How to Use a Lowrance Fishfinder

Lowrance Fishfinders, in production since 1957, use SONAR technology (SOund, NAvigation and Ranging) to locate fish. Carl Lowrance was inspired to start creating Fishfinders when he realized, from his studies during SCUBA diving, that fish are only congregated in 10 percent of the water in lakes. Currently, Lowrance makes many different models of Fishfinder.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Setup

Things You’ll Need:

Lowrance Fishfinder
Boat

Step 1

Mount the transducer in an area of the boat where it won't be subject to air bubbles caused by cavitation or the rivets in the boat. Air bubbles will cause noise in the reception, making it impossible to use the unit to find fish. This may mean you need to mount the transducer housing further down in the water or on a different part of the boat where the engine won't cause turbulence.

Mount the display unit itself on the boat near where you will be fishing from, so that you can see the unit while fishing.

Step 2

Drive your boat to an area where you want to fish. Leave the boat running and idle around the area, and turn on your Lowrance Fishfinder. The display will initially show water depth in the top left corner, and the line at the top will be the surface of the water. The depth will automatically change as the unit goes over deeper or shallower water.

Step 3

Activate the Advanced Fish Symbol I.D. by pressing the button on the unit. This automated mode will interpret the returning SONAR signals, showing you displays of what it thinks are fish in the water.

Step 4

Adjust the sensitivity of the unit to your desired readout. In automatic mode, the sensitivity is set to give a readout of the bottom while showing fish and other items, such as weeds. Higher sensitivity can give better readout of fish and other objects in the water, but can also lead to a more difficult-to-read display.

Step 5

Activate Advanced Signal Processing of the unit. This sets the sensitivity high enough to have the Lowrance GRAYLINE feature, which paints stronger readings, such as the bottom, with a solid gray line, while still giving fish readouts. GRAYLINE readings can also be adjusted to personal preference.

Step 6

Adjust the zoom to a higher range. Doing this will enhance the echoes on your display, giving you a much clearer readout on what is underneath you.

Tips & Warnings

As you get better at using your Fishfinder, you will find you don't need to use the Advanced Fish Symbol I.D., and instead will prefer to read the fish as an arch on your screen. Adjusting the chart speed will also help get a better reading. With a faster chart speed, you will have more defined arches.

Article Written By Candace Horgan

Candace Horgan has worked as a freelance journalist for more than 12 years. Her work has appeared in various print and online publications, including the "Denver Post" and "Mix." Horgan holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and history.

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