Help Interpreting Sonar

[Marley]

Hi Everyone

I recently purchased a Lowrance HDS Live with a P66 transducer. I was fishing for winter chinook yesterday in the harbour and am looking for some help interpreting the images.

I ran both 50kh and 200kh frequency seeing much better detail on the 200kh but I understand that the cone angle is smaller so we are seeing less area.

I see arches that are probably salmon. Some right on the bottom and others mid water column. Should I bother targeting the mid column fish or stick to the bottom? I also thought I would be able to see my downrigger ball but am not able to at the deeper depths. Do I need to adjust the settings on the unit? Currently running the sensitivity on auto. I am running 15 lb balls and was trolling with downrigger angles at approximately 45 degrees.

Any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[ChilliSpoons]

Being no expert I believe that in 100’ of water with your balls hanging back 45° your 200khz cone is too small to detect your balls. While it’s nice to see where your gear is set it’s more important to see the arches and bottom.

 

[ship happens]

50hz is smaller cone angle and for deeper than 800 feet. Use 200. It's the best imo

 

[Marley]

That makes sense the ball would be behind the cone and using 200kh. Any thoughts on which chinook to target? Are the shallower ones worth going after or should I be concentrating on the ones on the bottom?

 

[ship happens]

That makes sense the ball would be behind the cone and using 200kh. Any thoughts on which chinook to target? Are the shallower ones worth going after or should I be concentrating on the ones on the bottom?

The whaa? Your supposed to catch all of them lol

Jk just because you see arches doesn't mean it's nooks

 

[Sharphooks]

50hz is smaller cone angle and for deeper than 800 feet. Use 200. It's the best imo

The 50 KHz cone is actually much larger then the 200 Khz on a P66. Here’s a visual representation of the two frequencies and how they penetrate the water column:




Using the 200 Khz gets you better target resolution but doesn’t penetrate as deep as the lower frequency and has a much narrower beam angle.

And chasing “arches” will drive you nuts . In my opinion, the whole arch thing in sonar talk is over-sold, especially when fishing in the salt chuck in the PNW.

In my opinion your time is better spent looking for bait balls and concentrating on those types of targets if you’re looking for salmon. And if you’re dragging a 15 lb ball at a 45 degree angle, you’d be better off turning around and going with the tide ——you should see your gear when you’re not fighting the current or the tide if your transducer has the proper tilt (approx 17 degrees) and location on the transom relative to your downrigger

 

[ship happens]

Your 100 percent right. Tha ks for the clarification. I think I'm loosing my marbles. Or maybe I'm just so used to the thruhulls these days. I'm backwards

 

[Unreel]

Fish the bait balls if your marking them. Just because you see a mark or return doesn't mean its a salmon by any means. The p66 is a decent transducer but doesn't hold a candle to chirp or a high wattage ducer. I would turn your sensitivity up too, your screens too clear. You want it sensitive enough to show as much returns and detail as possible but not so cluttered that you can't distinguish individual targets.

 

[Rain City]

I only pay attention to arches attacking bait balls

 

[Brando]

Change the color pallet on your screen the white background sucks imo. 200khz is what I like as well using a p66. I guess maybe after years of fishing my mindset has changed and seeing bait and arches is nice but I probably catch more fish with a “blank” sounder.. nothing replaces experience get out and pay attention to the details and success will follow..

 

[Marley]

Hi guys ok thanks. I will play with the sensitivity, fish the bait balls, and pay attention to the tide. Fish structure and take sonar readings with a grain of salt.

In terms of transducer angle I installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions. My transom is 12 degrees so I installed the bracket without the shim. It seems like the positioning and angle is working well as it is holding bottom on plane. I don’t understand the 17 degree reference. Should I adjust the transducer to angle rearward?

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Aces]

I have my transducer tilted up a notch so I can see my balls down to about 150 ft or so.

I live watching a streak coming up towards my gear then the rod pops off. Good times!

 

[ship happens]

I have my transducer tilted up a notch so I can see my balls down to about 150 ft or so.

I live watching a streak coming up towards my gear then the rod pops off. Good times!

I can see my balls just fine. Don't need a trans to let me know. Lol.

 

[Sharphooks]

Change the color pallet on your screen the white background sucks imo. 200khz is what I like as well using a p66. I guess maybe after years of fishing my mindset has changed and seeing bait and arches is nice but I probably catch more fish with a “blank” sounder.. nothing replaces experience get out and pay attention to the details and success will follow..

I lost count of the springs I caught last year on a blank screen. WE’re talking blank screen on the DFF3D, GT51 and the P66—all showing a biological desert beneath the boat yet the rod goes off and it’s off to the races....gotta love chasing them arches like the walleye guys

 

[sly_karma]

So I fished the arches. Come at me.

 

[Brett83]

In winter time I barely pay attention to the fish on the finder. I use it to see if there is bait action happening but always run off the bottom. Never chasing the arches. Spring time I use it to see if the bait is suspended. On the Westcoast of the island I use it more often to find big coho schools. On lakes we constantly use it and chase the arches. When I take guys out that chase the arches on the ocean, I find it doesn't typically work.

 

[jim morrow]

You can learn a bit from the old herring moochers, as they would often fish one line on the bottom and one half way down, esp at the QB marker. if you run close to the bottom in the harbour you can get a lot of Flounder on the line and not notice them...so sometimes running lines 20 above bottom works just fine. later in March things start to change and fish are caught mid depth rather than on the bottom.
You will notice less blowback when in a bay or harbour due to the less currant situation. watch out for the crab traps!

 

[Capt_Ed]

I can see my balls just fine. Don't need a trans to let me know. Lol.

I'm too old and fat to see mine