Spotting thermoclines with your Humminbird Side Imaging system
Dr. Jason Halfen
Professional Walleye Angler
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As we all know, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here's a picture that, I think, speaks directly to the questions about Humminbird's down-looking sonar. This is the thermocline in one of my local lakes, set up at about 24 feet over 40-45 feet of water.
As you probably know, the thermocline is that portion of the water column where temperature changes rapidly, with warmer water above and cooler water below. The densities of water above and below the thermocline are distinct (less dense above, more dense below), and it is this difference in water density that is identified by sonar.
Not only will Humminbird's down-looking sonar spot fish and structure, but it will also pick out differences in the density of water below the transducer...and that's plenty sensitive, as far as I'm concerned!
Now here's what surprised me....the thermocline is also clearly identified by Humminbird's Side Imaging sonar, and not only by the down-looking sonar returns.
You can see the thermocline as a change in color of the water column, within that dark stripe running down the middle of the side imaging view. The upper portion of the water column (closer to the center) is darker than lower portion; that change in color corresponds to a change in the density of the water. The junction of those two colors is the thermocline (marked with red lines in the lower image; look back and forth between the two pics for help in identifying it).
Humminbird's industry-leading Side Imaging technology spots structure and fish....and thermoclines as well. And for mid-summer suspended fish, finding that thermocline can make all the difference in the world.
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Some of the questions I receive on a regular basis have to do with the performance of Humminbird's traditional, down-looking sonar. How well does it spot fish? How sensitive is it? How does it compare with other down-looking sonars on the market?
