Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

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NolanJWilliamson
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Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by NolanJWilliamson »

Hey guys I have been kayak bass fishing for about three years. Most of that time I lived in Florida where I fished a lot of shallow cover and had no need for a sonar. However I have recently moved to Texas and wanting to expand my fishing capabilities I bought a Garmin Striker 4DV. I have never used a Sonar before and I am looking for some help.

1. How do I know where the things I am seeing on my graph are in relation to my kayak? I know they are behind me but are they 20 feet behind me or 100 feet?

2. What scroll speed should I be using?

3. What settings do I need to tweak in order to be sure what what I am looking at is fish and cover and not debris in the water column?

Anything you know will help or any resource you know of will be greatly helpful. Thanks!
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TigerLandSportsman
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by TigerLandSportsman »

Interesting questions.

In for the responses
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Cruisin_Cuda
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by Cruisin_Cuda »

youtube will have more videos than you'll ever need :mrgreen:
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Crusader
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by Crusader »

Inshore -- get cheapest sonar. All you need is depth and (probably) temperature.
Freshwater -- get DragonFly 5 Pro, leave all settings as they are
Offshore -- go to youtube.
hipshot
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by hipshot »

1. How do I know where the things I am seeing on my graph are in relation to my kayak? I know they are behind me but are they 20 feet behind me or 100 feet?

Assuming your transducer was mounted properly, the readings are directly beneath you. The transducer shoots a cone-shaped signal (your transducer will specify the angle) and your readout is virtually realtime.

2. What scroll speed should I be using?
3. What settings do I need to tweak in order to be sure what what I am looking at is fish and cover and not debris in the water column?


I'm not familiar with your particular unit. Leave it on the default automatic settings until you get used to it, then work from there.
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Kirk B.
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by Kirk B. »

NolanJWilliamson wrote:Hey guys ...
2. What scroll speed should I be using?
Think of the chart as a printer, what ever is closest to the printhead is what's directly under you. What shows up at the far edge of the screen is behind you. How far behind depends on how fast both you and the chart are moving.
I generally keep mine set in the middle of it's range. These things are designed for powered craft, and we move a lot slower, lol. Even the low setting would probably be acceptable.
A quick and easy test would be to drop a marker when something obvious comes on to the screen, like a weedmat or a shallow hump, then look back when it gets to the far edge of the screen to see how far you have gone. Mental adjustments for paddling speed shouuld keep you in the ballpark after that.


Anything you know will help or any resource you know of will be greatly helpful. Thanks!
Hope that helped!

Kirk B.
bockscar
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by bockscar »

This is what Im watching right now. There some parts about the side imaging you can prolly skip past...but so far I like what Im watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icrQYU8KqIY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I bought the exact same unit and was literally gonna post a thread like this too. I kinda get what Im looking at on the screen....but what I would like to know from more experienced anglers is how they utilize their electronics. I took mine out a couple weeks ago for the first time to a lake I had never fished before...but I got skunked. Conditions werent the best but I dont think I used the electronics properly either.

I had the depth finder in dual mode with downvu+2D as I was paddling...when I would see multiple things on the graph for a little stretch I would throw out my crankbait in a 360 and move on if no bites(this was on open and (<100ft) deeper water; things are a bit easier to understand shallower for me). Im guessing that instead of cranking I shouldve maybe dropped a drop shot or texas rig since the sonar is directly below me....but after circling and casting a bit, its a bit hard to remember the exact spot where the depth finder showed fish so maybe even a texas rig wouldnt work as good as it should.

So im wondering how you all go about on your approach when using the electronics. Do you find activity, circle around to confirm activity and just start casting at it? I just started looking at marker buoys...do you all find some activity and throw the buoy down at the spot and then cast at the buoy? Or do you put out a couple/few buoys and then cast in the general buoy area? Wont a marker buoy scare the fish in the spot away lol

Sorry to hijack...but I have a feeling we have a lot of the same questions. Im not sure if youre like me...but this is my very first experience with fishing electronics and I am a total noob with them.
bockscar
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Re: Learning to Use Sonar in a Kayak

Post by bockscar »

Cruisin_Cuda wrote:youtube will have more videos than you'll ever need :mrgreen:
I wasnt able to find many about our particular depth finder...but plenty of stuff like what I posted in my other reply.

The other thing I didnt have much luck finding...was how to use the electronics on the kayak. I found one of some british guy that was OK...but it was him explaining what the depth finder does. It wasnt much of how he utilizes the electronics, and how he apporaches the water with them. Thats what I wanna know...how do you all use them? Do you just paddle...stop when the graph lights up and just start junk fishing until you get tight lines? Or is there a more methodical and/or efficient approach to maximizing the use of the electronics. I know the yak isnt like a boat and things take more time...so i figure efficiency is key. I also wonder...do I use it as a "DEPTH" finder and go to spots I think are promising, find structure and just start casting? Or do I go to spots and just keep searching/spot hopping until I see the arches that are usually fish on the "FISH" finder and then start casting?

Super hijacking...let me know if im out of line OP. Just got the stuff fresh on my mind right now lol
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