weed floating, dense cloud of silt, may even be a cold spot of water. I dont even use the fish id unless I know the spot and then usually I forgot to turn it on.

They look like bait fish to me but i am a newbie at deciphering my fish finder screen also.I hope wayne p sees your post,he is the fish finder guru on here.

WAY too little info given. And that's not from you. It's the sonar image itself.

 

First, turn off the fish icon thing. It's not helping. Realize, that is not a horizontal view of the lake bottom with fish hovering over it. Could be, but just as well could be not. There can be a lot of stuff down there that is not "fish". A strong return could be a weed clump, a log, a heavy branch (appearing to be "floating" by its lonesome bc it's sliced off by the sonar beam or just wider out in the cone).

 

Best way to get to know your sonar is to meter known stuff. Find some clear water on a sunny day, turn off the "fish", set the sensitivity to manual, and play. For example: Find some a hard cobbly bottom and set your sensitivity so that it shows as a nice solid line. Then find a soft silty bottom and watch the line disappear. Inc the sensitivity to pick it back up again and then find a soft to hard transition, or soft bottom with hard areas like boulders or stumps. Then try something more confusing, like trees, or brush, or vegetation. Soon you'll start to get a feel for first, what your sonar actually does, and second better at your interpretations. These interpretations are somewhat contextual too so the better you know a particular lake the more you can "assume" you are looking at.

 

Also, I don't know what resolution your unit offers but you want as much as you can afford. Sonar's come way down in price so skimp on the bells and whistles and purchase some resolution as many vertical pixels as you can.

 

Hope this helps.

Spawning water spots..lol.

Kyakr, get you some Windex w/ vinegar for cleaning that screen, hun.

WAY too little info given. And that's not from you. It's the sonar image itself.

 

First, turn off the fish icon thing. It's not helping. Realize, that is not a horizontal view of the lake bottom with fish hovering over it. Could be, but just as well could be not. There can be a lot of stuff down there that is not "fish". A strong return could be a weed clump, a log, a heavy branch (appearing to be "floating" by its lonesome bc it's sliced off by the sonar beam or just wider out in the cone).

 

Best way to get to know your sonar is to meter known stuff. Find some clear water on a sunny day, turn off the "fish", set the sensitivity to manual, and play. For example: Find some a hard cobbly bottom and set your sensitivity so that it shows as a nice solid line. Then find a soft silty bottom and watch the line disappear. Inc the sensitivity to pick it back up again and then find a soft to hard transition, or soft bottom with hard areas like boulders or stumps. Then try something more confusing, like trees, or brush, or vegetation. Soon you'll start to get a feel for first, what your sonar actually does, and second better at your interpretations. These interpretations are somewhat contextual too so the better you know a particular lake the more you can "assume" you are looking at.

 

Also, I don't know what resolution your unit offers but you want as much as you can afford. Sonar's come way down in price so skimp on the bells and whistles and purchase some resolution as many vertical pixels as you can.

 

Hope this helps.

Amazing advice! This helps a ton! I'm headed out today to a clear lake I know well and will do exactly what you said. And thanks Loop_Dad......I also read that the fish icons were misleading but wasn't sure why. I've often looked at better units and now I'll look harder.......as I'm in a kayak juryrigging a spot for the transducer is my main obstacle. Guess floating debris isn't too dramatic   

With Humminbird units, the fish icons are a useful tool due to the filtering/processing of the returns.

An icon is only assigned if the return meets a certain criteria. Other brands don't do that

I have that feature activated all the time with my Humminbird units.

 

The PMax 165 has 240 vertical pixels. The FishID can offset the affects of the lower resolution displays when it comes to "fish finding".

 

This image shows a bass within a school of shad. How did I verify that ?----I caught it.

 

 

The FishID will also indicate sizeable fish within cover like these bass in this tree. Yep, caught them too.

 

 

 

Know your equipment !!!!

I'm getting super input here! Those are amazing images! Thanks Wayne P. Looks like the learning curve is to verify and to find a way to get that feedback from the lake.......might be worth it to me to drop a 1oz weight into that "spot" to see if I can pull up a branch. I've verified all kinds of weeds and bottoms of different compositions, but the resolution on my little portable seems to be a problem with the deeper stuff. Guess I'll learn to scuba dive this spring, not kidding!

With Humminbird units, the fish icons are a useful tool due to the filtering/processing of the returns.

An icon is only assigned if the return meets a certain criteria. Other brands don't do that

I have that feature activated all the time with my Humminbird units.

 

The PMax 165 has 240 vertical pixels. The FishID can offset the affects of the lower resolution displays when it comes to "fish finding".

 

This image shows a bass within a school of shad. How did I verify that ?----I caught it.

 

 

The FishID will also indicate sizeable fish within cover like these bass in this tree. Yep, caught them too.

 

 

 

Know your equipment !!!!

 

So with Lowrance Elite-4, you suggest to keep the fish ID off, correct?

So with Lowrance Elite-4, you suggest to keep the fish ID off, correct?

 

I wouldn't suggest either way with that unit.

When I had other brands, it was not a feature I used due to the false data.

It has already been stated to turn it off which I assume is a general suggestion without knowing all the capabilities of all brands.

I just know for sure it is a useful function with Humminbird units.

With Humminbird units, the fish icons are a useful tool due to the filtering/processing of the returns.

An icon is only assigned if the return meets a certain criteria. Other brands don't do that

I have that feature activated all the time with my Humminbird units.

 

The PMax 165 has 240 vertical pixels. The FishID can offset the affects of the lower resolution displays when it comes to "fish finding".

 

This image shows a bass within a school of shad. How did I verify that ?----I caught it.

 

 

The FishID will also indicate sizeable fish within cover like these bass in this tree. Yep, caught them too.

 

 

 

Know your equipment !!!!

 

 

What DI settings are you using in that setup? Like - what frequencies and 83hrtz sensitivity?

What DI settings are you using in that setup? Like - what frequencies and 83hrtz sensitivity?

 

 

 

DI is Down Imaging and there is no 83 kHz for that. DI can be 455 kHz or 800 kHz

 

The DI settings are:

Frequency--455 kHz

Sensitivity-10

Enhance Contrast --12

The rest are Default settings

 

The 2D settings are:

83 kHz--0

200 kHz--10

Bottom View--WhiteLine

FishID--On

FishID Sensitivity--5

Wayne, what are the numbers next to fish icons?

Wayne, what are the numbers next to fish icons?

Those numbers are the depth of each fish.

Most, if not all, sonar companies that have a FishID function have that feature.

DI is Down Imaging and there is no 83 kHz for that. DI can be 455 kHz or 800 kHz

 

The DI settings are:

Frequency--455 kHz

Sensitivity-10

Enhance Contrast --12

The rest are Default settings

 

The 2D settings are:

83 kHz--0

200 kHz--10

Bottom View--WhiteLine

FishID--On

FishID Sensitivity--5

 

 

That's what I mean. For the sonar are you using the 83/200 split?

That's what I mean. For the sonar are you using the 83/200 split?

 

 I don't use 2D sonar much. When I do, sometimes I use 83/200 and sometimes I use 200 only. It depends on the coverage I want at that particular time. The two images I posted had each setting.

 

About 95%+ I just have the full screen Side Imaging displayed. That shows me what is under the boat and what is away from the boat along with the depth readout. I usually don't need anything else.

That's what I mean. For the sonar are you using the 83/200 split?

I use 200 and have been experimenting with clear and max mode. Not a fan of 200/83, but I really haven't put much time into it.