Lowrance Fish Finder?

[flytuber4]

Hey guys, im looking at fish finders for a ride 115. Wondering what everyones preferance is out of the lowrance line up. I kinda like this DSI thing but is that to much for just a kayak? Was also wondering if the Mark 5x DSI has different screen modes so you have the choice between actual structure, the kind with the little boomerangs, and the other one where it shows a little fish on the screen. My terminology on fish finders is obvi poor as you can see. I usualy just cast out and hope there is a fish there. Seems to work alot haha. Fished every day in january and caught easy 50+ fish a week (5-6 hours a day if that). So anyway, thats the question. Which fish finder?

Thanks

[Jimmyz123]

I have a Lowrance Mark 5X right now until my buddy is ready to give up his HDS 5. Learning how to dial in the FF is key to knowing what you are looking at. The boomeranges that you are speaking of, or arches is the fish finder setup without the FISH ID turned on. If you have the fish ID turned on then it will give you pictures of little fish. Most turn this feature off because it can and does limit what you are seeing. The arches you see are fish. Cabela's had the Mark 5X FF for $85 about a month ago and I bought one. I figure when my buddy is ready to give up the HDS 5 I'll have a back up system for taking on rental boats on lakes and such.

You can spend an arm and a leg on a unit but ask yourself where you will be fishing mostly and determine if you will need to spend $400 or more on a unit. Keep in mind though Bass Pro Shops offers 6 month pay options and that makes it a lot easier to get a more pricy system.

[Cbad Mike]

Just a little FYI

WhenI was learning how to set up my Cuda 350 I kept looking but wasnt seeing the fish arches (boomer rangs as called above). I tried numerous times on outings to dial the fish finder in correctly to be able to see them.
Frustrated, I went back to the manual and read it all again. One short sentence in all 89 pages said something like "you wont see the arches unless you are moving at atleast a certain speed". This, the manual said was due to how the sonar bounces off of the fish when it enters the sonar cone.

So basically if your not moving or just slowly drifting you will see the straight lines that I saw instead of the arches that I was looking for.
Once I learned that, I was able to see and understand better what was going on beneath me.

Im only familiar with my Cuda and dont know if its like that on all or most fish finders.

Anyway, if it IS like mine I hope I just saved you hours of wasted time trying to dial the finder in to see the arches.

Mike

[driftwood]

Originally Posted by Cbad Mike

Just a little FYI

WhenI was learning how to set up my Cuda 350 I kept looking but wasnt seeing the fish arches (boomer rangs as called above). I tried numerous times on outings to dial the fish finder in correctly to be able to see them.
Frustrated, I went back to the manual and read it all again. One short sentence in all 89 pages said something like "you wont see the arches unless you are moving at atleast a certain speed". This, the manual said was due to how the sonar bounces off of the fish when it enters the sonar cone.

So basically if your not moving or just slowly drifting you will see the straight lines that I saw instead of the arches that I was looking for.
Once I learned that, I was able to see and understand better what was going on beneath me.

Im only familiar with my Cuda and dont know if its like that on all or most fish finders.

Anyway, if it IS like mine I hope I just saved you hours of wasted time trying to dial the finder in to see the arches.

Mike

1.The sensitivity control is the most important control on your fishfinder. learn how to use it....learn the hell out of it! This will help you see your lure on the screen as it goes down.

2. Increase the chart speed. If your on a kayak, you want your speed ultra fast. If your on a boat going fast, you want your chart speed slower.

3. Always have the correct depth as you move deeper and deeper.
And turn off suppressor features. All this should make your marks on your FF more defined.