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somewhat differently than what you expected. These “auto-corrections” are actually there to
optimize the panel selections. If you find that there is a particular configuration that would be useful
but cannot be displayed, please let us know.
If once you are fishing you plan on using sonar only, you still may want to have two different panels
open, one that displays the full top-to-bottom water column, and another that is zoomed in on the
desired depth. If you still have the map displayed, turn it off by selecting “None” on Panel 1 and Panel 2.
Now change the Panel 1 source to Marcum Sonar, perhaps choose “Flasher” or “Graph”. Now open
Panel 2 and select one of the Zoom options. Be sure to set the size and depth of the Zoom window to
the section of the water column you’d like to view (
Zoom; pg. 14
). Once the Sonar is running, you may
elect to change the background to your liking
Ice Fishing Applications for the Sonar
With the RT-9, it is easy to check the depth through the ice, just wet the ice and place the transducer
right on the ice. You can quickly confirm that the depth is what you were looking for, and you can also
see the presence of weeds and even if there are fish down there before you drill a hole. Once holes are
drilled and it is time to fish, deploy the transducer into the ice hole the least amount possible. In most
cases it is not necessary to have the transducer more than a few inches below the waterline, and
nowhere near the bottom of the ice. This will minimize chances of your transducer becoming damaged
while bringing in a fish or when you are moving from hole to hole. Keep the transducer in the center of
the hole, and never let the transducer cable freeze to the sides of the ice hole.
When you drop your jig down you can usually watch its progress as it falls, although some jigging spoons
have a tendency to “soar” off to the side. When your jig has reached the desired depth, you may elect to
fine tune your signal by changing the Sensitivity level or Target Adjust level. It is not possible to make
any recommendations on these settings due to the wildly differing situations that our systems are used
in. Just make sure that your jig provides a steady signal that is easy to see, and don’t overdo it with the
sensitivity or the screen may become cluttered.
The background you choose to use can have a dramatic effect on how easy the sonar signals are to see.
A lot of us here prefer a black background, but be sure to experiment to see what works best for you. Of
course, having the camera or map as the background are options as well.
The transducer’s cone angle is easily changed; don’t hesitate to experiment with the narrow beam if you
encounter any of the situations described under the Cone Angles section in Sonar Settings above. (
pg.
15
)
Be sure to use the zoom functions whenever you need a better look at what’s going on down there.
Most anglers only think to use the zoom when after fish that are tight to the bottom, but be sure to try
the zoom when fishing for suspended fish as well. Crappies and bluegills will often gather in large
schools 5 to 15 feet off the bottom, and it is easy enough to zoom in on just that part of the water
column. (
Zoom; pg. 14
) Whenever using the zoom, you may want to have the entire water column
displayed on another panel, just to make sure that no fish slip by undetected either above or below your
viewing area.
