Ok, Tell the truth. You put the boat in and are idling away from the
ramp and decide to put the depth finder on and more often than not you
just turn it on and put it in the auto mode don't you? The fact is this
really is the way a lot of us start out. It's just so much easier to
put it in auto and let the unit do all the work. Or is it?
I'd like to
give a few tips and tidbits if I may and maybe enlighten you enough
to where you will get more out of your unit than you are. Let's start
out
by comparing the auto and manual modes. The auto mode is honestly
the best way to go if you are just starting to use an LCR or a similar
type
of graph. The manual mode will open more doors for you if you learn
to utilize it more. In the auto mode that's just what you do. Leave
it in
auto. In the manual mode there are a few more options for you.
One
thing the manual mode will do is enable you to find a thermocline.
The way
to do this is to turn the unit on and put it in the manual mode.
Now slowly turn the sensitivity up until you see a dark band somewhere
below
the top and above the bottom going across the screen. This is usually
the thermocline. Fish will be most active in this depth. Result:
Fish structure and/or cover at or near this depth. The manual mode
will also
usually have better detail if the sensitivity is set correctly.
To adjust the sensitivity start at about 50% and slowly increase until
you have
surface clutter starting to build up on top. Decrease a little
and
you are just about right. Remember to adjust accordingly as your
depth changes.
If you fish roadbeds like most of us do the gray line feature on
most LCR's is hard to beat. The wider the gray band on the bottom
the harder
it is. Try crossing a roadbed back and forth and you will see
what I mean.
Try using the zoom feature. This comes in handy when trying
to
differentiate a fish from a rock or stump. How? you ask. If
it is a rock on the bottom it will usually be showing gray for the
rock
and
the bottom.
If it is a fish it will show a gray band at the bottom with
a black
[soft] echo. This will be a fish. Speaking of fish pay attention
to what your
graph is telling you visually. If, for instance you are in
the middle of feeding sand bass look at your screen. You will see large
game
fish and small bait fish spread out over the screen[feeding fish!]
If you
are on a point for example and you see a ball of shad on one
side of the screen and a school of game fish on the other more than
likely
these
fish aren't as active. But the main thing is the baitfish are
there and you know you are in a potentially productive area.
Use
your
backlight
when going across the lake. I have a friend who would turn
his off at
night because he said it blinded him going across the water.
I had him push his menu button [he never used!] and when it said
adjust backlight
that's what we did.
One of the most important features on
your LCR will
be the depth alarm. I never leave the ramp without setting
my shallow
water alarm at 12 to 15 feet depending on the lake. I can't
emphasize enough how valuable this was at my home lake, Ray Roberts
in
Texas, last year when we were 18 feet low. Boats would be out
in the middle
of the
lake and I would hear wuuuuuuuummmmm! [Shallow water landings!]
So remember the next time you leave the ramp and start to push
the auto
button to
open your mind to using other options on the graph you
paid good money for.
Mark McManaway
Local Anglers
Guide Service
