Helix 5 Si Gps settings for Craippie

Hello guys,

I'm a rookie on crappie fishing and yes I mainly fish for Crappie during the spawn and bream after. I really want to start trolling and fish for crappie year around. I fish an private Oxbow lake in MS and to me it's a hard lake to fish not being real deep, maybe 12 at deepest. I bought the Helix 5 where I could look under docks and try to find the fish better. I really don't know much about the units so it there a setting to better find crappie or small fish in side view. Just looking for any pointers that you may have. I'm going to try and spider fish this year also and it will be another learning adventure. So anyone in the Vicksburg area want to go one day please let me know, I can use all the help I can get.

Thanks,

Tucker

The smaller screen on the HELIX 5 makes stuff look pretty small ...

Set the SI Range (Press the Menu button 1 time to open the SI Xpress menu) to a lesser value to make stuff look larger on the SI image ... Sometimes even down to 20-30ft each side ...

Set the SI Chart speed to match your boat speed for the clearest imaging ... (One step higher Chart Speed to elongate fish echoes to sometimes make them easier to see) ...

Experiment with the different palette choices ... Different lighting conditions make some palettes better than others ... I like Inverse or blue for cloudy days ... Amber, brown or green for sunny days ...

Rickie

I am curious about this as well. Locating crappie in a shallow lake... please all you c.commers enlighten us.

With the new side and down imaging once you learn how to read and use them it just like a picture. There is no magical setting for a specific species. Look on you tube for video's there are all kinds. I know doug vahrenberg (bass fisherman) has a whole channel on Hummingbird products and how to use them. The best advice I can give is what i did, i read the whole manual front to back and then went out in my boat (without any fishing equipment) and drive around and play with the thing. Figure out how to use it and what setting work best for you. I can tell you to stay on the sensitivity and keep adjusting it for the best picture. The more familiar you are with using it the better you will be at actually finding and catching fish and you won't be one of those guys that just goes out and looks at the depth and temp (I was this guy!)

Here is a great link on learning to read depth finders
The Fishin Web: Understanding and Interpreting a Depth Finder... Moderated by Dr. Dugald M. (a.k.a. Woodlander)

Also if you want to find crappie with a depth finder a good start is to know the pattern the crappie are in. Look for structure or bait fish, channel edges.

The advise to leave your tackle at home and practice with the sonar is certainly correct. That mistake cost me several months of not getting the best use of my humminbird 798ci HD SI. Heck, I didn't even know what I was looking at and seeing on side-scan until I finally took the time to learn.....then the light came on.
Also, on my unit I never set side scan more than 50 feet of so....and much of the time it's less. The screen is just so small. My buddy has a 10 inch screen and it's like watching a TV in comparison.

I would go to one of your favorite docks....one you know has cover under it. Then go past it several times and see if you can improve your picture. Any dock with cover is worth casting into, whether you see fish or not.

Dlogfish, thats a great link, thx. I have no idea how you guys can go out in a boat without at least one pole, lol. Almost every fishing trip I go on, I spend a good amount of time playing with the Fishfinder. Its gotten to the point that i would rather spend a 3rd of the day searching for fish with the sonar rather than just fishing blind for the whole day like I used to. What I have found is, the fish are not everywhere and there is a whole lot more empty water than productive. This goes against what I always thought growing up. It does seem more ofter than not, no matter what the conditions, if you can get over fish they are gonna bite. Having a fishfinder has lowered my opinion of a fishes brain, i always imagined that they were outwitting me. Now I realize I was outwitting myself.

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Originally Posted by Zippy

Having a fishfinder has lowered my opinion of a fishes brain, i always imagined that they were outwitting me. Now I realize I was outwitting myself.

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I like this statement ... A Lot ...!!!

Rickie

Quote:

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I like this statement ... A Lot ...!!!


Rickie

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lol, maybe if I send it to Humminbird they will use it in an ad

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rnvinc

I like this statement ... A Lot ...!!!

Rickie

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X2!!

If you are looking at docks, set your SI so you're only reading the side of the boat the docks are on. From the SI screen just hit MENU, and your first option should be SI side (both) arrow left and right to just show that side.