Depth Finder Setting Help What Should I Do Here?

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I'm just trying to see if someone can give pointers on if I'm set ok or what should be done. I did lower my setting after fooling around but still confused on rest.

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After I lower sensitivity to 9 Can anyone explain to me what I might be looking at in this picture?

Switchfire set on clear mode

[07SkeeterZX225]

Leave the switchfire off and bump the sensitivity up to about 16. Also turn down the scroll speed to about 4-5 if the units is on the console and being used while motoring from spot to spot or turn it down to 2-3 if using it at the bow moving with the trolling motor. The picture with sensitivity set on 9 looks to be some brush/limbs on the bottom.

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Leave the switchfire off and bump the sensitivity up to about 16. Also turn down the scroll speed to about 4-5 if the units is on the console and being used while motoring from spot to spot or turn it down to 2-3 if using it at the bow moving with the trolling motor. The picture with sensitivity set on 9 looks to be some brush/limbs on the bottom.

I turned down the scroll speed. Yea i just turned off to see how it would look. I keep it off usually. I had it set on 13 for this and also is that a Thermocline I'm looking at?

On the other side of lake didn't see any but might be cause the depth of lake is much deeper? Later on in the day when back to the one side of the lake the I guess thermocline was back on screen staying at same depth where ever I went.

Here is the other side in 27'

[Wayne P.]

Your sensitivity is too high. With the Humminbird units, the thermocline will be shown very clearly at the 5 or lower setting. That is the thermocline in your first picture. The thermocline wiill usually be at the same depth over the whole lake. The thermocline is in your last picture slso and it is really obvious since the fish are holding at the top of it. The high sensitivity setting will just put more clutter on the screen. Plankton will show up very well at that setting also. It looks like plankton is what most of your clutter is.

The angled lines in your 8th picture are bubbles. They are angled because your screen is scrolling and/or you are moving.

I use Switchfire clear all the time and get very clear images to 70'. I usually keep my 2D sensitivity setting at the factory default setting of 10 though since I don't use 2D sonar much any more.

Your 7th picture looks like trees or bushes on the bottom and the large blob above the bottom could be a school of baitfish or part of a tree/bush. That is a great example of how the Down Imaging technology can be very helpful in interpreting what 2D sonar is showing.

You can eliminate the thick surface clutter band, buy setting the sonar frequency to just 200 kHz, but you will lose some coverage width. 83 kHz alone or with the 200 kHz is best for vertical presentations.

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Your sensitivity is too high. With the Humminbird units, the thermocline will be shown very clearly at the 5 or lower setting. That is the thermocline in your first picture. The thermocline wiill usually be at the same depth over the whole lake. The thermocline is in your last picture slso and it is really obvious since the fish are holding at the top of it. The high sensitivity setting will just put more clutter on the screen. Plankton will show up very well at that setting also. It looks like plankton is what most of your clutter is.

The angled lines in your 8th picture are bubbles. They are angled because your screen is scrolling and/or you are moving.

I use Switchfire clear all the time and get very clear images to 70'. I usually keep my 2D sensitivity setting at the factory default setting of 10 though since I don't use 2D sonar much any more.

Your 7th picture looks like trees or bushes on the bottom and the large blob above the bottom could be a school of baitfish or part of a tree/bush. That is a great example of how the Down Imaging technology can be very helpful in interpreting what 2D sonar is showing.

You can eliminate the thick surface clutter band, buy setting the sonar frequency to just 200 kHz, but you will lose some coverage width. 83 kHz alone or with the 200 kHz is best for vertical presentations.

So in post #4 the second pic that is fish above the blue or at least should be and that is the Thermocline? Just want to make sure I thought pics of what I'm seeing would be a good way of understanding what I think I'm seeing. Thanks! The next step will be discovering where things might be for trying to fish. My transducer is in the transom so can that be problem than bow mount trolling motor? The post #4 also was taken at Hunting run yesterday so you think that's about right? I think one of my problems when trying to detect fish was I was expecting a red or blue arch something like with fish id but I'm glad I have been getting arches now. At first couldn't tell and yes I wish it got the 570 Di instead but didn't have instock at the time when got this model. Far as surface clutter what should that be set too or around what setting? What about 83hz setting? Mine is at 2 I think. What about noise filter and bottom view? what should they be set too?

[Wayne P.]

This is bubbles at Hunting Run on Friday:

[Wayne P.]

This is a column of plankton;

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This Firday? Wow the temp difference in 2 days. the water cool off that fast? Is that switch fire clear? Also in my pic in post #4 in first pic near bottom that blotch of red in the hole and above the land what might that be?

[Wayne P.]

The second picture I posted of plankton was a few weeks ago at Briery Creek, thus the lower water temp. The bubble screen shot was Friday.

If you use Switchfire, it increases the sensitivity and gives a wider range of sensitivity settings. You have to turn the sensitivity down a lot in shallow water. That is usually used in very deep water to watch a vertical presentation and get stronger returns in deeper water.

I always use Clear, it is plenty sensitive for my use.

The thing in the ditch is probably some brush put there when they built the lake, there is a lot of that especially in cove on the North side of the island past the peninsula with the pontoon boat.

I leave the surface clutter setting on the default 5 setting and don't pay any attention to anything near the surface. If I don't want the wide clutter band, I just use 200 kHz.

I leave the 83 kHz setting at the default 0 setting.

Here is the Hunting Run thermocline late last summer as the water was just starting to down. Note the surface temp.

This is with all the same settings I have mentioned:

BTW, I caught two of the bass shown at the temperature readout, I think they were in the 4# class.

[Wayne P.]

This is what I ment about DI with 2D sonar and one of the ditches at Humting Run:

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So is my temp right. Mine says 83 which later in day maybe 1:00 and this was on Sunday yours 88 for Friday. The water temp really drop that fast. I know we had cool weather and that rain storm Saturday. Maybe it did knock the temp down. I know my first few post was at Smoot's pond by my house. I think the is close to 90 acres. I'm going out again this week to boyou but depth finder what do much help there. I usually won't use it there. I'm going for frog fishing. Let's say if I want to use Switchfire on clear mode what depth should I do that at and the setting for everything stays the same? Speaking of readouts what the purpose of each? I think mine will allow my 4 but if readout 1 is Temp why would readout 2 be for temp also? Thanks again Wayne. I saw your buddy there at Hunting run. He was telling me about trout fishing in AP Hill and how well he did. They stock very nice trout. He had a pic of one over 20" so this year I might give it a shot. I bass fish there at the time just never tried the trout.

I was upset when he told me I didn't have to pay the launch fee when ask how come I didn't have my pass there. So next year I will be getting my pass there, I just couldn't afford both and I'm dieing to take the wife there. She will love it. We tried Orange this year but left the finder at home and only landed 1.

And man the bite seemed off at Hunting run sunday. We landed 25 together. We probably lost 15 or so near, at the boat. but we went for like 3 hours of no bites at all, even in spots we no produce. My brother lost a MONSTER on topwater. From the size of the bass it would swallow my 4# no prob. I did land 3.2 there Sunday.

[Wayne P.]

As I mentioned before I use Switchfire Clear all the time. I haven't been in deep enough water or fished deep enough to even need that turned off. All of my snapshots are with the Clear setting, I don't need to change any of the other settings from the default settings.

For your unit, depth and temp are the only ones needed unless you want to monitor the voltage. I don't know how many readout choices you have for each data box. The only other one (which takes an accessory part) is Aux. Temp. Some add a temp sensor to their livewells. You won't get that choice without that temp sensor hooked up.

Which "buddy", I seem to have a lot more than I know about.

OH, forgot another setting I like for 2D sonar, Bottom View = White Line. I also like the pallet 1 color you have.

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As I mentioned before I use Switchfire Clear all the time. I haven't been in deep enough water or fished deep enough to even need that turned off. All of my snapshots are with the Clear setting, I don't need to change any of the other settings from the default settings.

For your unit, depth and temp are the only ones needed unless you want to monitor the voltage. I don't know how many readout choices you have for each data box. The only other one (which takes an accessory part) is Aux. Temp. Some add a temp sensor to their livewells. You won't get that choice without that temp sensor hooked up.

Which "buddy", I seem to have a lot more than I know about.

OH, forgot another setting I like for 2D sonar, Bottom View = White Line. I also like the pallet 1 color you have.

The guy that runs the shack. The one we can't remember his name.

[Wayne P.]

OH, the short older guy that is younger than I am. LOL