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IceView Chart Mode
(Signal Interpretation)
IceView color mode was included in your unit because the addition of
an optional portable power pack lets your unit double as an ice fishing
flasher sonar. But this capability has warm-weather applications, too.
For example, some lakes contain acres of standing, drowned timber
which are magnets for crappie. When fishermen find a tree holding
crappie, they frequently tie up to the dead snag and go after the popu-
lar panfish with jigs and minnows. While stationary, the sonar chart
page will not show the classic arches that indicate the presence of fish.
In this situation, try selecting one of the flasher pages and set it to Ice-
View color mode. (See Sonar Chart Mode later in this section for in-
structions on switching to this color scheme.)
This works best if you tie up with the transducer end of the boat
pointing where you want to fish, then drop your lure below the trans-
ducer to place it within the sonar signal cone. You'll be able to see your
bait on the flasher screen. At this point, you should probably adjust the
sensitivity. You can have one sensitivity setting for the chart pages and
a different setting for the flasher pages; the Sensitivity Control Bar
controls the page you launch it from.
Drop the lure five to 10 feet below the transducer, then adjust sensitiv-
ity up or down until the lure is barely visible as a black or blue signal
band on the screen. With that set, go ahead and fish at the desired
depth. When a fish approaches the bait, its signal will stand out from
the lure because it will be a moving signal that is wider and a brighter
color than your lure.
When you monitor your flasher screen for signs of fish, there are three
signal band characteristics to watch for: movement, color and thickness.
Signal band movement
In a stationary setting like ice fishing or at anchor over a brush pile,
the bottom, structure and cover will show on the flasher screen as sta-
tionary bands of color. Signals between the surface and the bottom that
come and go or move up and down (even slightly) will be fish that have
appeared inside the sonar signal cone.
Signal band color
The color of the signal bands correspond to both fish size and their posi-
tion in the sonar signal cone. Black and blue signals tend to be smaller
fish, or fish that are at the outside edge of the sonar cone. These
smaller or more distant fish return weaker echoes.
