high or narrow transducer for Garmin echomap?

[twd000]

I have a Garmin Echomap CHIRP 43cv for summer fishing.  Need to pickup an ice transducer, as the clearVu transom-mount one won't easily adapt to a 6" hole.  I see two compatible sensors: wide & narrow

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/Garmin-Gt8hw-If-Ice-Transducer-p/gar010-12401-20.htm

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/Garmin-Gt10hn-If-Ice-Fishing-Transducer-p/gar010-12677-00.htm

$30 price difference won't kill me, but want to make sure it will work for my application.  I'm mostly jigging for panfish in less than 20 FOW, but I would like the option to go after some lake trout up north in 80-100 FOW

Is there any downside to getting the higher-gain narrower beam GT-10?  Is seems the 24-degree cone on the GT-8 will be illuminating a large chunk of the bottom that is not usable anyway. 

What about the power draw?  If I recall, there is a setting to bump down the gain if I'm in shallow water, so as to not drain the battery so fast.

[kayl]

The GT10 is the better transducer as far as specs go. I have one and am happy with its performance when I use it. (I got panoptix and use that most of the time)

[twd000]

OK, took my new GT10 tranducer for the first test last weekend.  I made sure to switch the transducer in the My Vessel setup menu. 

Still trying to figure out what settings to use.  I was jigging in only 12-15 feet of water.  I could only see my jig when it was moving.  Kept losing it when it was still.  Marked a couple fish but ended up hooking up on one that I didn't see.  I played around with the settings - seemed like the narrowest beam (7-degrees) was the best, almost I was losing my jig with a wider beam, which seems counter-intuitive. 

I tried toggling CHIRP on and off - I'm not sure if it helped me or not. 

Auto-zoom bottom depth.  Interference level high.  Default brightness.  Ultra scroll speed.

Do you set the foam float so that the transducer hangs below the bottom of the hole, or just set it as shallow as possible on the water surface?  It was definitely off-vertical at times, which could have caused some problems.

Anyway I need some practice to get this system tuned in, but any advice on settings would be helpful

[jimhaney08]

I keep about 6" of transducer cord below my float so the transducer hangs vertical.  That could be a big help.  Also, try turning the interference down.  That setting should block out interference and noise in the water.  With it on High I think it will not show you some of the finer returns. 

I would do the cord first to ensure it's vertical, then adjust the interference down, and then adjust gain up until you can see your jig.  If you can see your jig you should be able to see fish.  Hope this helps!

[Drift Dodger]

I'm using an EchoMAP CHIRP 53dv with the GT8. Although mostly fishing over 15 FOW I definitely prefer the narrowest (16-degree) beam. I have no need for the widest 24-degree setting, even in shallower water.

I agree about the interference setting at high. I've noticed a difference in returns between each interference level. I leave interference off while fishing without any other sonars or flashers near by.

I would like a GT10 to use with 53dv or my newly acquired EchoMAP Plus 95sv. I believe the GT10 goes from 7 to 16-degrees, so would be perfect for the depths and structure I normally fish. By the way, the echoMAP Plus 95sv touch screen is AWESOME!

[twd000]

yeah the more I think about it, the screen was "too clear" with no noise at all.  Probably due to trying to reject interference that wasn't really there.

I'll try adjusting the float depth too.

Should have another chance to play with the sonar on Friday, if this rain doesn't wash us out

[Drift Dodger]

About 30" of ice here now. With the 16-degree beam I need to hang the transducer further down the 8" hole in order to eliminate odd sonar returns.

[kayl]

Still trying to figure out what settings to use.  I was jigging in only 12-15 feet of water.  I could only see my jig when it was moving.  Kept losing it when it was still.  Marked a couple fish but ended up hooking up on one that I didn't see.  I played around with the settings - seemed like the narrowest beam (7-degrees) was the best, almost I was losing my jig with a wider beam, which seems counter-intuitive. 

I tried toggling CHIRP on and off - I'm not sure if it helped me or not. 

Auto-zoom bottom depth.  Interference level high.  Default brightness.  Ultra scroll speed.

Do you set the foam float so that the transducer hangs below the bottom of the hole, or just set it as shallow as possible on the water surface?  It was definitely off-vertical at times, which could have caused some problems.

Anyway I need some practice to get this system tuned in, but any advice on settings would be helpful

Chirp is 10°, keep that in mind. I keep my interference level lower and adjust my gain to the jig/lure I'm using.

I try to have my ducer just below the bottom of my hole if at all possible for the cleanest returns.

[twd000]

got out for about 3 hours yesterday and got much better results with the echoMap.  Turning off interference rejection, and lowering the transducer to the bottom edge of the hole really helped.  I was able to see my jig, as well as the swivel tied to my leader 18" away.

Now I can see all the fish I'm not catching!  Not a single bite for three hours.  I was in about 15-20 feet of water.  I tried 5 or 6 holes, some in the sun, some in the shade.  A couple times it seemed like I was spooking the fish.  It looked like they were coming off the bottom and not coming back after my jig hit the bottom.  I tried switching the very small jib heads and minimal motion, but that didn't entice any bites.

I also had 5 tip-ups set with live shiners and didn't get any action on those for 3 hours, so maybe they just weren't actively feeding at that time of day? (1-4 PM)