Garmin Striker 4 users

[PBBrandon]

I’ve had a Striker 4 for a while that I use on my kayak, but I found myself just not taking it out most of the time because I guess I’m not sure how to really utilize it. I see the fish on there and the depths they are at but I have a hard time out there really pinpointing fish and structure because it’s a 2d image. Do yall have any tips on how to make the most out of using one of these? Different settings and stuff that help? Thanks 

[MN Fisher]

2D is gonna target a cone centered on the transducer - fish marks are somewhere in that cone - sonar return will give you depth, but not direction or distance

Down-Scan gives you a narrow 'oval' again centered on the transducer - again, they're somewhere in the scanning field

Side-Scan throws out a pair of 'wings' which will at least tell you what side of the boat they're on and a 'guesstimate' of the distance.

 

Finding where the fish are is problematical with any of those - but the further down the list you go, the better targeting you have.

 

FFS is getting popular because it tells you EXACTLY where fish are...depth, distance and direction.

 

Diagrams of sonar zones - in the second one, Yellow and Red are 2D, Green is Down-Scan, Blue is Side-Scan

[VolFan]

I have a Striker 4 on my small aluminum boat. It’s best for showing you depth, cover, and structure. It will also show you fish and schools of bait, but seeing the depth/cover is more useful. Don’t get caught up on fishing to fish you see in the cone. See the depth/cover/structure and then see fish on it (hopefully) and then fish the area. Don’t be shy about using a classic buoy to mark good spots either.

[Bankc]

2D sonars are especially good for three things.  First, for determining the maximum depth that the fish are holding.  And a lot of times, especially in the summer, you can use it to find the thermocline.  What this does is it allows you to eliminate large portions of the lake as unproductive that are deeper than the deepest places you're finding fish. 

 

Second, 2D sonar allows you to find transition zones under the water.  They will help you identify things like points and creek channels.  Places where the depth changes fast and places like creek channels, which are usually the deepest spot in the area, are often good places to fish. 

 

And lastly, 2D sonar allows you to identify cover under water.  Cover can be anything from vegetation, submerged timber, rocks, or some junk someone dumped in the lake decades ago.  Either way, it's places that baitfish can hide to avoid getting eaten, and predatory fish can hide to ambush baitfish.  So these are also good places to find fish.

 

But the best places to fish usually combine all three.  They're places that are near the deepest spots that the fish are holding, or near the thermocline.  They're places where the depth changes rapidly, or near the creek channel.  And they're places with cover for the fish to hide in. 

 

If you're just casting towards laydowns, vegetation, and structures sticking up out of the water along the bank, then you don't need sonar.  It won't tell you anything you can't see with your own eyes.  And that too is a popular and effective way to catch fish.  But if you're going to be fishing a good ways off the bank and you can't see very deep into the water, sonar allows you to map out a glimpse of what's directly below you.  And you can remember that information to build a mental map of what the bottom looks like and identify areas that are more likely to hold fish. 

 

Typically, in my experience, when fish are just chilling in the middle of the lake, what we call suspending, they're pretty much asleep and not worth fishing for.  They won't usually bite when they're doing this.  Now, sometimes they're schooling up and chasing balls of baitfish, in which case they can be targeted and caught.  Especially during the fall.  But most of the time, it's best not to waste time on the fish you can see on your sonar.  You're usually better off finding places that look like they might contain fish and fishing those than fishing areas where you can see the fish.  This is because when fish like bass are actively feeding, they're usually hiding, waiting to ambush their prey.  And when they're hidden, they usually won't show up on sonar. 

[Bird]

9 hours ago, Bankc said:

2D sonars are especially good for three things.  First, for determining the maximum depth that the fish are holding.  And a lot of times, especially in the summer, you can use it to find the thermocline.  What this does is it allows you to eliminate large portions of the lake as unproductive that are deeper than the deepest places you're finding fish. 

 

Second, 2D sonar allows you to find transition zones under the water.  They will help you identify things like points and creek channels.  Places where the depth changes fast and places like creek channels, which are usually the deepest spot in the area, are often good places to fish. 

 

And lastly, 2D sonar allows you to identify cover under water.  Cover can be anything from vegetation, submerged timber, rocks, or some junk someone dumped in the lake decades ago.  Either way, it's places that baitfish can hide to avoid getting eaten, and predatory fish can hide to ambush baitfish.  So these are also good places to find fish.

 

But the best places to fish usually combine all three.  They're places that are near the deepest spots that the fish are holding, or near the thermocline.  They're places where the depth changes rapidly, or near the creek channel.  And they're places with cover for the fish to hide in. 

 

If you're just casting towards laydowns, vegetation, and structures sticking up out of the water along the bank, then you don't need sonar.  It won't tell you anything you can't see with your own eyes.  And that too is a popular and effective way to catch fish.  But if you're going to be fishing a good ways off the bank and you can't see very deep into the water, sonar allows you to map out a glimpse of what's directly below you.  And you can remember that information to build a mental map of what the bottom looks like and identify areas that are more likely to hold fish. 

 

Typically, in my experience, when fish are just chilling in the middle of the lake, what we call suspending, they're pretty much asleep and not worth fishing for.  They won't usually bite when they're doing this.  Now, sometimes they're schooling up and chasing balls of baitfish, in which case they can be targeted and caught.  Especially during the fall.  But most of the time, it's best not to waste time on the fish you can see on your sonar.  You're usually better off finding places that look like they might contain fish and fishing those than fishing areas where you can see the fish.  This is because when fish like bass are actively feeding, they're usually hiding, waiting to ambush their prey.  And when they're hidden, they usually won't show up on sonar. 

My experience as well....... good post.

[Rainy123123123]

Does anybody know if these are "actually" fish?  I tried various depth a few times now without any success

https://imgur.com/sxO8WPP

 

 

[VolFan]

Depending on where you are, those like like a school of white perch/hybrids/spots feeding actively. It would be white perch here in Charlotte.