embarrassing question......

[Bob Orlando]

This is only my second post on this site so go easy on me Being the age I am, I've always fished "by the seat of my pants." The Fish finder/sonar is a totally alien concept.



My new Tracker has a Lowrance X 50 DS on it and I'm a little unsure of a few details regarding these types of units.



My question is: If the screen is moving from right to left, is the screen behaving as if the right side is the front of the boat and thus the terrain on the right is directly under the boat and passing to the left??? I don't have any other way to ask the question other than is right the front of the boat and left the rear??



I will put an evil curse on all of you who are laughing right now,.... no bass for you this year.....!

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

The reading is a series of pulses in the shape of a cone (for most) and the screen moves to show the next readings not the movement of the boat. That's why if you sit still the screen continues to move.



TOXIC

 

[Bob Orlando]

Toxic, thanks for your reply. OK, now that I know boat movement is not an issue, I guess the only question is orientation. Which part of the screen represents the area of the "cone" closest to the bow?

 

[Jeff Daubert]

The images you see are going to come from directly under your transducer, wherever it is mounted. Usually at the stren or on the trolling motor.

 

[Bob Orlando]

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, the image I see is directly under the transducer which looks vertically straight down and the unit translates that into a horizontal image on the screen. Is that somewhat correct?

 

[Greg Duggan]

Yes, you're getting it now. Also you must understand that the cones shape, meaning how big the circle is at the bottom of the cone (or the bottom of the structure you are viewing) will be determined by the depth that you are fishing.



lamens terms: the deeper the water the bigger the cone and vise-versa. your finder screen will always be full. but your transducer can see more the deeper the water...



I hope I didn't confuse you with this.





GregD

 

[Bob Orlando]

No Greg, you did not confuse me at all. I noticed this unit operates on two frequencies. They are 83KHZ and 200KHZ.

The manual describes where the 200KHZ freq. is best used in waters down to around 300 feet. and has 60 degrees of coverage (cone). The 83 KHZ freq. affords 120 degrees (much wider) in the cone. The default setting is 200KHZ which they recommend for most fishing applications.



I will follow their recommendations. I can do some quick math and figure the coverage of the "cone" at a particular depth now that I know the degree angle. Thanks for your input. I guess I'm going to have to learn how to interpret the reflections so I can use this thing effectively.



Thanks again everyone.

 

[Rich D]

What really worked for me was when a guy told me that reading a fish finder, with it's large screen, is depicting information from where you've been. Reading a sonar unit is like sitting on the tailgate of a truck and looking back to where you have been. Assuming you aren't anchored, only the first 1/16th (approx) of the screen is below you, the rest is where you've been.

 

[Texas Transplant]

Bob,



Generally speaking, most of us set the frequency according to the type of water that we like to fish (depth wise) and where it is on the boat.



If it's on the bow, and you like fishing 'skinny water' (shallow), then the frequency used (83 or 200) will likely need to be set at 83 as it has a wider cone.



If you like fishing offshore or in deeper water (structure and such), then the 200 setting may give you better results. Some advice that might be helpful, is try your sonar at both settings when you can patrol around something that you have a good idea of what is there. A really good example would be a bridge. Get in the 'middle' of the support posts (if possible) and make a pass from either shallow to deep (or vice versa); using one setting.



Then switch and make another pass.



Last tip - simply go out with either a lake map (or chip if you have one) and simply mark where changes in depth/structure are supposed to be and just browse around while you are NOT FISHING! You will learn more doing that one day, than you ever will when you are trying to fish and figure out the sonar at the same time.



Tex

 

[Scott Smith]

I was kinda leery about even opening this post....thought I was gonna have to identify a rash or something...! WHEW...!

 

[TOMMY RICH]

Or a mud shark in the livewell!:lol:

 

[Texas Transplant]

One of the funniest things I have ever read, came from a message thread on BFHP about 'mud sharks'. I printed it off several years ago and gave it to a co-worker to read. I thought he was going to fall on the floor laughing.



Brings to mind the now famous quote - 'I don't care where you are from, that there is funny!'.



Larry the Cable Guy



Tex

 

[bob szymakowski]

you know..............I learn everyday,,,and at the ripe ol age of 60 it is GREAT to be reminded of things...............I WISH more forums DIDNT assume we KNOW....and more would be focused on WE NEED TO LEARN.................best fishes all



bob szymakowski

 

[Tornado]

Years ago in a bass fishing class a guy asked the instructor why the fish were always swimming to the left, the bad thing was he had been fishing for over 10 years. He followed that up with which docks do you fish under? I always thought the instructor's reply was priceless. "The ones with water under them."

 

[Bob Orlando]

That's funny.....BtW, I took all the great info. I got here and called Lowrance with the question. Here's how the very nice tech. on the phone explained it to me:



He told me that the first thing I see on the right of the screen is the first thing the transducer sees under or slightly forward of the boat depending on where it is mounted. As the "line moves to the left, what you are seeing is the sweep aft. This translates to the right side of the screen orientated "foward" and the end of the sweep "aft."



This of course is seen "laterally." This made perfect sense to me as this was what I was getting from everyone else's answers.