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You’ll even be able to spot your lure in the water, plus if there are any fish close to it. Once you get used to recognizing fish arches or dots on your fish finder, you’ll be able to identify schools of fish, or even a single fish, with a high level of accuracy. This is due to the fact that down imaging sonar uses a much more narrow sonar cone, and thus shows only a small section of what’s directly underneath your boat.
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On down imaging fish finders, fish usually show up as dots, and not as arches. This arching effect is caused by the fact that the fish are in motion, moving through the sonar cone, and casting back a slightly different signal based on where in the cone the sonar signal hits them.
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On 2D sonar fish finders (which includes CHIRP fish finders, see below for more details), fish usually show up as arches with their apex pointing upwards on the screen.
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How do you read a fishfinder screen? Fish Arches vs. In addition, you’ll even be able to estimate the size of the fish. It’s important to remember that fish finder sonar can only work in water, but not in air.Īnd once you know how to read your fish finder, you’ll know exactly how deep the water is under your boat, the temperature of the water, what structures are underneath you, and where fish are located. However, once you understand how to apply this to maximum effect, this information is enough to give you a huge edge in spotting great fishing opportunities. In most cases, the sonar beam of a fish finder is relatively narrow, which means you’ll only be able to see what is pretty much directly underneath your vessel. When those sonar signals hit an object, they are cast back upwards, and the receiver of the fish finder then interprets the returned signals, and displays them as shapes on the screen.įor more details on this you can read our article on how fish finders work. The transducer of a fish finder sends sonar signals (referred to as a sonar cone) down into the water. The first thing you need to understand about fish finders is that they use sonar technology to yield detailed information about what is underneath your boat or kayak.įish finder technology is based on sending and receiving sonar signals. Here we’ll show you exactly how to read a fishfinder, and interpret the results to improve the success of your fishing. However, a common challenge that most beginners struggle with is understanding how to read the screen of a fish finder correctly. In addition, it also enables identifying schools of fish, or individual fish, with great precision. How To Read A Fishfinder – Learn To Identify Fish Reliablyįish finder technology is great for identifying underwater topography and locating promising fish grounds, such as drop offs or underwater structures such as mounds, sunken trees, or even wrecks.
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