Thread: Sonar newbie - Help me decipher these screenshots

Of note, I was matching boat speed to chart speed on all but the last image where I was drifting. Not sure what the chart speed was on for that shot.

I am not a "Bird" user but your 200/83 setting my be the problem. My understanding is that setting is for really deep water like offshore.
Maybe some others will chime in for better help.

I think your unit could have been tuned a little better. Keep in mind....Sometimes laydowns are covered in moss and weeds. If that is the case then the DI will not show crisp pictures of individual limbs as you see in the advertisement. Your unit WILL achieve advertisement photos. I have confidence in that. Your doing good and learning. Learn with every outing. You will get it down and it wont take ya long.

Originally Posted by LowePro

I think your unit could have been tuned a little better. Keep in mind....Sometimes laydowns are covered in moss and weeds. If that is the case then the DI will not show crisp pictures of individual limbs as you see in the advertisement. Your unit WILL achieve advertisement photos. I have confidence in that. Your doing good and learning. Learn with every outing. You will get it down and it wont take ya long.

I should probably delete that last picture. I know I shouldn't expect a good down image when barely drifting.

I'm probably most interested in the DI image from the 2nd shot. Is that vertical structure or fish? Or both?

I RUN 200 AND 83 ,NO PROBLEM DEEP OR SHALLOW,DON'T EXPECT ON A SI UNIT TO GET MANY GREAT PHOTO STYLE SHOTS,TRUE DI WOULD DO BETTER,AS FOR FISH ID,I NEVER USE IT,MOST OF YOUR SHOTS WERE FAIRLY GOOD,THE DI IS GOING TO SHOW A MUCH SMALLER PIC OF FISH THAN YOUR 2D BUT WITH A LITTLE TIME ON WATER YOU WILL BETTER INTERPRET THE DI MUCH BETTER THAN 2D,THOSE WERE SMALL FISH ,MY GUESS ABOUT 6 INCHES JUDGING FROM SIZE ON DI AND THE DEPTH YOU HAD IT SET,HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE A SMALL UNIT LIKE THAT AND AM COMPARING IT TO MY UNIT WHICH MAY BE A NO NO.WHAT I WOULD SUGEST YOU DO IS WHEN YOU GO OVER FISH TO STOP YOUR UNIT BY HITTING CUSOR,THEN FISH TILL YOU CATCH A FEW ,THEN GO TO YOUR UNIT AND COMPARE FISH WITH SIZE OF DOTS,AFTER A WHILE IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE THE DEPTH YOU WILL GET A IDEA OF SIZE OF FISH AND WITH TIME WHAT KIND OF FISH THAT COMES WITH KNOWLEDGE

Last pic is just showing the streaks as that's fish moving. And your going slow enough to show them moving. I use DI even when setting still, its unreal what you can see in DI.
I run my Helix 10 SI on 200 when looking at stuff like that. Plus it allows me to watch fish as they move up to hit my jigs.

PEte

Originally Posted by genec

I RUN 200 AND 83 ,NO PROBLEM DEEP OR SHALLOW,DON'T EXPECT ON A SI UNIT TO GET MANY GREAT PHOTO STYLE SHOTS,TRUE DI WOULD DO BETTER,AS FOR FISH ID,I NEVER USE IT,MOST OF YOUR SHOTS WERE FAIRLY GOOD,THE DI IS GOING TO SHOW A MUCH SMALLER PIC OF FISH THAN YOUR 2D BUT WITH A LITTLE TIME ON WATER YOU WILL BETTER INTERPRET THE DI MUCH BETTER THAN 2D,THOSE WERE SMALL FISH ,MY GUESS ABOUT 6 INCHES JUDGING FROM SIZE ON DI AND THE DEPTH YOU HAD IT SET,HOWEVER I DO NOT HAVE A SMALL UNIT LIKE THAT AND AM COMPARING IT TO MY UNIT WHICH MAY BE A NO NO.WHAT I WOULD SUGEST YOU DO IS WHEN YOU GO OVER FISH TO STOP YOUR UNIT BY HITTING CUSOR,THEN FISH TILL YOU CATCH A FEW ,THEN GO TO YOUR UNIT AND COMPARE FISH WITH SIZE OF DOTS,AFTER A WHILE IF YOU DO NOT CHANGE THE DEPTH YOU WILL GET A IDEA OF SIZE OF FISH AND WITH TIME WHAT KIND OF FISH THAT COMES WITH KNOWLEDGE

Thanks. So when using sonar/DI together it is best to use the DI to help determine fish size and sonar for locating them for cross reference?

Originally Posted by ShilohRed

Last pic is just showing the streaks as that's fish moving. And your going slow enough to show them moving. I use DI even when setting still, its unreal what you can see in DI.
I run my Helix 10 SI on 200 when looking at stuff like that. Plus it allows me to watch fish as they move up to hit my jigs.

PEte

Is the 200 khz the narrower cone?