Reading your  Fish Finder and Chart Plotter Electronics

The screen shot shown below is taken from the Humminbird  798cxi HD that is mounted to Rob Fort's kayak. This model features  chart plotter with sonar, down imaging and side imaging capabilities.

The image features mechanical jig use that often requires the location of species like kahawai, kingfish and bait fish. The screen shot was taken while using 200 gram jigs to target kingfish.

In the above screen shot we have a couple of extremely dense schools of  baitfish (A) that extend across the entire screen area of both sonar and  side imaging views. On the sonar the dense red mass is bait fish. The  fact that the baitfish are in different schools suggests that the  kahawai and kingfish are chasing them to a degree causing the bait fish to break off into smaller groups. Kahawai (B) are shown in the top sonar  down imaging section of the screen to be above and below the baitfish  as well as some being in between the individual schools. However on the  bottom half of the screen that is the side imaging we can clearly see  that they are over to the left hand side. The kingfish (C) above the  baitfish school that is located below the 20 meter mark shown in the  sonar view mix together with the kahawai. The larger long lines shown in  the bottom half of the screen that is the side imaging view show the  kingfish (C) swimming on a forty five degree angle from the right hand  side. Clearly we can see the larger pelagic fish above the bait school  better in this side imaging view. Last of all in the top half of the  screen in sonar view we clearly see the lines going up and down (D) that  is the jig being worked. The side imaging view in this screen shot  picture really displays exactly where the fish are in relation to the  vessel over the area being looked at. This offers a major advantage to  the user because you can pin point the location better allowing you to  either cast in the direction or adjust your position accordingly.  Further more you can clearly read the activities of the fish better allowing insight into which directions they are swimming in.