Sonar Basics: How To Identify Fish (Bass, Panfish, and Baitfish)
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Ever wondered if you're really seeing fish? Which lines and marks are bass? Can you tell the difference between crappie, bluegill, white bass, etc? Which marks are fish and which ones are just stumps or rocks? Come along on the water in real time as we idle through creek channels and flats and identify the different fish we come across with our electronics.
Modern electronics give anglers an incredible advantage over the fish. Even with the most basic units you can now quickly identify active fish, even on a lake you're unfamiliar with. Of course nicer electronics offer increased sensitivity and functionality but none of that matters until you understand what you're seeing on the screen. Tim has spent countless hours behind the wheel analyzing fish positioning on structure and today he's giving you the quick basics you'll need to go out on the water and confidently locate fish on your own.
Below you'll find links to the Humminbird Solix 15 Tim was using in the video, along with a variety of other great units. We've included some of the best units from different brands but also some amazing "budget" options that will get you on the water, identifying fish with modern technology, without breaking the bank.
Tim's Electronics...
Main Unit- Humminbird Solix 15: bit.ly/35HuPRY
Secondary Unit- Humminbird Solix 12: bit.ly/364OviT
Top End Models From Other Brands...
Lowrance- HDS 16 LIVE: bit.ly/352Pp0d
Garmin- GPS Map 8616: bit.ly/2I61Zmv
Best Budget Models...
Humminbird- Helix 7 GPS G3: bit.ly/2SoFl8a
*We both use this unit on our fishing kayaks*
Lowrance- Hook Reveal 7: bit.ly/3k0b7pN
NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel...
TacticalBassin Hat: bit.ly/31EYB8W
TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: bit.ly/2TwBWs7
TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: bit.ly/2FVD9Rs
TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: bit.ly/2TvFMBD
TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: bit.ly/38cVi9G
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Equipment We Recommend...
Minn Kota Ultrex Trolling Motor: bit.ly/2vFQypW
Humminbird Solix 15 Electronics: bit.ly/35HuPRY
Minn Kota Talons: bit.ly/2F0QBSP
Hot Foot Throttle Control: bit.ly/2ob4kgO
Loc-R-Bar Boat Security: bit.ly/2CMF1NP
Favorite Storage Box: bit.ly/2fvjcFB
Favorite Pliers: bit.ly/2tfxFvw
Favorite Split Ring Pliers: bit.ly/2fT4Qw0
Favorite life jacket: bit.ly/2odXXIP
Favorite sunglasses: bit.ly/2glE3eN
Hero8 Camera: bit.ly/37hVTX4
ElectroSamson Scale: bit.ly/2f7QgQ9
Frabill Net: bit.ly/2FNdnQr
Lure Retriever: bit.ly/2TLTJc6
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If you plan to do any shopping, using our links before doing your shopping at Tackle Warehouse is the single greatest way to support us! You won't be able to even see a difference but they'll know you're one of us!
#bassfishing #sonar #fishfinder
🔥🔥Who thinks Tim does an incredible job explaining electronics ?? 🏆💪
Definitely
@@bigbadfishermanaustin3507 👊👊👍
💯
I do!
@@jameswolak8782 Amen brother 👊
Great job! No reflection, no fluff, just straight up in depth instruction
I’ve watched every electronics video on UA-cam and still appreciate the way you explain even just the “basic” videos. It’s nice to have an occasional refresher class.
This made so much more sense then some of the other videos I've seen. I definitely appreciate you guys doing this
Tim does a excellent job explaining everything about fishing
Love the electronic information videos. Would love to see you guys incorporate a detailed electronic/fishing video together. For example - you'll see something on graph that causes you to stop and fish or not. I often see you looking at graph on front of boat while fishing. Would love for you'll to explain what you are seeing that caused you to stop and start fishing an area or why you continue to fish area even when you may not be catching fish or why you may leave a particular area all based on what you are or not seeing on graph.
Man I just want to say thank y'all. Going through some really tough times right now, but every new video y'all put out allows me to escape and relax for awhile. Thank you so much
No, this was fine. The screen was readable the whole time. Thanks Tim.
Love the electronics videos. I would like to see a video on using the gps to navigate to a waypoint or to follow a creek channel or using it to plot a route to avoid stumps or to stay in the channel across a shallow flat.
These videos never get old. I always learn something new on this channel 💪
Tell me you started casting and some of those biggens after the vid!! Great job Tim love you guys I'm so addicted to fishing it's the best thing on planet earth.
Sonar was the unit in the budget. Feeling much better about being able to utilize it. Thanks for a great video!
I'd like to thank you for this video.I just got the Lowrance Hook Reveal 7 triple shot. This video gives me insight into what to look for with simple basics. Great job.
Tim Thank you, I just purchased my first Humminbird Helix 7 MDI G3. This was very informative, looking forward to using mine once I have it set up. Building a portable case setup so I can carry it to different jon boats we keep at different locations. Mapping ponds for a pond management program... Thank you again for sharing your knowledge.
How do you guys always know what videos I need??? Just yesterday i was getting frustrated because I would see fish on my graph and spin around and cast on em and I wouldn’t even get touched. Regardless of what bait I was throwing. Yal are awesome
Excellent tutorial. I learn from every electronics video. Crushed the stripers & hybrids Tuesday with my Solix 15 and a $2 spoon(Owner hook).
I love your videos all the way from Ontario. I need a video dedicated to Northern Ontario. Keep doing what you do, loving it.
Can you do a video on where the fish are in relation to the boat? Once you see the fish or hump on the graph, how do you case to that location? Thanks!
I don't own a humminbird but I'm sure it's similar to my Lowrance units. I just touch the spot on the screen where I see the fish or hump that I want to mark, select create a waypoint and save it. Then go to the "Charts/Map" feature and you will see the way point you created. Then just drive or trolling motor back to the way point you just created. There are tons of little icons when you are creating a way point to select rocks, schools of fish, a single fish, weeds or whatever. I have my console and bow units networked so when I can create a way point from the console while driving I can then go up to the trolling motor and I can see the way point I created from my console on my bow unit. And just to clarify, you need to own "touch screen units" to mark spots like I just described. You can do it with non touch screen units that are networked you just have to use the directional arrows to move your cursor to the spot you want to create a way point at and save it that way. I have a "Range" feature on my lowrance units so I can tell how close/far I am away from the waypoint in feet which tells me how far I need to cast to the waypoint I created. Puts you within a few feet of what you marked. It's really amazing. So you need to have a fish finder that has Charts/Maps, GPS and Waypoint capabilities to do this. Touch screens make this very fast and simple to do and it can be done in seconds.
ME TOO! That's my biggest problem when interpreting what I see on my Lowrance!
You need to understand the "cone of coverage" for each sonar system. 2D sonar is like a flashlight shinning on the bottom with the transducer in the center of the coverage. What this means is the target can be in front of, behind or to either side of the transducer. The colors displayed will indicate how close to the "center" of the cone the target is or if a larger fish is returning a stronger signal. DI has a cone of coverage like 2D just flattened for and aft but the target can still be left/right or a little forward or aft. SI gives you left and right direction and a better location in relation to the boat than 2D or DI.
@@dbender3644 wow, thank you for your response. All the videos I’ve watch and the never mentioned this in that much detail. They just say make a way point and never explain what it is or how to fish it. Thank you!
@@sonar5676 thanks for that. I’ve always wonder when I see some kayak fisherman look at their graph and then cast forward. I always thought it was behind them.
I think you just set up for the follow-up video to this. While I understand this was sort of a "Fish Finder" 101, some guys new to them MAY have more questions, pertaining to this video.
You mention "This is a school of White Bass", versus "This is a Bass". Well, what in your mind tells you those are those species? Why don't you think their Crappie, or Bluegill, as opposed to White Bass? How do you know that's a lone Bass?
You pointed out the bottom, at one point, but there were some instances of double returns. That return might confuse some, on what they are looking at.
Not complaining, just playing devil's advocate, and noting some things that could be in the minds of lesser versed users. Keep the videos flowing, and thank you for helping us fellow anglers, continually!
Thanks for these electronic videos Tim....using the old adage "I'm looking - but I'm not seeing". Looking at the electronics, seeing the structure & fish, then putting all that information together so that you understand what you are seeing..... I've never been able to get to the understanding part! 😜
Gotta put more time in on the water and leave the fishing stuff at home..
A very long winded "thank you".
Incredible job Tim!!!! Thank you so much for your time and love for fishing
Restoring factory defaults does not delete your nav data. Arches are created as a fish moves closer to the center of the cone of coverage. Colors displayed with the colors changing are based upon the strength of the signal returned to the unit. Good basics guys!
Very informational video. I never know what I’m looking at on the fish finder so this helps a lot!
Great video, Tim. a cool tip i learned from my uncle, maybe you know it already, maybe not... you can tell the direction a school is swimming based on which side of the arc is longer. As they move through the beam the back side of the fish will be longer, so if you are floating or moving slow, you know to cast a little further in front of them to present your bait.
Thank you for another excellent video on graphing below surface. Although I have only an Elite Ti on my kayak , the video will help me identify fish better on my future trips.
Thanks for this guys! I really needed it! Always making my fishing experience better. 🙌🏾👏🏽
This as a live feed would be EPIC!!!
As usual another great video and we appreciate you guys too.
I never used a fish finder except for depth. I now have a elite7 and plan on using it to mark with. Thanks for explaining this
That was awesome 👌 👏 😎 I like the side and down view because it seems cleaner but that really helps explain the most basic unit so I get it. Totally cool video explaining basic 2d sonar for sure 👍 I remember my dad using a flasher and a humminbird that printed on paper. Electronics are so much better today.
Great overview. Thanks
Hey guys, I hope you’re enjoying Tennessee, I’m gonna be out there January 1-7. I’ll be staying at my buddies house in McMinnville. That said, I have a great affinity for Center Hill & Tim’s Ford lakes and I’d absolutely love to see a video on winter (cold ) water smallmouth fishing. I live in So Cal so my smallmouth game is mediocre at best! I’ll look through my TB archives but it would be nice to see an upgraded video on winter smallmouth fishing... cheers fellas!
Awesome vid! Now all I need is the electronics and boat! Lol
Awesome video! Explained everything very well.
Great explanations. Thanks Tim.
Thanks Tim, this was a very helpful video.
Can you please explain the orientation of the display for me? From what I can see it looks like the far right of the display is what's currently directly underneath the transducer and everything to the left is what you have passed, so a fish on the far left of the display would be pretty far behind you. Does this mean that if the fish finder lights up a fish and displays it on the far right of the display you would have to drop the bait directly below you and as it scrolls farther to the left on the display you would have to either go to the back of the boat and cast out to where you were or turn the boat around and reposition?
I also noticed a couple of times such as in the thumbnail of this video when there were big humps in the terrain colored red there would be secondary humps under them with a gap between the main red hump and the secondary one. What's going on with that?
Thanks again, your videos are extremely helpful and are definitely improving my fishing!
Awesome as always Tim!
Wow much needed. Thanks guys!
Great video helped me a lot on my solix 12
Good video topic. Thx for basic training. We have to start sometime.. More videos of learning electronics would be great! ie side imaging , down imaging etc. Thk U.
Great video Tim. Can you do a 360 mega imaging sometime or have I missed one that you did.
What's the minimum depth you and Matt will set over the top of largemouth and vertical jig to keep from spooking them in 3' to 4' water visibility?
Thanks I definitely needed this clarification. I have a hummingbird unit on a pelican bass raider so im really trying to dial it in
Thanks so much for this video! Taught me a lot.
I learned a lot thank you 😊 🙏
Thanks for the video I have a lowrance 7 gen1 nice video
I'm a kayak fisherman with 2d sonar mounted on my yak. this video is very helpful. You said the fish on the bottom are more able to be caught. The lake I fish is very deep 120ft is the deepest ive seen. how do you target the suspended fish?
Good intro for beginners. But a couple things definitely needed more clarification. The actual difference between the sonar profile of a white bass vs a yellow or perhaps a crappie. Same for a bottom profiled bass vs a catfish or carp or drum on the bottom. How would a bass show any different from a pike or pickeral on the bottom? What would be the differences from schooling crappie vs bluegill or actual bait fish such as shad based on sonar profiles?
Thanks bud for that video. Now I am going to have to get one for the kayak.
What one are you gonna get? I have the hummingbird piranhamax 4 and uts pretty good
I also have the piranha max. It's decent. Thinking about getting a Lowrance reveal 5 triple shot for my yak. I have a hook 7 on my jon boat with down imaging.
@@tophervogt5042 don't know yet. I don't know to much about them I'll have to do some homework on them. Which one do reccomend?
awesome video! thanks for showing this.
Very good video and information. On your screen the bottom appears red with yellow blends below. Is the red due to the hard bottom? Just to help me clarify, if bigger fish are laying on or very near the bottom will their image primarily be red? Would smaller fish like Bluegills or white perch images reflect a red, yellow or green color? At this time, I'm fishing a lot with a dropshot and a worm for Bluegills, white perch or whatever might bite with the purpose of keeping it simple for my wife and young grandson.
new big water fisherman here. mostly fished from the bank or waded creeks. is there a video that y'all have to show how to fish the ledges and such after you locate them with the electronics? thank y'all for great videos
Please do more of these. I spent all summer graphing finding what I think are bass but I’ve been completely unsuccessful catching schooling fish. I know I’m not far off and this video does help but once you find them what does it take to catch them? Am I truly finding bass?
I have a pretty budget unit a Raymarine Dragonfly, and I can't find any good info on them, but this at least helps me with the basics. Thank you
Just a suggestion for a future video, how to identify bottom composition. I.E. difference between hard bottom, mud, rock, gravel, etc. Great video as always!!
Hard and muck is easy. Hard bottom returns as red using the color palate in the video, a muck or softer bottom will return yellow, green. This is because the signal has a harder time bouncing off the softer bottom giving a weaker read.
Thanks , Tim that was VERY lHelpful. I have VERY, CEDAR stained water here in eastern NC. Even the ponds are stained. I just bought one of those ball looking portable finder
For ponds and rivers and this will set me up to really not waste a lot of time in ‘dead spots’. You and Matt both are natural teachers. Welvome to the south boys!!🎣🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣
Good stuff Tim! 💯
I’d like to know when you see a fish on the finder where do you know where to throw or fish exactly?
They touch the spot on their screen where the fish is and create a waypoint. That waypoint shows up on their "charts" feature which has a range on it that tells them the distance it is away from their boat. Waypoints and GPS is your friend. Learn to use them and it will make your life easier. You can mark any spot on the screen for 2D sonar, side scan or down scan and that spot shows up on your Chart/Map feature on the unit. Then you just go back to that waypoint.
Great great video !!!!!! Thank you
Great video
Great video, how about a video that shows how you actually use your electronics. I'm sure alot of your viewers have fish finders that have downscan, side imaging and 2 d sonar.
They have a bunch of videos on exactly what you just said. Just look in their list of videos. They do an awesome job of explaining everything and I've learned a ton from these guys.
Not sure but have you ever done a video on the different types of bottom and how to tell the difference between on your fish finder?
So are these fish directly under the boat when on the screen or already past them? Just wondering where to throw a line to catch ones that show up...thx
Everything you see on the screen is in the past. So, you'd have to spin around or fish off the back of the boat.
do you think it would be possible for you to use google maps and map out where youre driving the boat in the video, and time it along with the graph, so we can see in real time on a google maps image of you trolling over certain spots? it would be really neat to see how you map out creek channels and coves with steep drop offs, and where those drop offs would be.
Great info thx Tim.
Its a great video and great explanation and you did a great job, but without being able to get out and experience it in person with a experienced person i'd be scared of chasing ghost all day. I do that for free. Lol thanks for as much information as you can give though.
What, if any, experience do you guys have with the Garmin Striker 4 electronics? Looking to run some electronics on my little aluminum boat? These units seem to have decent reviews and options.
Ok awesome video but now how do you fish them. Do you cast troll use a bobber
Thank you
Tim I know this is older. Maybe a dumb question from a brand new boat owner but exactly where in the boat do you cast at these arches do you cast off the back off the front? I’m brand new lol
when you put your units in do you wire each one directly to the battery with 8 or 10 gauge wire . Is it better to hook them up to a terminal block with a breaker .
Nice video! Id love to see one where you idle over a spot showing us the fish then show us how you fish for them. Drop a crappie bouy etc and then fish the area
Fish finders are advanced enough today there is no need to drop buoys to mark fish to fish an area. They create a way point on their fish finder that shows up on their "charts" feature which has a range on it that tells them the distance it is away from their boat. Waypoints and GPS is your friend. Learn to use them and it will make your life easier.
@@dbender3644 Thanks! I'm just getting into using fish finders so I def have a lot to learn still
@@denning12591 The units now a days are so advanced it's mind boggling. Honestly, I wish they'd make a tournament circuit where all anglers could use are depth finders like the old school red light flashers, no fish finders! My brother just bought 1 fish finder for his new Ranger and spent over 4k on 1 unit and that isn't the most expensive unit out there.
Thank you
Tim I still have a problem understanding where the fish are in relationship to where the boat is at the time. You are traveling at 4 mph but you can see the fish on the screen a long time after you would passed a spot that is showing fish! Can you give me some pointers on this subject!
I have learned so much from your and Matt’s videos and want to thank y’all.
great question.. my issue as well. when a fish is sighted at the far right you are in motion. any rule of thumb to estimate how far you are from the fish? is the scale on the vertical side equal to the horizontal?
Do you use an in hull transducer for running fast just bought a solix gen 2 today and not sure if I should also run one with a y splitter
So how do I know where those fish are in once they show up on my screen in relation to my boat position. I have a kayak with my transducer up front.
That’s cool bro, thanks 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
This is great
Thanks Tim!
Question, do you keep your electronics on all the time or switch off time to time to be sneaky?
Love to see some livescope videos if yall can get ahold of one
Great Info!! As Always!! haha
great video !!!
Thank you soooooooo much for this vid
Great job with the camera and eliminating glare, this video is money. And my only electronics are my ice fishing flasher 😝
Good lesson, but I find it more useful to see the full picture with down and side scan included.
Wish I had a solix 15 lol, I have 2 helix 9s MSI with mega 360 up front.
bout to go to ray roberts, hopefully these tips will do me some good.
I have a quick unrelated question about hook replacement on the LV500. I have the ST56 size 4 to put on it but do I put size 4 on front and back? The back is regularly a size 6...
Thanks I need that lesson
yall have kayaks too? Please make some kayak fishing videos!!!!!
How does depth alone make a difference without the boat moving?
Any specific reason you like Hummingbird over Garmin/Raymarine/etc?
If your transducer is on the back of the boat how you know where to cast your lures
HI Guys, Great Video...yet again.... Newbie to electronics. Question; On bodies of water with more waves, in the 2'-3' range, is there any setting that can reduce the amount of up and down the sonar reads? I know this sounds like a dumb question but I find it very difficult to read my electronics in rough water. Thanks!!!!
I believe its noise reduction setting. I'm new too.
@@dougp8345 thx D P
At 12:34, what's that secondary hump?
You are awesome
Can you guys try the segaur gold label???
I would have stopped immediately, shut off the camera, and started fishing for white bass. 😂
So a question I have is i know that is 2D but if you were to cast and try to catch those fish would you cast behind the boat since that's where your transducer is? Or would you pick apart the area there?
You'd have to spin boat around. Everything you see is stuff you've driven over plus remember you're moving at a speed. So you'd have to back track. Best thing to do is save a waypoint, that way you can aim at it before you drive back over it.
@@dougp8345 ah thank you
how do you know where to cast to?