Versa Electronics
www.marcumtech.com
Using your Sonar in conjunction with an underwater viewing system is a great way
to learn how to interpret your sonar signals.
READING FISH
— Fish will generally appear as separate targets from the bottom.
Depending on the size of the fish and the location within the transmit beam
they can show as any of the colors in the palette you are using. RED
indicates the strongest signal on all the color palettes, and this generally
indicates a fish directly below the transducer. Smaller fish or fish on the
outside of the cone may appear orange, yellow, or even green or blue. Fish
moving through the transmit beam may change color as the return signal
strengthens or weakens reflecting their location.
Some fish, like walleyes, are notorious for cruising right on the bottom. The
Marcum Digital Sonar has target separation fine enough that it will generally show
bottom hugging fish as a separate signal. However, fish that are right on the bottom
can appear as part of the bottom. The best indication of a fish sitting right on the
bottom is that the leading edge of the bottom return signal is a thin band of a color
other than red, possibly dithering or flickering. It is important that the sensitivity be
kept to a minimum when displaying a strong bottom return. Having your sensitivity
too high will flood out the ability to differentiate targets and clutter the display.
Utilizing the ZOOM feature can give you a magnified look at the bottom when this is
happening, and help you better learn what is going on below you.
Schooling fish, like panfish, will sometimes group in large numbers suspended off
the bottom. A big school of fish concentrated in one portion of the water column
can show on your sonar as one large “blob”, and it can be difficult to pick out
individual targets. Zooming in on the zone with the most fish will give you better
definition, and switching to the 8 degree cone will eliminate signals from fish on the
periphery of your area, improving your definition even more.
READING LURES AND JIGS
— The Marcum Digital Sonar will pick up and display
the smallest of lures and jigs. When tuning the unit to display your lure, lower it to the
desired depth and turn up the SENS until you see the lure or bait on the display. It is
important that the SENS be set so it displays the lure or bait as you raise or lower it.
Once you have the SENS set where you want it, you can fine- tune your signals by
using the TARGET ADJUST button.
NOTE: When tuning the unit to display lures or bait, make sure that the objects are
in the center of the hole and therefore in the center of the transmit beam. If there is
current (some lakes and all rivers have underwater current or movement) and the
lure doesn’t weigh much, it may move to the outer edge of the signal or out of the
transmit beam altogether. This will make it difficult or impossible to pick it up on the
display. You may find it difficult to mark your jig in shallow water, or when it
is just below the ice. See the section on shallow water fishing for more info.
The Marcum Digital Sonar has sensitivity that will enable it to display the smallest
ice jigs, as well as sinkers and swivels. The target separation of the Digital Sonar
is down to 3/4". This means that two objects that are more than 3/4" apart can
show as two separate signals on your display. If you have a strike and fail to
hook the fish, you can even determine if you still have bait on your jig, or if you
have to reel up and re-bait based upon how the signal appears.
