TL;DR
Transducer Alignment and Position
A common issue with fish finders is improper transducer alignment. Ensuring that the transducer is parallel to the waterline can resolve many problems, such as inaccurate depth readings or failure to detect the lake bottom [1:3]. If your depth finder stops working at higher speeds, adjusting the angle of the transducer might help, as it needs to be positioned correctly to receive sonar signals even when moving quickly
[3:1].
Connection and Battery Issues
Faulty connections or a failing battery can cause erratic behavior in fish finders. It's important to check that the transducer cable is free of corrosion and properly seated in the head unit [1:2]. Additionally, ensure that all wires, including the ground wire, are securely connected
[3:3]. A weak or damaged battery can also lead to issues, so testing with a new battery might be necessary
[1:1].
Environmental Factors
Water conditions can affect the performance of fish finders. Suspended particles in the water can create surface noise, leading to inaccurate readings [4:1]. Adjusting settings to account for these conditions may improve accuracy. Similarly, rough seas and low visibility can impact the device's ability to detect objects accurately
[4].
Testing and Swapping Parts
If troubleshooting does not resolve the issue, consider testing with known-good parts. This might involve swapping transducers or head units with similar models to identify faulty components [2:2]. If you have access to another fish finder, borrowing parts from a friend or local fishing community might help pinpoint the problem.
Fluid Levels and Leaks
For fish finders using fluid-filled containers for the transducer, checking for leaks and ensuring adequate fluid levels is crucial. Without proper fluid levels, sonar signals may not bounce back effectively, leading to poor readings [5:1]
[5:2].
By following these troubleshooting steps, you can often resolve common fish finder issues and enhance your fishing experience.
Hello, is anyone able to help me figure out this issue with my Garmin Striker Vivid 4cv device? It'll work fine one moment and then the next have nothing but issues (See picture 1, sorry for the glare) The depth will begin to flash, and the bottom of the lake will not even be recognized, occasionally there will random bursts of markers at random depths while mid lake. I have my transponder on the stern of the boat and my motor on the bow (See pictures 1 & 2) motor interference should be ruled out because of this. Anyone have any idea as to what this could be?
A failing battery can make things go wonkey. You can try checking to make sure the plug from the transducer is free of corrosion and properly seated in the back of the head unit and that the cord hasn't been damaged. If all else fails you can try a factory reset and see if that helps, but you'd need to back up any GPS waypoints by hand and will lose any map data you've recorded.
Thanks for the recommendations. My transducer is a season old and only has been on fresh water and stored properly, so corrosion should be ruled out. Hopefully, it's resolved by a simple reset or by connecting it to a new battery 🤞
Looks like it’s angled too far down, should be parallel to the waterline
Great to know that this may cause an issue, I'm very new to this technology, thanks for the tip, and I'm hoping the issue is as simple as moving it up a click 👍
Anyone know how to fix this? I have tried factory resetting the transducer settings, and it hasn’t worked. I just bought this kayak from a guy, he said everything worked for him. Anyone know what’s going on?
It's probably the transducer but there's no way to know unless you test with known-good parts. Check the cable and pins for damage, put a little dielectric grease on them. From there you're swapping parts.
Got a buddy with a similar unit? See if you can swap head units. Of not, try posting in your local fishing pages maybe someone in the area will let you try. Buy a working used one on FB, figure out which part is bad, and sell the extra piece to recoup some of the cost.
Thats a good plan, I hope it’s nothing too bad. I just bought it sunday
Hmmm I'm not too sure. Check the connection to the transducer. Make sure your fish finder setting match the transducer model (factory setting might not match if the previous owner bought the transducer separately).
Well, I appreciate it. I hope it’s as simple as a loose wire or something along those lines.
Or even that the water I was in was filthy
What is your transducer set up?
^
Like where is transducer on the kayak??? Is it in the hull? Is it on the bottom? Is it on the side? Is it in the bottom slot some kayak have?
The last time I was about boating I noticed that my depth finder would freeze when I would accelerate past 10+ mph. If I slow down below 10 mph, it starts working fine again. Before, the depth finder would work regardless of how fast the boat was going. I went out today, and same thing, but I was able to get a video. This boat is basically brand new - about 8 months old. Any idea what could’ve caused this, perhaps transducer issues?
I push mine a click or two down past level to have the sonar shoot slightly forward of the boat and by the time it bounces back at 45mph it still gets enough hits to be about to read it.
Ground wire loose?
Sensor mount
Doesn’t have time for the return, like calling from mars with a cell phone while your driving
In your depth finder manual there will be a guide to align it. Chances are all that is needed is an angle adjustment because it worked before.
It's very common for them to get bumped. I have mine marked with a paint pen to put things back to where they were on the fly.
I have a Garmin stricker 4+ fishfinder. I've used it 4 times (I'm new to it).
A couple of times it has marked perfectly, seeing the fish and even the 20g jig fall (coinciding with the calm sea and perfect visibility). The other two with slightly rough seas and low visibility (I would say due to suspended particles) the lure could not be seen landing on the probe. At shallow depths it marked in intense red depth 0 to 3.5m (with a total depth of 7m). At greater depths (about 15m) this was removed, it came out normal but did not indicate any intermediate signal between the bottom (such as the lure or fish).
Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? I tried modifying the gain and frequency.
What are you asking, exactly?
If it is an error in my probe or bad configuration.
I have read that it is due to surface noise and I have seen how to modify it for the next outings.
I also ask how to configure the probe when there are particles suspended in the water and waves so that it indicates correctly.
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Check the fluid level
Icy has a point. My fish finder has leaked twice where the transducer is. It sits in a plastic container and if the glue doesn’t work, it will leak and you have no liquid for the sonar to bounce off of.
Have had this unit 3 years no issues, the other day it started acting odd almost looks like interference but I’m the only around, can barely find my lure on it now?
Your transducer cable is not plugged in properly, my Hummingbird did this last week. The cable was not all the way in.
Trade it for a vexilar. I’ve owned one for probably 25 years and never an issue
I'd rather go ice fishing without my pants than have to use a flasher.
Check all cables and ensure they are properly seated, no tears or cuts also. Firmware update, factory reset. Transducer can also go bad.
That was actually my worry is the ducer is going bad, never had an issue but my kid likes to drag the ducer when he holes hops
I personally like vexlar. My friend has a few and his has been dropped, kicked, dragged behind a sled fallen out of the truck while driving and still has a great "image". I have a garmin transducer as back up and my transducer went bad and gave alot of interference.
That can cause issues. But usually banging it around roughly like drops or kicking it. Dragging it is probably no different than it being in your sled behind a snowmobile.
Is the bottom smooth?
Would it normally tell you the water temp?
No not with the ice ducer
Gotcha. Thought it might be another indicator of a problem. I'm with everyone else. Loose/bad cable ducer.
Mine dose with the ice ducer
I got the fish finder on sale, and I enjoy using it while slowly learning. I’m at a new lake that no one else seems to fish at (I’ve been the only one for the last three days in the evening).
So, I’m not a terrible fisherman, but I haven’t caught a single thing at this lake. I’ve tried it all- worms, spinners, cranks, all different depths, different colors, etc. The lake is very stained, almost murky, so maybe that’s my excuse. The temperature of the water has been 93-94 degrees each day
It wouldn’t be driving me so crazy, but the fish finder seems to be lit up with fish. I understand a fish finder doesn’t make you a better fisher, but what would you all be doing with the info you see on this screen?
If nothing else, I’d be watching the water depth to find benches, shallow areas, ledges, structure, etc.
This right here, think of your depth finder as a tool. It will not catch the fish for you but will help assist you more than anything.
Those marks are suspended fish. Could be schools of bait, could be large individual fish. At the very least, it's telling you what depth, and thus water temp, is most comfortable for whatever fish those are.
The light marks below look like weeds.
Sonar can help you discern between hard and soft bottom. Learn how to adjust gain and read bottom density.
This spot looks banging, you should be catching. What fish are in your lake?
In Mayo Lake in North Carolina. Seems like a lot of fish waiting to get hooked.
if they're not hitting lures, get on them and drop some bait down. minnows, worms, crayfish. see what's down there.
Side and down scan? That's definitely gonna help you catch fish. Suspended fish are tricky. Do what the poaching scopers do. Hover stroll, vision 110, 110+1, etc.
Your fish are about 10ft down, so either lower your line to that depth or set a slip bobber for 10ft.
Having a fish finder that you know how to use, 100% will make you a better fisherman. It really is the best tool to set you apart from people who just assume fish are distributed evenly across all the water. The more time you spend using the finder and understanding the different views and settings the better you will be with it. For example, if your side scan isn’t in auto I would put it in auto. You would get a much better reading if your L/R was set to 40’ rather than 80 IMO. It is also important to understand the limitations of your low and high res sounding capabilities. You will use both to make a better guess at what is going on as in your picture some with only low res might assume that was suspended fish above bait but looking at the high res you can see those are plants with suspended fish above them.
Fishfinder shut off on me this past weekend. I think some moisture must have tripped this fuse or something, as it was disconnected on both ends. Is my unit fried, or do I just need to wire in a new fuse? Don’t know much about electrical or wiring.
This is what I use for wiring my fish finders
And anderson connector at the end works even better. Those SAE connectors suck
I use those on my trolling motor battery but I have a dedicated battery for my fish finder and just easier to use that sae to pigtail for my setup
Any info on this? I want to add this to my setup
It’s Yak-Power Battery Terminal Connector with SAE to Spade Pigtail, I know Amazon and FishUSA carry them
Just a standard AliExpress inline fuse. Can also get on eBay
I wire a lot of 12v for various hobbies (ham radio, RV, kayak) and basically bought a bunch of the fuse holders, and then some appropriate gauge wires. I basically build each one to fit. Good to have on hand.
I prefer this style, I like the nocqua ones I fitted my gear with all nocqua gear cut all the crap garmin sent and soldered the nocqua gear in straight to their 20ah battery makes it easy
You can wire in any type of the automotive fuses that are the correct amperage. Some are water resistant so you might give those a look.
Install the fuse, then try the graph out to see how it's working.
The fuse still looks good. The wires probably just broke off from the crimps. You need to either get new crimps connectors, strip the wires and re crimp them or just get a new fuse holder and rewire. Someone posted a replacement fuse holder but you need to match the fuse amperage rating with the current one. It will probably be 2amps or so. Do not go higher than the current fuse rating.
A slow blow fuse would be better
This fuse is designed to pop and not fry ur unit you just need a new fuse but id upgrade to the nocqua gear check their website get their inline fuse
When I’m not catching fish, I’m always asking myself, “am I fishing poorly or are the bass just stubborn today?” So I wanted to get your guys thoughts:
Are there any metrics and/or indicators you lean on to help you determine if you could’ve done better? And is there a tell-tale sign of fish being uncooperative?
Just for reference, I’m far from an expert angler. A “good day” for me is five bass over an eight-hour trip.
I always go off of "you can't catch fish if you're fishing in the wrong location, you can still catch fish if you're using the wrong (sub-optimal) bait"
I try to cycle through my first round of presentations and cover water pretty thoroughly before trying to change lures or target a different cover/depth.
If I feel like I've given adequate time to everything that should have worked but still get the skunk I will consider the conditions more carefully and figure out what I can learn from it.
It helps to have a friend in the area you can bounce ideas off of.
Never my fault. Always fussy fish.
🤣🤣🤣
You can always trigger a bite. Just gotta put in the hours learning how to trigger a reactive bite in the winter.
they will always have to eat so there are always fish biting
change colors, lures, speeds, presentations,sizes, angles, targets, position, try different light intensities, line sizes, locations, actions etc
there’s so many things to try in fishing they’ll bite eventually sometimes there’s no real logic behind it that we can tell the best anglers know more adjustments to make and can do them precisely so they at least can eliminate what absolutely isn’t working or going to work the more conditions you are aware of and are able to perceive then the less “random” your adjustments have to be and you can make adjustments following more logical patterns
but even the pros skunk fishing is playing the odds
Someone mentioned a bite window, I agree. Sometimes they’ll be going crazy biting for a few hours then it just ends and is over. You might just miss it sometimes
Is anybody else having an issue with the fishing collection? Is there a way to fix it? I have caught several fish & as soon as I restart my game it resets my fishing collection. I have had this issue before. I had to switch to DirectX 12 last time. It worked. But it's been on DirectX 12 & it keeps doing it this season. & I'm not the only one with this issue. My friends are also having an issue with it resetting or not counting fish.
Yep... same. Caught over 100 fish (still getting the Milestone Challenges) but nothing in collections. The fish do show up straight after catching them but then it resets. I believe EPIC are aware.
The question is, will we get all the fish we've caught BACK? ...one of my catches was fish 14. BLACK SLURPER. #Rare #Gutted
Yep I'm having this issue as well on PC. I caught so many fish bro rip ;-; im on directX11 atm
Same
I'm having the same issue on the Switch.
I’m having the same issue on the PS4
Yes this is happening to me on PS5. Fishing is one of my favorite aspects of the game so I’m hustling catching rare fish only to have them completely reset the next time I play. Frustrating.
troubleshooting common fish finder issues
Key Considerations for Troubleshooting Fish Finder Issues
Power Issues:
Display Problems:
Transducer Issues:
Signal Interference:
Software Updates:
Calibration:
Recommendation: If you’ve gone through these troubleshooting steps and the issue persists, consult the user manual for specific guidance or contact the manufacturer’s customer support for assistance. Regular maintenance and proper setup can prevent many common issues.
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