Reading bottom structure on a vexilar?

[lostfisher1]

I know that the bottom composition can be read through a vexilar. I know that the dencer the substance the more red it will show. But I get confused when it comes to identifying the composition. What would mud show up as, rocks, sand, etc..

[RANGER26]

 
  mud would show up as a soft bottom more orange and green then red.


      hope this helps.

[walkonwater1]

I find a hard bottom to show as a thin red line with little to no echo behind it. Mud/soft bottom can show as alot of green and it can be tough to tell exactly which is bottom especially if there are weeds.

[killitandgrillit]

That's right. The harder the bottom, the thinner the red line. A thick red line would be a soft bottom. A thick red line with some orange/green would be a soft bottom with weeds.

[icontact]

That's right. The harder the bottom, the thinner the red line. A thick red line would be a soft bottom. A thick red line with some orange/green would be a soft bottom with weeds.

Actually it is the other way around, red is your strongest signal, green is the weakest.

[ice dawg]

As I understand it, a hard bottom gives you a wider bottom signal and a thinner bottom signal means a soft bottom because the soft bottom absorbs some of the signal and gives a weaker return to the receiver. Here is what Vexilar has to say.




Once your hole is drilled, drop the Ice-Ducer down into it. The hole doesn't need to be slush free, but the transducer needs to be below the debris. Now pull it out again. Rub the bottom of the transducer with your hand. No, it's not for luck. This "wets" your transducer, giving it a good couple, or connection, with the water. OK, put it back in the water again. Use the float or suspend your transducer over the hole. Do what ever works best for you. Adjust the depth by sliding the stop along the cord. Stick your finger into the slot in the stopper when you slide it. It slides much better. Try to keep the bottom of the Ice-Ducer about the same level as the bottom of the ice. The deeper you go with it the clearer the reading, but the more likely a fish will tangle in it. Setting it shallower can put more noise on your screen, but the tangling problem isn't as much of a concern. You need to find the best spot for you. Remember, make sure that it is hanging by itself in the water, and is not resting against the side of the hole. Keep the gain low. You can turn it up in deeper water, say beyond 40' or so, or to see multiple echoes, but for the most part keep it under 3. The bottom will appear as a wide mark of all colors. The width of the bottom and the color content depend upon what type of bottom you are over. Hey, does your bottom appear to be dancing? Maybe colors are coming and going? It could be Fish!

[Buck762]

Ok sometime I see a verry wide red bar on my graph. I assume its hard bottom because of such a strong signal.  Is this true??

What about if I see just a thin Red bar mabey 1/2 an inch thick?? is this a soft bottom??

I never really though about the bottom until now, usually all I do is look for fish and move

[ice dawg]

That's the way I see it. The stronger or wider the signal the harder the bottom composition. Just my .02 though.

[CMMahy]

Ice dawg is right, harder bottom gives you more reflected sonar energy and a wider, bottom reading. When trolling in the summer time with my old Eagle flasher, when I moved over a harder section, the bottom signal would get wider and a double or triple echo would show up. Soft bottoms would only show up as a thin line. I found that's the best way to get a feeling for how your flasher reads the different bottoms, as each flasher will show a different signal depending on conditions. Really helps when you're trying to find areas of hard bottom on a new lake.