12
13
SEEING FISH
The FL-8SE sees a fish as a target, much like the bottom. It has a
leading edge, a width, and color content. Refer, again, to figure J. If the
range setting is S x2 then the fish is just over two feet above the bottom.
It is a fairly wide target and is made up of all three colors. This should
be recognized as a significant fish, something you may want to catch.
The targets that appear just above this fish are smaller and there is no
red. Here is where target identification gets a bit trickier. Since we do not
know the position of the targets in the cone of sound we cannot readily
identify them. For example, the green target at ten feet could be a small
piece of floating debris or a single small baitfish in the center of the cone
or it could be a large game fish at the very edge of the cone.
In the weeds spotting fish is more difficult. Figure K shows a
bottom at twelve feet (S1). The weeds extend from the bottom up to about
eight feet. Notice the red target at ten feet is marked "possible fish". We
cannot say that it is a definite fish because the weeds around it are dense
enough to give a red signal themselves. Again, keep the gain as low as
you can for reading in the weeds. If you can't turn the gain down far
enough you may want to get an S-Cable to cut down the power of your
unit.
CLUTTER VS. NOISE
Clutter is created by very small targets in the water. It is usually
displayed as thin green or orange lines. Clutter can include bait fish,
plankton, floating debris, or air bubbles. Although clutter is not fish, it
can be useful in finding fish.
Noise is, usually, electrical noise, which is in the engine ignition,
radios, or trolling motors. It can be displayed as red, orange, or green
lights that flash as the interfering equipment is operated. The Interference
Reject circuit of the FL-8SE will block out most noise, but sometimes,
extra measures are required to eliminate it. Please contact our service
department (page 28) if you have interference that you cannot get rid of.
FL-8
SE
FL-8
SE
Fig. J
Fig. K
ZERO MARK
ZERO MARK
2
ND
ECHO
TRAILING
EDGE
TRAILING
EDGE
BOTTOM
BOTTOM
SURFACE
CLUTTER
SURFACE
CLUTTER
BAIT FISH
OR
PLANKTON
FISH
LEADING EDGE
LEADING EDGE
POSSIBLE FISH
WEEDS
