Ideas for more FF videos. Port vs Starboard install of Transom mount transducers using clockwise turning prop. Transom Mount transducers vs thru hull. I was convinced I did not want to drill a hole in my bottom, but I’m warming up to the idea.
I am a lifetime fisherman but have not had fish finders and a boat till about 3 years ago. This video series is great explanation of what I see and I am using it to tech my son now. Great content, and love the for dummies title.
Lifetime fisherman, last nine years from a kayak old school. Have made the decision to install a portable FF this winter. Thank you so much for this informative video🎣
Thank you, thank you. So many "tutorial" videos, so few quality "tutorial" videos. Completely new to this equipment and you've taken much of the mystery out of it by assuming (correctly) that I knew nothing, and teaching me. Thx!
This is the best sonar for fishing video on the internet. I've been fishing offshore on my boat for a few years and can't believe the stuff I didn't know. Thanks for this man.
Mike, thank you for this information. I’m a lifelong shore fisherman so fish scanner is very new to me. I just bought a castable Deeper Chirp +2 that I use from shore. Your first 5 segments are goldmine of nuggets. Thanks.
I have had my HDS7 for almost 3 years, and we only ever use it to chart plot, look for structure to dive on, and monitor depth. I can't believe it took this long to even look to see what it is capable of and how it can improve out fishing days.
I am a sonar junkie, when i can't fish, I love watching sonar and side imaging video. I am a expert at 2d and side imaging. i have been in magazine for my fishing and will be up coming years. i love your videos, keep up the videos
Thank you so much I love that you put all the episodes into one. I have watched it 3 times and I will save it on my phone for when I'm out in my boat so if I need it, you have Helped me made my decision on buying a good fish finder that does everything, keep up the good work ,Paul from Melbourne Australia
THANKS PAUL!!! If you scroll down my uploads list you will see a follow up to that compilation that has all 11 episodes and not just 6. Hope you like it brother!!! 🙏🙏🙏
Question on the 3/1 transducer, I noticed your cable that’s attached to your transducer is on the outside mine when I installed it, the cable runs along the back of the boat. What would be the difference
I just subbed and Liked. I've bought 4 fish finders and gave two to my son and returned the other 2. That's over a few years but just haven't been able to wrap my head around what I'm seeing. Also I"m a kayaker, in 2 to 10 foot of saltwater, backwater and bays. This has been a big help. I'm on lesson 5 right now. Thanks a bunch. Most appreciated.
Hi Mike I love fish just bought my boat, & been thinking of getting a fish finder, I want to thank you for your time , for taking this moment to explain all this wisdom, I admit I am one of those people you named, 😊🙏
I quite enjoyed the bottom talk and hearing about its density and hardness. How the second bottom was very close let's say an inch from our real bottom. I also enjoyed that we can always to get to a second bottom. It showed me if its a soft bottom, a rocky bottom (ooe can't tap that), hard bottom or mucky bottom and how to figure out the texture of the bottom with another bottom. Thank you I think we all got value out of this video, especially me.
Absolutely incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I just acquired a Montauk with a fish finder on it. I’ve been fumbling around with it for the last two days trying to set it up proper. This is a game changer.. I will hopefully be slaying stripers in the SF bay/ Delta by the weekend.. hoping to be able to use some of your Striper tricks over here on the West Coast.. Thank you!
I've been fishing for years and learned more than I've ever known watching this comprehensive video!!! So, what do you recommend on a kayak that I fish shallow saltwater but also run off the beach in deeper waters for cobia, kingfish, etc...? Should I get sidescan as well?
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Hey Mike, I finished watching all 11 parts. I bought an electric motor which is a total game changer, stealth & quiet Went fishing yesterday with my New sounder skills & being able to motor around close to spots / structure i couldn't get to before with the big motor & spot lock anchoring Bingo Found the Fish & caught them all on soft plastics Yaass. 5 Flathead 43 to 64cm & 1 Jew fish (under size 🤷♂) Had the Best Day due to my new skills All from your Guidance 🤜💥🤛 Thanks for Posting Steve Australia Next step is a new sounder with better Tech Cheers, Tight Lines
What a great series! One question, if the side scanner says the fish is 20 feet from the transducer, and the depth is 17 feet, I would think that the fish is 10.5 feet from the boat, not 3 feet. Just using x squared plus 17 squared = 20 squared (solving the sides of a right triangle from high school ). That's assuming the fish is on or near the bottom.
Thanks for sharing all this knowledge. I am a new angler and found this invaluable. Question, perhaps not your focus area, but would learn more about shallow water settings for less than 3 feet. I realize that this is generally the focus of any vendor, but curious if you could share your thoughts on settings, transducers, install locations etc.
great vid man thank you for this. just got my first fish finder and your vids really help. ever think of doing a weather / swell/ waves for dummies? i live a little over an hour from where i fish (LI sound) and i have been skunked more time than i can count because i have a small boat and despite what all the sights forecasts and apps say reality doesn't line up. or maybe I'm still learning LOL. anyway keep it up brother .
I keep watching and learning 😊 I’ve watched at least 70 videos on setting up my sonar. It’s just hard to believe I run miles and see nothing which is why I keep changing my settings.
That’s actually a common problem with many transducers. They mark fish when you’re drifting but you see nothing when moving more than 10mph. What unit are you using?
@davidmccartney7577 unfortunately you can’t add a higher end CHIRP transducer without losing side and down scan. I personally like the 83khz in that transducer. Spend some time in 83khz. Make sure noise filters are off. Start at idle speed over some suspended returns and slowly pick up speed. 👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😁
A halocline is a salinity gradient. A pycnocline is a change in density which can result from a number of factors including temperature. I used to captain a research ship. Nice video Mike. You want a laminar flow across any transducer face. Flotsam damaging a transducer is just a risk you have to take.
Man I like your videos I’ve learned quite a bit, I’m still playing with mine, trying to get everything figured out. If I have any questions, I just go back to one of your videos, keep it up, we go to Texoma, striper, fish a lot , you’ve probably said where you’re at but I’m too busy, listening to learn, I don’t know where you’re at but you have a lot more baitfish than I do, they had a big kill back five or six years ago and they’re just now starting to get better,
Hi Mike. From 49.30, you show split screens of 200Khz and Medium Chirp. What differences in fish separation (and any other differences) did you observe between both screens? What advantages exist when using both screen views at same time?
thanks for this! Picked up my first fish finder (striker 4 plusCV for my kayak) and need to learn to use it. I went crappie fishing from a fish house this past weekend, and rigged it up to work. Should I have been able to pick up my 1/16 oz jigs and minnows on the sonar? I never did see them like the display you were referencing at 24:16.
I love your videos. I can tell you love what you are doing.I was a caterpillar heavy equipment instructor and I loved my job. I looked forward to my next class. Could be in different states, could be at a dealer. Could be at the dealer where I worked. I can tell you also love your job. You have been blessed. You do much better than factory. O
I appreciate your videos. Very helpful, with lots of detail. Thanks. But, a point to clarify. At 1:02:40 min in you talk about how far out the fish is from boat center line. You say to subtract depth from estimated distance displayed on the screen. Shouldn't it be the square of the estimated distance on the screen (20'x20'), then subtract the depth squared (16.7'x16.7') and take the square root of that result. So 20'x20'=400-(16.7x16.7=279)=121 and the square root of that=11' out from the center of the boat. This also assumes the fish is on the bottom, if suspended it's a little farther away.
Great question!!! I actually just did an update on this. I have found that its not exactly the depth to subtract but a percentage of the depth depending on a few things like where the fish is in the water column and range settings to name a few. I don’t know the exact science. The fact that the transducer shifts between 3 different side elements to each side makes it all but impossible to figure exactly because the “fan angle” or “cone angle” varies between the 3 elements. YOU absolutely have a better hold on the science than me so please look at this follow up video and let me know what you think about it. I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks brother!!!! th-cam.com/video/0fit-_O7wn4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=e4ebWWLyX4Wtz0oF
Great information, but what about downscan settings? What cone they are using? What is the difference between 455 and 800 in structure scan? Video examples will be great. You are doing great job. Keep going!
Thanks brother. Ill work on it. Simrad’s down scan is so simple and dialed in that I never touch it. It’s the only sonar type that I leave in auto 100% of the time. In fact the active imaging version doesn’t even have a 455 option. They concentrated on 800 for the best resolution and it’s honestly so good that I’m not sure that it’s worth even upgrading to newer versions, and I get them for free🤷🏻♂️.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Got it! When you will be next time on the water can you show us how bass and bait look at 80ft , 100, 120 .... 200 ft (structure scan). What is the best "range" to look for bait and stripers. I would be guessing 80 but I'm hoping is more then that in order to cover area quicker/locate fish quicker.
phenomenal videos. I am getting my new to me boat here soon and have never fished from a boat. The videos are very helpful. I am ready to go fishing now. But first I'll have to find a top of the line fish finder.
Thank you for the videos, they were very helpful to a newbie trying to this out. I also enjoy your other videos as well. I was wondering do you sale merchandise with the popeye logo.
Amazing helpful videos . Subscribed . I have 2 garmin ultra 126sv in 12” and I run LVS 34 for forward . Is there a way to disable just the rear transducer ( side imaging ) on back without disabling FFS ? I tried to disable rear and down sonar only but it disabled all sonar including FFS . I’ve heard for pressures fish it helps to turn off rear transducer because it constantly sends out a chirp to locate the bottom .
Hey there trying to decide on a fish finder that I'll be using on a row boat on a reservoir that gets about 150ft deep. What would be one that you recommend that would break the bank? Appreciate any answer thanks.
Thanks for all your videos man. Love watching smarter fishermen educate me. So I have a TM165HW it's high wide and high chirp it's supposed to see pelagic. I also have a B75H narrow transducer also high frequencies. I thought the narrow sees better for deeper and the other pelagic water column. Based on your take the only difference is tye cone angle and none see to their 600 feet range that good. Is that true? Thanks in advance
Thanks brother!! That’s actually the most common misconception regarding a transducer’s ability to work in deeper water. The cone size doesn’t affect how deep the beam can travel. In fact the widest cones are usually in the transducers that perform the BEST in deeper water because of their low frequencies. The transducers manufacturer, Airmar. States that frequency plays the biggest part in deep water penetration and not the cone size. It’s the most common misconception because it makes sense in your head that a tighter beam that is more focused should travel further. In fact I deal with some of the most hardcore blue water captains and they also made that mistake. It’s a mistake that doesn’t seem to make sense 😆. Stay with your 165 high wide until you go deeper than 500ft. 👍👍🙏🙏. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Mike. Does a fish arch only represent the fish bladder and no other part of the fish body? And, does the image shown on MFD represent the ping going down or ping going up?
Hi Mike, just got onto your videos , i am not the best at reading them , but your videos are great to watch and have definitly helped me . I just bought a Simrad NSX 9 inch with 3 in 1 combo sounder so i have down and side scan . Still getting use to it. I see you prefer the lorrance picture for your sounder any particulars reason . Keep it up great videos , best i have seen to teach you, what do you think of Simrad , my first one. Thanks Geoff
I rarely increase scroll speed unless I’m in deeper water over 100 ft and I’m trying to mark fish at 20-30mph. Other than that I leave it normal. Scroll speed increase is good for deeper water but it does flatten out fish returns and you lose detail 👍
I noticed that stripper or fish in general are active in morning and evening but seem like they completely disappeared around noon time (12pm-2pm) very slow, not sure why? and how to find them around this time frame. Thanks Mike
A lot depends on time of year and what water temps are, but Stripers are nocturnal. They prefer to hunt shallow where they can catch Shad easier than in deep water. In the middle of a sunny day
mike, hi from Australia (Toowoomba Queensland). At 67 still learning so I am a dummy but my understanding is greatly improved. I have a Lowrance Hook 9 TS & have struggled to see the fish but your video has given me answers. Looking for the A scope. I had set it to fish symbols but will probably change that back. Thanks for all that
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Next trip out went so much better but I do have an issue with the bottom very undefined unless I overlay the downscan. Any tips there Mike?
Could you do somethin on how to use a fish finder in shallows. My favorite lake is very shallow averaging only 4-8 ft deep. The sonar is hard to understand with all the disturbances.
Absolutely. I have quite a few up on side scan. That is the most effective way to find fish in very shallow water. In 5ft of water your traditional sonar cone is only a few feet wide at the bottom and a few INCHES at the top so it can be pretty useless for finding fish. Side scan is the way to go. I can look out 60 ft to each side in just a few feet of water. Check out my fish finder playlist on my TH-cam channel for side scan. 👍👍. Thanks!!!
I have a 3-1 transducer for my Lowrance Elite FS 9" - What should the CHRIP be set on ?? I mainly run the lower Delaware River which is very silty and dirty muddy water. What should my setting be on this unit??
I would use Medium or 83khz. Try both, take some screenshots over the same spots and compare. Sometimes 83 works a bit nicer than MED CHIRP with that transducer.
Great question. It would not show the bottom as it actually is. You would have to scan it in several different directions to get a better idea. As soon as ANY part of the cone touches bottom it returns to the transducer. So in this scenario, if the high side on the right is 20ft and the low side on the left is 40ft the pings would say your in closer to 20ft of water because the pings stop traveling downward once any part of the cone makes contact with that higher right side. This is why downscan is important if you want to get a more accurate depiction of the bottom. 👍👍👍
Hi Mike. Just bought a HDS 9 Live and thats a new world to me. Have watched a lot of videos included yours. But I will have my tranceducer mounted on portside and be able to rotate 360 degrees. How will the image be shown on the screen when I use sidescan and the tranceducer is pointing to the left? Thanks for very good videos.
The image on screen will still look like regular side scan. You will see left, and right with a line down the middle which will represent the center line on the transducer. If you turn the transducer to the left the left side on your screen will actually be looking direct off the stern of the boat and the right side will looking under the boat past the bow. 👍
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS I went to airmar's website they don't offer that one anymore but I should have said which transducer is your favorite transom chirp transducer in water under 250' deep?
Hi Mike. If you have an Airmar LHW Transducer connected to your Simrad EVO3S MFD, can you please confirm if the words ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘Low’ Chirp in any of the settings?
You will have high available on one source (in sonar page menu) and low available in another source. This is because it’s really like connecting 2 transducers, one low and one high. There will be no medium.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS thank you. My setup is not clear to me. I have 2 x EVO MFDs networked together. I have the Lowrance AI 3/1 Ducer and TM 275 HLW Ducer connected. When I select the gear symbol and then ‘ECHO’ and then ‘Installation’, I see the following listed frequencies : - 200 kHZ - 83 KHz - high Chirp - Nedium Chirp. I do not see ‘low Chirp’ listed anywhere???
Hi Mike. From 41.47 to 42.22, you MFD is portioned into 4 x different views. Can you please advise what each view was showing at the time? How was each view different?
Mike, I’m looking to add a second transducer to my center console. Is there a problem mounting it on the port side. I have read conflicting opinions due to turbulence from the prop. What is your opinion?
I have transducers on both sides. You might see a touch of surface noise when running, but very slight, in my case anyway. Side scan transducers tend to show the most surface noise. But doesn’t affect the returns I get.
I only did that because I have a pre-production version that used a 3D mount. This mount pinches the wire a bit when mounted the regular way. I just set the display for a reverse installation. 👍👍
I can mark fish up to 40, but when I get to areas I know should hold fish (or in deeper water) I drop down to around 25 mph. Ping takes more time to return to the transducer in deeper water
I’ve never personally used them, but I know a few guys that do and they like them. Typically the lower the frequency the wider the cone. 100 will likely show the most fish. Let me know how it works for you. I’d like to hear what you think. 👍👍
@@ThomasScalf-v9u it will be in the actual arch. Older sonar relied on the bladder heavily in order to show strong returns. These newer systems show dang near everything regardless of the air bladder.
Hi Mike, Quick question. Can I go with a lowrance HDs live as a second gps/fishfinder to network with my simrad nss evos 3s? It seems like it will run two transducers and it is the same company as Simrad but less expensive. So I was thinking of using my simrad for charts and engine systems data. and the Lowrance for the fish finding. Appreciate any feedback . Tx. Love your channel!
Hey brother!! Some guys have done that, but you may have some glitches here and there. it does void warranty’s on both though. Evo2 and Evo3 are the only Simrad’s that are networkable.
Do you ever have cavitation noise from your trolling motor Fixing to mount a Sim rad go 12 xse Would like to get my transducer placement on the start of the boat correct the first time any help would be appreciated
@@justynwooten6453 I mount mine with the following edge of the transducers 1/4” lower than the leading edge. This lets me mark fish while on plane running 20-30mph.
I carry two. Both are Frabil stowaway nets. I use the Walleye/Pike size for fish mostly in the 20-30lb range but it CAN handle 50lb plus Stripers. I use the Musky size for the Chesapeake Bay when fish are usually 40-50lbs. Great nets but those damn push buttons always break.
Fish reveal works better, but it’s similar. The only real use for it is for when you dont have a lot of screen space. I keep downscan and sonar separate, but if I had one display I would definitely use the fish reveal version. Have you tried fish reveal? It adds sonar returns to down scan.
Off topic here, but question: You guys never keep those Stripers ? Where they off season there when you made the videos ? Or are they totally protected in your area ? Or you just don't like to eat them ? Just wondering... thanks !
Good question. We all love eating them. They aren’t protected inshore, but the regulations are strong. We used to keep a few medium sized fish regularly leaving the bigger fish to reproduce. The spawning stocks have been on a steady down slide for over the last decade so we stopped keeping them altogether until numbers rebound. It’s hard to accept the falling numbers for a lot of people because the fishing has been so good, but it can take quite a few years to feel the impact. A lot of the bigger fish we are all catching now were hatched before the stock decline. We are starting to see less bigger fish each year, though numbers of smaller fish are good. I see nothing wrong with taking a fish here and there, but I’m careful to lead by example and always show the fish being released. Thanks for the comment brother!!!
Mike why don’t they computerize these units so it gives you the side scan fish distance without us having to subtract the depth from the distance number?
It’s technically even more confusing than that. It’s really a percentage of the depth you need to subtract, and that to find distance to things on the bottom, and not suspended 😱. I literally just shot footage yesterday with my spoon next to the boat “reported” to be 20’ away. I just think of the return as being 20 feet from the transducer 🤷🏻♂️. Not necessarily down or to the side, just 20’ AWAY.
Not really, you can tell when they move up and down some, but not the direction they are moving to with this type of sonar. Side scan shows you direction a bit more, but the new live sonar like Simrad’s Active Target shows you exactly where the fish are going.
Ideas for more FF videos. Port vs Starboard install of Transom mount transducers using clockwise turning prop. Transom Mount transducers vs thru hull.
I was convinced I did not want to drill a hole in my bottom, but I’m warming up to the idea.
Thanks Mike much appreciated
🙏🙏🙏🙏😁
Thank you for making these excellent tutorials. Wish I had found them a few years ago 😀
@@BrianV-e8n Thank you brother!! I’m glad you like them!!!🙏🙏
Bro.... this is the most epic sonar content on the net.
Thanks brother!!🙏🙏❤️
I am a lifetime fisherman but have not had fish finders and a boat till about 3 years ago. This video series is great explanation of what I see and I am using it to tech my son now. Great content, and love the for dummies title.
Love you videos man! Someone definitely ripped some butt at 27:56 tho 😂
Lifetime fisherman, last nine years from a kayak old school. Have made the decision to install a portable FF this winter. Thank you so much for this informative video🎣
Thank you, thank you. So many "tutorial" videos, so few quality "tutorial" videos. Completely new to this equipment and you've taken much of the mystery out of it by assuming (correctly) that I knew nothing, and teaching me. Thx!
Thanks Patrick! Glad you like it!!👍
Brilliant videos Mike. Really appreciate the helpful lessons.
Thankyou Mike, the videos certainly help me in understanding how it all works, keep safe an happy fishing
Thanks Mike!! I learned a ton here that I didn’t know already. Man, I’m never too old to learn something new!!! Awesome instructions!
@@FarmerJohn-ux5ml Thank you brother!!! That means alot coming from you John!!🙏🙏🙏😁😁👍👍❤️
This is the best sonar for fishing video on the internet. I've been fishing offshore on my boat for a few years and can't believe the stuff I didn't know. Thanks for this man.
Thanks brother!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Mike, thank you for this information. I’m a lifelong shore fisherman so fish scanner is very new to me. I just bought a castable Deeper Chirp +2 that I use from shore. Your first 5 segments are goldmine of nuggets. Thanks.
Thanks brother!!
A forever passenger but also a mate. Very useful.
I have had my HDS7 for almost 3 years, and we only ever use it to chart plot, look for structure to dive on, and monitor depth. I can't believe it took this long to even look to see what it is capable of and how it can improve out fishing days.
Thanks for your support Kyle, I’m glad you like it. 😁🙏🙏
I am a sonar junkie, when i can't fish, I love watching sonar and side imaging video. I am a expert at 2d and side imaging. i have been in magazine for my fishing and will be up coming years. i love your videos, keep up the videos
That’s awesome brother!!! I appreciate that!
Autism
What do u think about ffs ?
@@michaelbabcock3734😅
Well.... if you don't tell people, we would never know.
just watch this for about the 10th time, great information packed in this series , thanks for taking the time to help educate this dummy!
I’m glad you like it Bill!! I appreciate your support brother!!! 😁👍👍👍
This video is incredible, so much help and knowledge, the real world from on plane to drift. Amazing work and thank you so much!
THANK YOU!! I really appreciate that!🙏🙏🙏
Thanks Mike, far and away the best tutorial series on fish finders I’ve seen.
Thanks Greg!! I appreciate that brother!!! 😁👍👍👍
Great education and tutorial with different examples
Thank you for the kind words!!! There are a few more videos in my sonar play list with added lessons. 🙏🙏🙏🙏😁👍
Thank you, from California. I've watched it twice.
Fantastic video for sonar beginners, thank you very much
THANKS BROTHER!! I appreciate the kind words!
Check out my sonar, fishfinder playlist. There are more lessons added over there. 👍👍👍🙏🙏
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS It is simply the best video guide to interpret sonar screens. Very useful and educational 😎🫵
Thank you so much I love that you put all the episodes into one. I have watched it 3 times and I will save it on my phone for when I'm out in my boat so if I need it, you have Helped me made my decision on buying a good fish finder that does everything, keep up the good work ,Paul from Melbourne Australia
THANKS PAUL!!! If you scroll down my uploads list you will see a follow up to that compilation that has all 11 episodes and not just 6. Hope you like it brother!!! 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks, I am less of a dummy now, good teaching video.
I appreciate it brother.
Question on the 3/1 transducer, I noticed your cable that’s attached to your transducer is on the outside mine when I installed it, the cable runs along the back of the boat. What would be the difference
I just subbed and Liked. I've bought 4 fish finders and gave two to my son and returned the other 2. That's over a few years but just haven't been able to wrap my head around what I'm seeing. Also I"m a kayaker, in 2 to 10 foot of saltwater, backwater and bays. This has been a big help. I'm on lesson 5 right now. Thanks a bunch. Most appreciated.
Hi Mike I love fish just bought my boat, & been thinking of getting a fish finder, I want to thank you for your time , for taking this moment to explain all this wisdom, I admit I am one of those people you named, 😊🙏
Awesome!! Congratulations!!
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Thanks ,
I quite enjoyed the bottom talk and hearing about its density and hardness. How the second bottom was very close let's say an inch from our real bottom. I also enjoyed that we can always to get to a second bottom. It showed me if its a soft bottom, a rocky bottom (ooe can't tap that), hard bottom or mucky bottom and how to figure out the texture of the bottom with another bottom. Thank you I think we all got value out of this video, especially me.
In a comedic sense is what i meant
I'm not that dirty
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, AMAZING!!!
Excellent
Absolutely incredible! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I just acquired a Montauk with a fish finder on it. I’ve been fumbling around with it for the last two days trying to set it up proper. This is a game changer.. I will hopefully be slaying stripers in the SF bay/ Delta by the weekend.. hoping to be able to use some of your Striper tricks over here on the West Coast..
Thank you!
Awesome descriptions!
I've been fishing for years and learned more than I've ever known watching this comprehensive video!!! So, what do you recommend on a kayak that I fish shallow saltwater but also run off the beach in deeper waters for cobia, kingfish, etc...? Should I get sidescan as well?
Solid information.
@@BlackWarriorLures thanks brother!!🙏🙏
I'm one of those Dummies, I had no idea of how to interpret what i was seeing before watching this ( i'm up to no. 7 )
Thank you
Steve
Australia
Awesome!!! Thanks for your support brother!
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS
Hey Mike,
I finished watching all 11 parts.
I bought an electric motor which is a total game changer, stealth & quiet
Went fishing yesterday with my New sounder skills & being able to motor around close to spots / structure i couldn't get to before with the big motor & spot lock anchoring
Bingo
Found the Fish & caught them all on soft plastics Yaass.
5 Flathead 43 to 64cm & 1 Jew fish (under size 🤷♂)
Had the Best Day due to my new skills
All from your Guidance 🤜💥🤛
Thanks for Posting
Steve
Australia
Next step is a new sounder with better Tech
Cheers, Tight Lines
@@Stevos_HookedonRods4844 THATS WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!!! That’s awesome brother!!! Thanks for commenting 👍👍👍. I love it!
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS
🙏🙏🙏
What a great series! One question, if the side scanner says the fish is 20 feet from the transducer, and the depth is 17 feet, I would think that the fish is 10.5 feet from the boat, not 3 feet. Just using x squared plus 17 squared = 20 squared (solving the sides of a right triangle from high school ). That's assuming the fish is on or near the bottom.
Mike is this correct?
Thanks for sharing all this knowledge. I am a new angler and found this invaluable. Question, perhaps not your focus area, but would learn more about shallow water settings for less than 3 feet. I realize that this is generally the focus of any vendor, but curious if you could share your thoughts on settings, transducers, install locations etc.
Definitely go with side scan that shallow. I use Active Imaging Simrad side scan.
Wow Mike. Great stuff fantastic information
great vid man thank you for this. just got my first fish finder and your vids really help. ever think of doing a weather / swell/ waves for dummies? i live a little over an hour from where i fish (LI sound) and i have been skunked more time than i can count because i have a small boat and despite what all the sights forecasts and apps say reality doesn't line up. or maybe I'm still learning LOL. anyway keep it up brother .
I keep watching and learning 😊 I’ve watched at least 70 videos on setting up my sonar. It’s just hard to believe I run miles and see nothing which is why I keep changing my settings.
That’s actually a common problem with many transducers. They mark fish when you’re drifting but you see nothing when moving more than 10mph. What unit are you using?
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS HDS Live 7 with a 3-1 transducer. I might mount the transducer that came with the unit but I haven’t yet.
@davidmccartney7577 unfortunately you can’t add a higher end CHIRP transducer without losing side and down scan. I personally like the 83khz in that transducer. Spend some time in 83khz. Make sure noise filters are off. Start at idle speed over some suspended returns and slowly pick up speed. 👍🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏😁
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Thanks Bro 😎 I’m going out tomorrow just to play with it🇺🇸
A halocline is a salinity gradient. A pycnocline is a change in density which can result from a number of factors including temperature. I used to captain a research ship. Nice video Mike. You want a laminar flow across any transducer face. Flotsam damaging a transducer is just a risk you have to take.
Awesome. 👍👍👍
Thank you, helped a lot!
Great video mate! Love your work. Learnt a lot and enjoyed the whole thing.
I really appreciate that brother!
Mike thanks for the help to us weekenders!
I’m glad you like it brother!!! Thanks!! 🙏🙏
Man I like your videos I’ve learned quite a bit, I’m still playing with mine, trying to get everything figured out. If I have any questions, I just go back to one of your videos, keep it up, we go to Texoma, striper, fish a lot , you’ve probably said where you’re at but I’m too busy, listening to learn, I don’t know where you’re at but you have a lot more baitfish than I do, they had a big kill back five or six years ago and they’re just now starting to get better,
Hi Mike.
From 49.30, you show split screens of 200Khz and Medium Chirp.
What differences in fish separation (and any other differences) did you observe between both screens?
What advantages exist when using both screen views at same time?
GREAT VIDEOS AND I LOVE THE TITLES
Thanks Joe!!!🙏🙏
Absolutely love the video and info. I am a nubie and this has helped a lot. Thanks sir. Good bless
That’s awesome!! Glad you like it!🙏🙏🙏👍
thanks for this! Picked up my first fish finder (striker 4 plusCV for my kayak) and need to learn to use it. I went crappie fishing from a fish house this past weekend, and rigged it up to work. Should I have been able to pick up my 1/16 oz jigs and minnows on the sonar? I never did see them like the display you were referencing at 24:16.
I love your videos. I can tell you love what you are doing.I was a caterpillar heavy equipment instructor and I loved my job. I looked forward to my next class. Could be in different states, could be at a dealer. Could be at the dealer where I worked. I can tell you also love your job. You have been blessed. You do much better than factory.
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Wow. That’s very kind of you brother!!! I really appreciate that! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Blew my mind. Just got Garmin unit. That helped... A LOT
Awesome!! I’m glad it helped Jesse!🙏🙏🙏🙏👍
I appreciate your videos. Very helpful, with lots of detail. Thanks. But, a point to clarify. At 1:02:40 min in you talk about how far out the fish is from boat center line. You say to subtract depth from estimated distance displayed on the screen. Shouldn't it be the square of the estimated distance on the screen (20'x20'), then subtract the depth squared (16.7'x16.7') and take the square root of that result. So 20'x20'=400-(16.7x16.7=279)=121 and the square root of that=11' out from the center of the boat. This also assumes the fish is on the bottom, if suspended it's a little farther away.
Great question!!! I actually just did an update on this. I have found that its not exactly the depth to subtract but a percentage of the depth depending on a few things like where the fish is in the water column and range settings to name a few. I don’t know the exact science. The fact that the transducer shifts between 3 different side elements to each side makes it all but impossible to figure exactly because the “fan angle” or “cone angle” varies between the 3 elements. YOU absolutely have a better hold on the science than me so please look at this follow up video and let me know what you think about it. I’m very interested in hearing your thoughts. Thanks brother!!!! th-cam.com/video/0fit-_O7wn4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=e4ebWWLyX4Wtz0oF
Very good information 👍👍👍LOWRANCE HDS 7 gen 2 no touct with structure scan in my boat
Very helpful! I've been using sonar for a long time but I learned a lot from your videos. Thank you!!!
Thanks Frank!! 🙏😁😁👍
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Your welcome!
Hi Mike, I'm into sonar since a long time and wow, I should see your video long time ago to save me lot of times! Really well done my friend 🙂
Thanks Andre!!!🙏🙏🙏🙏
Great information, but what about downscan settings? What cone they are using? What is the difference between 455 and 800 in structure scan? Video examples will be great. You are doing great job. Keep going!
Thanks brother. Ill work on it. Simrad’s down scan is so simple and dialed in that I never touch it. It’s the only sonar type that I leave in auto 100% of the time. In fact the active imaging version doesn’t even have a 455 option. They concentrated on 800 for the best resolution and it’s honestly so good that I’m not sure that it’s worth even upgrading to newer versions, and I get them for free🤷🏻♂️.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Got it! When you will be next time on the water can you show us how bass and bait look at 80ft , 100, 120 .... 200 ft (structure scan). What is the best "range" to look for bait and stripers. I would be guessing 80 but I'm hoping is more then that in order to cover area quicker/locate fish quicker.
thank you this has been a tremendus help
phenomenal videos. I am getting my new to me boat here soon and have never fished from a boat. The videos are very helpful. I am ready to go fishing now. But first I'll have to find a top of the line fish finder.
Thanks brother!!! Top of the line is this amzn.to/3X7bdkl. It’s what I used for these videos. 👍👍👍
@Mike Smedley thanks. But that almost costs as much as the boat I'm buying lol. I'm looking in the 1000-2000 range
Thank you for the videos, they were very helpful to a newbie trying to this out. I also enjoy your other videos as well. I was wondering do you sale merchandise with the popeye logo.
Amazing helpful videos . Subscribed . I have 2 garmin ultra 126sv in 12” and I run LVS 34 for forward . Is there a way to disable just the rear transducer ( side imaging ) on back without disabling FFS ? I tried to disable rear and down sonar only but it disabled all sonar including FFS . I’ve heard for pressures fish it helps to turn off rear transducer because it constantly sends out a chirp to locate the bottom .
Hey there trying to decide on a fish finder that I'll be using on a row boat on a reservoir that gets about 150ft deep.
What would be one that you recommend that would break the bank? Appreciate any answer thanks.
I fish mostly rivers and freshwater lakes inland are the simrad just as good. For these types of water ways? And the mapping for the lake/river?
Hi Mike, great videos!
Where did you get your multi rod holder?
Thanks for all your videos man. Love watching smarter fishermen educate me.
So I have a TM165HW it's high wide and high chirp it's supposed to see pelagic.
I also have a B75H narrow transducer also high frequencies. I thought the narrow sees better for deeper and the other pelagic water column. Based on your take the only difference is tye cone angle and none see to their 600 feet range that good. Is that true? Thanks in advance
Thanks brother!! That’s actually the most common misconception regarding a transducer’s ability to work in deeper water. The cone size doesn’t affect how deep the beam can travel. In fact the widest cones are usually in the transducers that perform the BEST in deeper water because of their low frequencies. The transducers manufacturer, Airmar. States that frequency plays the biggest part in deep water penetration and not the cone size. It’s the most common misconception because it makes sense in your head that a tighter beam that is more focused should travel further. In fact I deal with some of the most hardcore blue water captains and they also made that mistake. It’s a mistake that doesn’t seem to make sense 😆. Stay with your 165 high wide until you go deeper than 500ft. 👍👍🙏🙏. Thanks for the comment!
Hi Mike.
Does a fish arch only represent the fish bladder and no other part of the fish body?
And, does the image shown on MFD represent the ping going down or ping going up?
Hi Mike, just got onto your videos , i am not the best at reading them , but your videos are great to watch and have definitly helped me . I just bought a Simrad NSX 9 inch with 3 in 1 combo sounder so i have down and side scan . Still getting use to it. I see you prefer the lorrance picture for your sounder any particulars reason . Keep it up great videos , best i have seen to teach you, what do you think of Simrad , my first one. Thanks Geoff
Thanks brother!! I just like the way that pallet looks. No technical reason or anything. 👍
Great job ,best t have watched. Mu+h better than Lawrence does. Great instructor.
I appreciate that brother!!!🙏🙏🙏
Great set of videos capt ! Very informative Keep them coming. Always looking forward to your next one. Tight lines !!
Thanks Rolando. I appreciate it brother 👍
Hi, great video thanks for the info.
Do you I need to adjust the speed of the charting to allow for the speed of my boat ?
Thanks
I rarely increase scroll speed unless I’m in deeper water over 100 ft and I’m trying to mark fish at 20-30mph. Other than that I leave it normal. Scroll speed increase is good for deeper water but it does flatten out fish returns and you lose detail 👍
Hello to be honest the only thing I hate in the videos are the Ad's 😅😅 My you are the best. All I needed was popcorn . Thanks so much appreciated .
Thanks brother!! I appreciate that! 🙏🙏🙏👍👍
Very helpful. Been out of the game for quite a while but just getting back in. X70A was the tits when I stopped. :)
I’m glad you like it brother!! Thanks!
I noticed that stripper or fish in general are active in morning and evening but seem like they completely disappeared around noon time (12pm-2pm) very slow, not sure why? and how to find them around this time frame. Thanks Mike
A lot depends on time of year and what water temps are, but Stripers are nocturnal. They prefer to hunt shallow where they can catch Shad easier than in deep water. In the middle of a sunny day
mike, hi from Australia (Toowoomba Queensland). At 67 still learning so I am a dummy but my understanding is greatly improved. I have a Lowrance Hook 9 TS & have struggled to see the fish but your video has given me answers. Looking for the A scope. I had set it to fish symbols but will probably change that back. Thanks for all that
Thanks Bruce. I’m glad they helped! I would turn fish ID off just like you said. You will learn the machine way faster👍👍👍😁😁
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS Next trip out went so much better but I do have an issue with the bottom very undefined unless I overlay the downscan. Any tips there Mike?
Send me some screenshots mikesmedley9@gmail.com
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS next time I am out. thank you.
Could you do somethin on how to use a fish finder in shallows. My favorite lake is very shallow averaging only 4-8 ft deep. The sonar is hard to understand with all the disturbances.
Absolutely. I have quite a few up on side scan. That is the most effective way to find fish in very shallow water. In 5ft of water your traditional sonar cone is only a few feet wide at the bottom and a few INCHES at the top so it can be pretty useless for finding fish. Side scan is the way to go. I can look out 60 ft to each side in just a few feet of water. Check out my fish finder playlist on my TH-cam channel for side scan. 👍👍. Thanks!!!
thanks will do @@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS
I have a 3-1 transducer for my Lowrance Elite FS 9" - What should the CHRIP be set on ?? I mainly run the lower Delaware River which is very silty and dirty muddy water. What should my setting be on this unit??
I would use Medium or 83khz. Try both, take some screenshots over the same spots and compare. Sometimes 83 works a bit nicer than MED CHIRP with that transducer.
What would the bottom look like if you’re trolling alongside a ledge or steep bank? say the high side is on starboard side in a lake
Great question. It would not show the bottom as it actually is. You would have to scan it in several different directions to get a better idea. As soon as ANY part of the cone touches bottom it returns to the transducer. So in this scenario, if the high side on the right is 20ft and the low side on the left is 40ft the pings would say your in closer to 20ft of water because the pings stop traveling downward once any part of the cone makes contact with that higher right side. This is why downscan is important if you want to get a more accurate depiction of the bottom. 👍👍👍
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS so in this instance you could miss fish at say the 30ft mark, correct?
Also, would it be better to troll more in a zig zag pattern?
Hi Mike. Just bought a HDS 9 Live and thats a new world to me. Have watched a lot of videos included yours. But I will have my tranceducer mounted on portside and be able to rotate 360 degrees. How will the image be shown on the screen when I use sidescan and the tranceducer is pointing to the left? Thanks for very good videos.
The image on screen will still look like regular side scan. You will see left, and right with a line down the middle which will represent the center line on the transducer. If you turn the transducer to the left the left side on your screen will actually be looking direct off the stern of the boat and the right side will looking under the boat past the bow. 👍
Mike in the end which chirp transducer is your most favorite in water under 250' deep
Definitely the B185 High Wide.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS I went to airmar's website they don't offer that one anymore but I should have said which transducer is your favorite transom chirp transducer in water under 250' deep?
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, super helpful and super cool. New subscriber now. Appreciate ya, cheers
Thanks!!! Glad you like it!!!👍👍
Hi Mike.
If you have an Airmar LHW Transducer connected to your Simrad EVO3S MFD, can you please confirm if the words ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘Low’ Chirp in any of the settings?
You will have high available on one source (in sonar page menu) and low available in another source. This is because it’s really like connecting 2 transducers, one low and one high. There will be no medium.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS thank you.
My setup is not clear to me.
I have 2 x EVO MFDs networked together. I have the Lowrance AI 3/1 Ducer and TM 275 HLW Ducer connected.
When I select the gear symbol and then ‘ECHO’ and then ‘Installation’, I see the following listed frequencies :
- 200 kHZ
- 83 KHz
- high Chirp
- Nedium Chirp.
I do not see ‘low Chirp’ listed anywhere???
Hi Mike.
From 41.47 to 42.22, you MFD is portioned into 4 x different views. Can you please advise what each view was showing at the time? How was each view different?
Great video
Mike, I’m looking to add a second transducer to my center console. Is there a problem mounting it on the port side. I have read conflicting opinions due to turbulence from the prop. What is your opinion?
I have transducers on both sides. You might see a touch of surface noise when running, but very slight, in my case anyway. Side scan transducers tend to show the most surface noise. But doesn’t affect the returns I get.
Thanks MIke, love your videos
It isn’t a side scan transducer anyway, only down scan and traditional.
Great series 🙂
Thanks brother
Awesome video. Alot of information packed in here for a newbie. Now figure what unit to get for my kayak.
Thanks for your work on this. Very well done
Thanks Doug!!!! 😁👍
Is there any benefit to installing the active imaging transducer the way you did? Some would say “backwards”?
I only did that because I have a pre-production version that used a 3D mount. This mount pinches the wire a bit when mounted the regular way. I just set the display for a reverse installation. 👍👍
so you normally cruise at high speed 40 mph to locate the fish initially then start to slow down like in video3?
I can mark fish up to 40, but when I get to areas I know should hold fish (or in deeper water) I drop down to around 25 mph. Ping takes more time to return to the transducer in deeper water
Hey Mike I just got the deeper chirp2 for kayak fishing it's got 3 beam angles 100 250 400 khtz what are your thoughts on portable castable sonars
I’ve never personally used them, but I know a few guys that do and they like them. Typically the lower the frequency the wider the cone. 100 will likely show the most fish. Let me know how it works for you. I’d like to hear what you think. 👍👍
Very well done as ima dummy
When you say air bladder what are you referring too?
@@ThomasScalf-v9u most fish have an air bladder to help them control and maintain depths.
Is it under the arch of the fish
@@ThomasScalf-v9u it will be in the actual arch. Older sonar relied on the bladder heavily in order to show strong returns. These newer systems show dang near everything regardless of the air bladder.
Hi Mike, Quick question. Can I go with a lowrance HDs live as a second gps/fishfinder to network with my simrad nss evos 3s? It seems like it will run two transducers and it is the same company as Simrad but less expensive. So I was thinking of using my simrad for charts and engine systems data. and the Lowrance for the fish finding. Appreciate any feedback . Tx. Love your channel!
Hey brother!! Some guys have done that, but you may have some glitches here and there. it does void warranty’s on both though. Evo2 and Evo3 are the only Simrad’s that are networkable.
Do you ever have cavitation noise from your trolling motor Fixing to mount a Sim rad go 12 xse Would like to get my transducer placement on the start of the boat correct the first time any help would be appreciated
Not with Simrad. I had problems way back in the day with other displays. 👍👍
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS, thanks for the reply. Sounds good. Love all your videos. Watch them over and over. Thank you
How should should I have my transducer pointed at what angle
@@justynwooten6453 I mount mine with the following edge of the transducers 1/4” lower than the leading edge. This lets me mark fish while on plane running 20-30mph.
to the right on the bottom, what is vsupply 9.0
My battery about to die 😏. I switch over mid day.
Them some big ass reels for those lil fish.
@@dboyMMA7100 leadcore line is super thick. The entire reel only holds around 100yrds.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS I see.
what landing net do you use?
I carry two. Both are Frabil stowaway nets. I use the Walleye/Pike size for fish mostly in the 20-30lb range but it CAN handle 50lb plus Stripers. I use the Musky size for the Chesapeake Bay when fish are usually 40-50lbs. Great nets but those damn push buttons always break.
What do you think of downscan overlay to the traditional sonar? Do you use it?
Fish reveal works better, but it’s similar. The only real use for it is for when you dont have a lot of screen space. I keep downscan and sonar separate, but if I had one display I would definitely use the fish reveal version. Have you tried fish reveal? It adds sonar returns to down scan.
Yes I’ve tried it but I can’t say I see more with it on than when it’s off.
Thank you for your response and your great video!
It’s definitely a preference thing. You essentially see fish from both downscan and sonar on top of each other. Thanks for the support!!
Sure thank you!
Off topic here, but question: You guys never keep those Stripers ? Where they off season there when you made the videos ? Or are they totally protected in your area ? Or you just don't like to eat them ? Just wondering... thanks !
Good question. We all love eating them. They aren’t protected inshore, but the regulations are strong. We used to keep a few medium sized fish regularly leaving the bigger fish to reproduce. The spawning stocks have been on a steady down slide for over the last decade so we stopped keeping them altogether until numbers rebound. It’s hard to accept the falling numbers for a lot of people because the fishing has been so good, but it can take quite a few years to feel the impact. A lot of the bigger fish we are all catching now were hatched before the stock decline. We are starting to see less bigger fish each year, though numbers of smaller fish are good. I see nothing wrong with taking a fish here and there, but I’m careful to lead by example and always show the fish being released. Thanks for the comment brother!!!
Mike why don’t they computerize these units so it gives you the side scan fish distance without us having to subtract the depth from the distance number?
It’s technically even more confusing than that. It’s really a percentage of the depth you need to subtract, and that to find distance to things on the bottom, and not suspended 😱. I literally just shot footage yesterday with my spoon next to the boat “reported” to be 20’ away. I just think of the return as being 20 feet from the transducer 🤷🏻♂️. Not necessarily down or to the side, just 20’ AWAY.
@@MikeSmedleyOLDSCHOOLSTRIPERS thanks. I’m just using it to find structure right now
Can I tell the direction fish are moving?
Not really, you can tell when they move up and down some, but not the direction they are moving to with this type of sonar. Side scan shows you direction a bit more, but the new live sonar like Simrad’s Active Target shows you exactly where the fish are going.