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.