So, you just got your brand new fish finder and you can’t wait to try it out on your fishing trip.

It’s certainly good to be excited, but don’t forget that it’s important to prepare ahead so you can make the most of your new tool (toy).

Below, is a step-by-step guide for the best practices in setting up and using your fish finder.

1. Read The User’s Manual

Yes, not all of us like to read, but it’s a necessary step. Keep in mind that today’s user manuals are generally not that long and will only be a few minutes of reading.

Familiarize yourself with how to set up and program the fish finder, how to mount it, and how to read the data. If necessary, you can also search online for forums, communities and reviews for more clarity about certain issues.

2. Mounting The Fish Finder

Again, refer to the user’s manual on the recommended placement to mount the finder—and how to mount it—. Different fish finders might require different mounting process and placement.

Also, depending on the model, you might also need to mount the display unit beside the transducer. Refer to our transducer mount section below for more information

3. Setting Up The Fish Finder

When you turn on the fish finder, all models will start with the automatic mode, operating on pre-programmed settings. If you want, you can switch it to the manual mode to customize the finder according to your preferences and needs.

However, it’s better to leave it on automatic mode first and “test-drive” the system on the water to get the basic idea of the visual data presentation, clarity of the detection, whether it’s mounted properly, etc. Make your adjustments after you’ve got a grasp of its behaviour.

4. Make The Necessary Adjustments

The automatic mode, in essence, is allowing the sonar unit to automatically set the sensitivity (power output). It might or might not be effective according to your preferences, and this is how a manual adjustment can help you.

Here are the steps you can follow to make a proper manual adjustment:

Bring your boat to a depth above 20 feet. It is best not to make manual adjustments in shallow water, since the cone angle will be smaller in lower depths. If you commonly fish in deep water, bring your boat to a depth you commonly fish in.

Turn of the auto-sensitivity feature, switch to manual mode, depending on your model. Make sure all automatic features are off, including fish ID if the finder has the feature.

Now, manually adjust the range of the fish finder to more than twice the actual depth. For example, if you are in 30 feet of water, adjust the range to 65 or 70 feet ( 60 feet will not work). If the model allows, you can set the depth to three times or more, it will work just as well.

the actual depth. For example, if you are in 30 feet of water, adjust the range to 65 or 70 feet ( If the model allows, you can set the depth to three times or more, it will work just as well. Adjust gain or sensitivity until you can only see a faint echo from twice your actual depth. For example if your depth is 30ft, you will see this echo at 60ft. This is called the second echo, that when present, indicates that optimal echo signal is received by the transducer. If your sensitivity is too high, this signal will be distorted. Make your adjustment until you get this second echo.

that when present, indicates that optimal echo signal is received by the transducer. If your sensitivity is too high, this signal will be distorted. Make your adjustment until you get this second echo. Re-adjust the range to the actual depth, or you can turn on the auto-range/auto depth feature. In general, avoid using auto-sensitivity feature (unless it’s an advanced model with really good auto-sensitivity feature) and fish ID (we will discuss more about fish ID below).

The following factors can affect the sonar’s sensitivity:

Water depth Water temperature and density Clarity Salinity Boat speed: less sensitivity is required when the boat is moving at a slower speed.

5. Fish ID Setting

The Fish ID feature will allow us to identify fish automatically, which is ideal if this is your first fish finder or a complete fishing beginner, or when you are just figuring out a brand new finder.

However, after you’ve adjusted to the fish finder’s display interface, it is better to turn it off. By turning the fish ID off, you can get a better view of what’s actually going on underneath the waves.

6. Using Auto Range/Auto Depth

The auto depth feature, as the name suggests, will automatically track the depth of the water, so you can get an accurate information of how far down it is. In most cases, it’s best to leave the auto range feature on, but you can make some adjustments.

For example, you can hide the first few feet and just above the true bottom. This can be useful if you know the fish is not on these depths, and so the sonar can set its sight on the depth that matters.

7. Reading Depth Cursor

The depth cursor is a line that goes across the display screen, and will provide information on how far down the fish actually is. This will provide you with an easier time to determine where to put your bait, and how deep. The depth cursor will constantly move up and down the fish, according to the fish’s current position.

8. Adjusting Suppressor Setting

Generally, you don’t want to keep the suppressor on at all times, since it can block the sonar sound waves.

Suppressor, however, can be useful to block out the background noises when your boat is moving at a relatively high speed.

If your transducer is installed correctly, usually the suppressor setting will be automatic and will perform correctly. However, you can make manual adjustments when necessary.