05-02-2004, 06:20 PM
[cool][blue][size 1]The more I think about it the more I suspect that a bit of tweaking on the sensitivity and scroll speed should solve the problem. The default settings are probably established with the assumption that the average unit is going to be installed on a boat, and that the boat is going to be fishing deep water or going at some speed beyond what a pair of fins can do. Paddling around on Blue Lake is different than hunting macks at the Gorge.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]As I recall, it took me a bit more foolin' around with the settings on the Cuda to get it right than some of the simpler earlier models.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]What I try to suggest to anyone getting a system for floatation fishing is to consider that they will be fishing shallow water (under 25 feet) most of the time. Therefore, the system should operate well at those depths. And, as with the Cuda, there should be adjustability on the scroll speed. A high speed is useful when doing a "search mission" in a boat, but is pretty much useless on a tube. So is a water speed indicator.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]In the final analysis, as I have stated often before, the real value of a good sonar is more in being able to determine depth, bottom structure and composition...grey line. Unless you fish straight down, 100% of the time, the fish location is important only in helping you determine a fish holding area and at what depth the fish are cruising or holding. Of course, when you find a school of fish holding tight to a well defined bit of structure, you can use the sonar to keep you positioned over them for a vertical presentation.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The way the big boys use sonar is to find fishy structure and then they toss out marker buoys for visual reference...not right on top of the fish. Then they back off and position the boat (or tube) to allow easy and efficient casts to the fish.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If you don't have marker buoys, or a GPS system, you need to be good at triangulation...lining up objects on the shoreline in two different directions. I used to have my favorite spots on Pineview that I could find quickly, and in the days before I had sonar on my craft, I became pretty good at using the non technical methods of locating my honey holes.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]My gameplan is usually to fish a range of different depths and techniques, until I find the pattern. Then, I concentrate on keeping myself in the right depth range to maximize my efficiency. You can't catch them where they ain't. But, if you are fishing consistently in the right depths, over the right kind of bottom, you increase your odds. In truth, I catch a lot of fish that I never saw on my screen at all, but I was fishing in the right zone and intercepted the fish in the right place.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Good luck on fine-tuning your Cuda. Better luck on your next trip anyway.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][size 1]As I recall, it took me a bit more foolin' around with the settings on the Cuda to get it right than some of the simpler earlier models.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]What I try to suggest to anyone getting a system for floatation fishing is to consider that they will be fishing shallow water (under 25 feet) most of the time. Therefore, the system should operate well at those depths. And, as with the Cuda, there should be adjustability on the scroll speed. A high speed is useful when doing a "search mission" in a boat, but is pretty much useless on a tube. So is a water speed indicator.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]In the final analysis, as I have stated often before, the real value of a good sonar is more in being able to determine depth, bottom structure and composition...grey line. Unless you fish straight down, 100% of the time, the fish location is important only in helping you determine a fish holding area and at what depth the fish are cruising or holding. Of course, when you find a school of fish holding tight to a well defined bit of structure, you can use the sonar to keep you positioned over them for a vertical presentation.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]The way the big boys use sonar is to find fishy structure and then they toss out marker buoys for visual reference...not right on top of the fish. Then they back off and position the boat (or tube) to allow easy and efficient casts to the fish.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]If you don't have marker buoys, or a GPS system, you need to be good at triangulation...lining up objects on the shoreline in two different directions. I used to have my favorite spots on Pineview that I could find quickly, and in the days before I had sonar on my craft, I became pretty good at using the non technical methods of locating my honey holes.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]My gameplan is usually to fish a range of different depths and techniques, until I find the pattern. Then, I concentrate on keeping myself in the right depth range to maximize my efficiency. You can't catch them where they ain't. But, if you are fishing consistently in the right depths, over the right kind of bottom, you increase your odds. In truth, I catch a lot of fish that I never saw on my screen at all, but I was fishing in the right zone and intercepted the fish in the right place.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Good luck on fine-tuning your Cuda. Better luck on your next trip anyway.[/size][/#0000ff]
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