Improving your 2D graphing and side imaging in the boat isn’t just a matter of having the settings adjusted just right on your graph. It’s also a matter of how you have them rigged on your boat. Professional angler and guide Ross Robertson of Bigwater Fishing covers the basics of what you need to power them and how to properly place your transducer(s).
Run a Dedicated Battery
An important place to start is by having a single dedicated battery for running your electronics so you have reliable, consistent power. Lithium is an excellent choice for many reasons, but is also very light and small. From the battery, rig your electronics with a heavy duty wire (such as 10 gauge tinned copper duplex shown here) with a sheath to protect it from getting rubbed, grounding out, or bumping negatives. This is very important in maintaining heavy, clean power to your graph(s).
Transduer Placement
Next, the placement of your transducer is very important because it can have a huge impact on the clarity of your picture. Boat hulls differ widely, but keep in mind that you need to stay clear of rivet lines, chines, and anything that’s going to create a pocket of air and potentially bubbles beneath your boat. That can cause a bad picture no matter what your graph settings are.
Tiny Tweaks Make a BIG Difference
Once you find the perfect location, small tweaks can make all the difference. For example, you want your transducer to sit just barely below the boat. This generally means placing it so that it visually sits with only half the transducer below the hull. A lot of times, these are placed too high. Apart from having the right height which you can easily adjust with the bracket slides, the angle is just as important. More often than not, when these get mounted they are set to be flush with the ground in the shop. If you’re graphing at slow trolling speeds, this should be fine, but if you want to mark fish more clearly at higher speeds, you need it to sit horizontally under those conditions. So, picturing your boat up on plane, you’ll need to angle it slightly up so that it sits flat when you’re in motion.
Have 2 Transducers
Because the angle is so important for graphing, especially at higher speeds, this is a good reason to consider having two transducers. One for graphing at higher speeds and another for trolling and side imaging. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need the giant, fancy transducers for marking at higher speeds with 2D imaging. The simpler the better because you want the smallest skimmer you can put down there. The big 3-in-ones are better for using at trolling speeds and side imaging. With a simple Y cable, you can easily rig these up to be able to use two transducers at once.
Side Imaging Transducer Placement
When it comes to side imaging and your main down imaging graph for trolling, that’s when you’re going to want to mount the large transducer way up underneath your boat. Because every boat is so different depending on whether you have a kicker or other elements, you’ll need to adjust your placement to get it just right so it’s wise to use a transducer board for mounting this unit. That way, you’ll only put holes in your boat once and can continue to move it around and tweak things. You’ll be surprised that the smallest tweaks on the angle can make a huge difference on your readings on the graph.
