By Aaron Koenigsberg
Sonar is a technology first used during the Second World War. It works by sending out waves of sound, initially very narrow at the source, and measuring the time it takes for the echo to return. All fish finders make use of sonar technology, measuring subtle differences in the sound waves caused by their hitting objects of differing densities to create an image of the water beneath the boat.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Things You'll Need:
- Fish Finder
Boat
- Fish Finder
- Boat
Step 1
Turn on the fish finder. Most fish finders will have preprogrammed settings, and you'll want to familiarize yourself with them; this is best done by reading the manual. One thing particularly helpful for new users is to turn off the fish ID or fish icon since it can be confusing.
Step 2
A color fish finder is slightly easier to read, particularly during the day. The color fish finder has three different colors: red, yellow and blue. Blue represents the water underneath the boat. Red is any dense object under the boat and yellow is any object of less density than ones represented by red.
Step 3
Interpret the colors. Red arches in the blue indicate fish movement and balls of red often represent balls of bait.
Step 4
If you are using a black and white fish finder, the top and bottom of the water will be shown and arches of movement will be visible. The monochrome fish finders are, however, much more difficult for new users to read than the color version.
Step 5
Play with your settings. The more familiar you become with reading the fish finder, the more comfortable you'll be with adjusting the resolutions and target separation settings.
About the Author:
Aaron Koenigsberg is a graduate of The George Washington University with a degree in economics. He primarily contributes articles on his areas of expertise, video games and math, but also branches out into areas of interest such as science and cooking. He has published mainly on eHow and has been writing since 2009.
