so i just purchased a hummingbird 525 depthfinder and i love it.  i read the manual front to back and took it out a few times to find the settings i like. the only issue i have is i feel like i dont know how to utilize the depthfinder.  i am not sure if there is a good tactic for covering a spot before i fish it and once i see the image on the depthfinder where should it be in comparison to my boat.(trolling motor mount) i have done a little tinkering on my own, but i was not sure if there was more tips or resources out there.  i guess i will keep trolling and experimenting.

What you are seeing is a view of history.  The closest to you will be what is immediately showing on the right side of the screen.  Some of the stuff on the left side and middle may be as much as a hundred feet or so behind you.  

I know nothing about your unit but on mine as long as I can get stuff in the  cross hairs of the depth and sonar cursors I can mark a waypoint and find out how far behind me it actually is and return to fish it if I choose.

Easiest thing to do is to get in an area that you know and are familiar with what is underneath. Run your unit over the area and compare. If you know where there is a creek, brushtop, or rocky area, or grassy area for that matter; run it and then you will understand what you are looking at.

Turn the fish ID off. All it is good for is to eat up power. Take it off automnatic and set it up to your specs. You will be able to adjust the gain where it will actually show you strands of grass growing up off the bottom.

Good luck

Feel kind of the same way.

I've been using my depthfinder (Eagle Fishfinder 320) for approx 3 weeks now and am primarily using it to determine what the bottom looks like. When I turn off the Fish ID, I see no arches whatsoever and it seems like there's alot of clutter with Fish ID off. The lake I fish is kind of shallow; 15' at deepest so this may be affecting it. It seems to display stuff pretty quick; troll slowly over a spot notice a hump and drop anchor to compare. Guess I need to keep messing with it.

I'm a far cry from any expert, but here's a link that might be helpful. It is a Lowrance tutorial. There are also a bunch of articles that you can find on this (Bass Resource) site.

http://www.lowrance.com/Support/Tips-and-Tutorials/Sonar-Tutorial/

Seen that one Bassin; thanks though.

Practice, practice, practice. Adjust the gain and make a run. Readjust the gain and make another run over the same route. Keep doing this until you have a feeling for the amount of power you are comfortable with and you will be way ahead of the game. Most people only get 10% out of their unit. There is so much more it can and will do for you if you get to know it. This goes for the cheaper units also.

Catt is conducting a class on Toledo Bend that I am taking part in. If enough of you are interested I will conduct one on the operation of a depth finder. Just let me know if any are interested. I guarantee you you will be able to read what you are seeing and will be comfortable with the operation of your unit.

It's up to all of you. Just let me know.

Jack