07-29-2003, 10:18 PM
[cool]Hey, Leaky, not a dumb question at all. How do you describe the taste of salt to someone who has never tasted salt? Until one has had the opportunity to work with several different kinds of sonar, and learn how to read them, there are lots of unanswered questions.
The "high end" units, with more peak to peak watts and mega pixels and all that stuff can do a better job of distinguishing both bottom composition and fish sizes. But, for tubin', much of the refinements are not as necessary and you definitely don't want the battery sucking power. The hundred dollar models made by Eagle are plenty for most tubin' applications.
Sonar snobs laugh at the little fishy cartoons (icons) on the lower end displays. They are right in that they claim the inverted V readings are more accurate for true sizing, and for differentiating between fish and tree limbs, or other non-fish targets. But, again, for setting up for vertical presentations to relatively shallow fishies...like perch, smallies and wallies...the "cartoons" get the job done.
I have been testing the Cuda 168 for a couple of months, and have found it to be entirely adequate. It displays fish icons of 4 different sizes...from about 3" size fry to large fish...over about 14". By having some idea of the species in the area, and the habits of the target species, you can often make educated guesses as to what is below you. For example, a large group of the smallest icons would probably tell you that there is a school of small perch hanging together. More sparsely associated fish symbols, in the next largest size, would be small perch...up to about 6 inches...or young smallmouths, etc. They hang in the same area, but not as tightly bunched. The next to largest size icons are what I look for when I am targeting jumbo perch, white bass, large bluegills, small crappies, etc. Sometimes they will be closely grouped near bottom and you can work them over from above. The largest icons are usually bigger smallies, walleyes, largemouth, trout, carp or any other fish over about 1 to 1.5 pounds. If you find these near schools of the bitty fishies, you probably have a predator and prey situation. If you find the bigger fish symbols scattered, away from bait, they may not be actively feeding.
If you find larger fish suspended well above the bottom, they are often just suspended in the thermocline and not actively feeding. Two noticeable differences would be trout and wipers. Trout often cruise at a certain level, based on temperature and oxygen, and will rise slightly to hit jigged or retrieved lures. Wipers also tend to stratify at the level their forage species has chosen to swim for that day...occasionally herding schools of the shad to the surface.
As most experienced sonar users will agree, the electronics are invaluable in letting you know the depth and the contour of the bottom...and in locating fish symbols. However, they do nothing to help you to catch the fish. In fact, the opposite is often true. They let you know you are fishing where the fish are and only make you more frustrated when you can' get them to yawn. If you didn't know they were there, you wouldn't feel nearly so badly about not catching them.
The flip side of that is that you can't catch 'em where they ain't. When you find fish below you, it helps you fish the right depth...with more confidence. There are countless trips in which I have had to work hard to find the fish and then even harder to find a pattern to get them to bite. But, at the end of the day, I had caught enough fish to put a
on my kisser, while a whole lot of other folks in the area glared at me, because they had not caught any fish.
I have gone through a procession of different types of sonar systems. I started with an old Humminbird flasher...hooked up to two 6 volt lantern batteries wired in series (to make a 12 volt). I now use the lightweight Cuda with a small, powerful 12 volt gel cell battery that powers my small sonar all day between charges. I can fake it somewhat when fishing shallow, in lakes I know well, but I would feel handicapped indeed if I had to fish without my sonar on new waters.
If anyone questions whether electronics can make a difference in your overall experience in a float tube, ask Xman. I finally got him converted and he wouldn't leave home without it. I enjoy his posts which include references to the depths, contours and fish holding levels. He is dang near a gradiate now.
P.S. If you can find an outlet where they sell the Cudas, they will usually have one hooked up to demo. There is a demo mode in which you can play with the settings and see the effects on a simulated fishing situation...with the fishy icons moving across the screen. It is a great way to get a feel for a system without having to buy one and go fishing with it.
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The "high end" units, with more peak to peak watts and mega pixels and all that stuff can do a better job of distinguishing both bottom composition and fish sizes. But, for tubin', much of the refinements are not as necessary and you definitely don't want the battery sucking power. The hundred dollar models made by Eagle are plenty for most tubin' applications.
Sonar snobs laugh at the little fishy cartoons (icons) on the lower end displays. They are right in that they claim the inverted V readings are more accurate for true sizing, and for differentiating between fish and tree limbs, or other non-fish targets. But, again, for setting up for vertical presentations to relatively shallow fishies...like perch, smallies and wallies...the "cartoons" get the job done.
I have been testing the Cuda 168 for a couple of months, and have found it to be entirely adequate. It displays fish icons of 4 different sizes...from about 3" size fry to large fish...over about 14". By having some idea of the species in the area, and the habits of the target species, you can often make educated guesses as to what is below you. For example, a large group of the smallest icons would probably tell you that there is a school of small perch hanging together. More sparsely associated fish symbols, in the next largest size, would be small perch...up to about 6 inches...or young smallmouths, etc. They hang in the same area, but not as tightly bunched. The next to largest size icons are what I look for when I am targeting jumbo perch, white bass, large bluegills, small crappies, etc. Sometimes they will be closely grouped near bottom and you can work them over from above. The largest icons are usually bigger smallies, walleyes, largemouth, trout, carp or any other fish over about 1 to 1.5 pounds. If you find these near schools of the bitty fishies, you probably have a predator and prey situation. If you find the bigger fish symbols scattered, away from bait, they may not be actively feeding.
If you find larger fish suspended well above the bottom, they are often just suspended in the thermocline and not actively feeding. Two noticeable differences would be trout and wipers. Trout often cruise at a certain level, based on temperature and oxygen, and will rise slightly to hit jigged or retrieved lures. Wipers also tend to stratify at the level their forage species has chosen to swim for that day...occasionally herding schools of the shad to the surface.
As most experienced sonar users will agree, the electronics are invaluable in letting you know the depth and the contour of the bottom...and in locating fish symbols. However, they do nothing to help you to catch the fish. In fact, the opposite is often true. They let you know you are fishing where the fish are and only make you more frustrated when you can' get them to yawn. If you didn't know they were there, you wouldn't feel nearly so badly about not catching them.
The flip side of that is that you can't catch 'em where they ain't. When you find fish below you, it helps you fish the right depth...with more confidence. There are countless trips in which I have had to work hard to find the fish and then even harder to find a pattern to get them to bite. But, at the end of the day, I had caught enough fish to put a
on my kisser, while a whole lot of other folks in the area glared at me, because they had not caught any fish. I have gone through a procession of different types of sonar systems. I started with an old Humminbird flasher...hooked up to two 6 volt lantern batteries wired in series (to make a 12 volt). I now use the lightweight Cuda with a small, powerful 12 volt gel cell battery that powers my small sonar all day between charges. I can fake it somewhat when fishing shallow, in lakes I know well, but I would feel handicapped indeed if I had to fish without my sonar on new waters.
If anyone questions whether electronics can make a difference in your overall experience in a float tube, ask Xman. I finally got him converted and he wouldn't leave home without it. I enjoy his posts which include references to the depths, contours and fish holding levels. He is dang near a gradiate now.
P.S. If you can find an outlet where they sell the Cudas, they will usually have one hooked up to demo. There is a demo mode in which you can play with the settings and see the effects on a simulated fishing situation...with the fishy icons moving across the screen. It is a great way to get a feel for a system without having to buy one and go fishing with it.
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