Good input. Thanks for poppinā in. Maybe we can coax you over to the dark side one of these days. (Getting a tube or toon)
Sonar is vital to maximizing fishing potential from almost any floating platform. However, there are a lot of things about high end sonar that are essentially wasted when on a tube. First, would be speed indication. Although temp guages are a biggy.
Also, when tubing we do not see the inverted Vās of fish. We do not move fast enough to make that work. We are generally stationary or moving slow. And, contrary to what most sonar nuts advise, we are sometimes better served by having the Fish ID on. Yeah, false signals and all that, but we seldom fish for the fish passing beneath us in shallow water and we seldom fish in water over about 30 feet deep. Our primary use for sonar is to determine depth and structure and to maintain the right positioning.
**If and when we fish deeper water and need more precise readings, we can tune the display to what we need. But, for us to spend more than $200 for sonar is foolish. We can usually do quite well for half that. **
Also, when tubing we do not see the inverted Vās of fish. We do not move fast enough to make that work. We are generally stationary or moving slow. And, contrary to what most sonar nuts advise, we are sometimes better served by having the Fish ID on. Yeah, false signals and all that, but we seldom fish for the fish passing beneath us in shallow water and we seldom fish in water over about 30 feet deep. Our primary use for sonar is to determine depth and structure and to maintain the right positioning.
Now, I just have to get Evil Ash to read your last statement. While at Yuba, I was reading all sorts of fish (little fish icon) and the old man uses the inverted āVā, was reading nothing.
I would see fish at 30ā, so let my line sink and HELLO! and he was still at, I am not reading any.
I do use mine to find out the bottom structure, but also at what depth fish are holding to know how deep to go and it works as you have seen.
I donāt have a temp on mine which I miss, but I have a nice digital that works just fine.
Cardiac Canyon: Sonar under the Crown Royal bag
[inline 16450127.castingdeck.jpg]
I have since cut about 10" off the square tubing with my Transducer.
And here is the H3
[inline ābftH3 setup 006.jpgā]
Iām so glad you guys posted this. I was going to ask the question but since Iāve only used it once I wanted some more opportunities to tinker with it before I did. I wasnāt sure how to read the thing. So do you guys leave the Fish ID on? Any other tricks or advice you guys can give out?
That, my dear sir, is another TD inventionā¦a shoehorn for pulling on fin straps.
For those of us with āample girthā, aging backs and several layers of clothing beneath our waders, that innovation helps pull up the straps when putting the fins onā¦and levering the straps back over the heel when we are ready to take the fins off again.
Itās amazing what a few extra inches of reach does to allow you to keep breathing while pulling your fins onā¦and to keep you out of the herniated disc ward at the hospital.
You sure gots sharp eyes and an inquisitive mind. Caināt sneak nuttinā by this audience.
I thought I would throw this out there. How many of you use finders with side scan(of some kind). Did you find it helpful? Iām still learning how to read it in straight down mode.[crazy]
I have a Humminbird WideEye.(it was givin to me )It will scan left, left&right, right and of course straight down.
This is the main reason I rigid mounted my transducer to sit below my pontoons(and feet).
Hummmmm, a little too easyā¦there has got to be something wrong with itā¦ That would be a killer way to go, but I have hit rocks, trees, bushes with my motor, now imaging the transducer on the bottom of the motor.
If a sonar is specifically rated and recommended for mounting on trolling motors, then it should work okay. However, I have known of a few tooners with electrics that have done the motor mount thing and get a lot of interference on their sonar. Much of that is a matter of adjusting the sensitivity and noise rejection, but that can also influence the readings for bottom and/or fish. It is always necessary to fine tune and adjust to get a proper balance.
Invest some time online and see if you can find some user reviews for the model you have.
In some cases all you need to do is enter the make and model of the unit you have (or want) in a search engine and see what comes up.
Most of the manufacturers have very good tutorial sections and even training modules for their specific models. Some also have FAQ buttons that can cover āwhat about mounting on an electric motorā. If you get lucky, they will even have online help for individual questions.
It pays to be an efficient web surfer.
Let me know if you need help. I will need to know the make and model of your intended unit.
Lowrance is one of the quality standards of the industry. They make good stuff. And, the model you are looking at is probably one of the better sonars available.
BUTā¦it is a lot more than you realistically need for a pontoon, unless you are going to be fishing over deep reefs in big waters, etc. The X510C is powered to reach up to 900 feet, which is about 50 to 100 times more depth than I ever fish. It is rated at 2400 watts peak to peak, which is 3 to 4 times more than you will need for most tooning applications. The color IS nice and those who buy it usually love it.
YES, you can mount it on your trolling motor. However, the special transducer and mount will cost you another $125 dollarsā¦over the basic unit. My whole sonar barely costs that much.
I suggest that you spend some time going through the different buttons on the tutorial page, to familiarize yourself with the lingo and the options. That will help remove some of the mystery and aid in making better informed decisions.
I got to add one more thing to think about. There are a lot of waters around here that do [#bf0000]NOT allow motors.[/#0000bf] Tibble comes to mind, which is where I went today. I wanted to know the bottom structure and see how deep it is and where the fish were holding. I donāt need to take my motor to be able to use my sonar.
Good input. Thanks for poppinā in. Maybe we can coax you over to the dark side one of these days. (Getting a tube or toon)