Does the 31 have the view cone display too ?
Does the 31 have the view cone display too ?
Never mind - I need to actually read the words before replying :)Originally Posted by Chris1978
It's a percentage kind of thing. Yesterday, six times in a row I was batting 1000. Saw them, cast and caught them. Today I would say my overall average was closer to 40%. Even with that, what a day. Left the house at 10:15, went fishing, caught 20 crappie (that's the limit here), and back home by 2:00 pm. For me, that is one heck of a day. Drive time to/from the ramp is 20 minutes. And I had to find the fish. Today I went to a completely different area, just to see if I could find and catch fish there. Found them using SideVu. Then stopped and fished.
Last edited by LWINCHESTER2; 03-14-2016 at 06:16 PM.
Got my PS21 back today and hooked it up tot he 7610 to check it out on the trailer. Tried to do the calibration thing just holding the PS21 by the cable and turing it that way. It worked! Said my magnetic values were around 89% and 84%. I should have read it more closely but was in a hurry to check out the display on the chart view. It works but I am not sure its going to be all that useful for how I use it. I can easily see where I'm pointing the PS21 as is without needing to look at the chart.
Now if the rain and wind would just stop so I can get back out.....
Only the PS21 has the view cone display.
Garmin Pro Team
You can change the cone angle on the PS31 but not the PS21.
Garmin Pro Team
I wonder why they left it off the PS31? They both get used the same way.
The ps31 has 3d view scan. That's way better than some "view cone crap". Come on, you gotta help dispell myths and rumors and sell this stuff! Lol.
Prolly cause the 31 is monumentally superior and doesn't need it. J/k
Last edited by Bass newb; 03-18-2016 at 05:55 AM.
I promised some screenshots. Here are a few. These are all Crappie. I really don't think they need explanation but here it is anyway.
Crappie suspended 120 ft away 15-20 ft deep
Crappie 35 ft away 5 ft deep Bridge pier behind them at 70 ft.
Crappie 27-42 ft away 10-20 ft deep
Big school of crappie 20-70 ft spread 20-50 ft deep
Same big school
These are from an echoMAP CHIRP 93sv. Really nice unit. I may use it just for Panoptix. Sure is easier to make screenshots.
I expect to get some more tomorrow!
If these screenshots don't show the usefulness of the PS21 and why I like it, I don't know what else to say.
Last edited by LWINCHESTER2; 03-17-2016 at 10:32 PM.
Awesome!
A few more that show the usefulness of the PS21.
One is fish against the bank.
Another shows fish spread out across the bottom. I think this is the best one was the most valuable. It told me the fish were going inactive and spreading out instead of being schooled up and moving around. Another is just another school. Then there is one showing 2 schools, one of them past 120 ft. Spec's say 100 ft. Notice that the depth and range are independently adjustable according to the situation you have.
I saw this last year and I knew I was going to have it someday despite the $1500 transducer price. Now I have it and I'm quickly learning to read and interpret situations like you and I absolutely love it. I never could figure out situations very well with just traditional and sv and dv but it's much easier for me now.
I tried the bottom fill for a while. You like it?
No I don't like the bottom fill. I tried it. The whole new concept thing made me think I needed it, sort of like a pacifier. Wanted to stay in touch with it like 2D. Got tired of it real quick. Now I don't use it. When I look out and see those cypress knees poking up, I know I'm still on fish. They are just on or almost on the bottom. New for me. I've never bottom fished for crappie before. Love it when I see them lay down and I know where they are. Now I don't have to chase them all over the lake. Guess you can tell. I am having a blast with this PS21. Well, actually, I am having a blast catching fish and the PS21 is my primary tool. When I first used it, I didn't like it demanding so much of my eye. I do have other units and other transducers. I still search with SideVu and 2D until I see enough to put the trolling motor down. But then the focus goes to the PS21. Point and shoot.
Leonard, you are dead on with this statement..I probably watch it a lot more(PS-30) than you folks that move around a lot. I have actually had to go to the console and sit for a break. If I am at the bow & my jig is in the water, I have to watch.
On a sunny day, in the evening these crappie I am catching move up in the water column. They look like they are getting ready to go to the banks to spawn.
A couple of points. When you see a lot of the light blue color or pink you need to move left and right to get a better fix on the direction. As you swing the trolling motor from L to R, your first pickup will be light blue, then pink then red, then dark red/brown. That's dead on. When it goes from dark red/brown to red/pink, stop and go back some in the other direction. Now you got them. Cast and catch.
I was talking with a bass fisherman friend and he said he would have to get one of these. No choice. He said he wanted for for when they fish for breaking fish. In late April and May, on my lake we have hoards of bass fisherman who are massed in well known areas. They are all standing, poised to cast when they see a school of bass breaking. He said with this, he could catch them even when they are not breaking because he could see where they were. That's what made me take these screenshots. Yes, definitely you could see those schools before they break. Dang. I'm going to have to start bass fishing. Shows a personality flaw of mine. Generally I prefer to fish alone. No other boats anywhere. Just me and fishing. But, I would like to be right in the middle of a bunch of boats of bass fishermen catching a bass on nearly every cast. Happened yesterday crappie fishing. Another boat came by and stopped about 50 ft from me. I could hear them talking. I was killing the crappie, sometimes towards the bank, sometimes out in the middle of the lake. One of the guys said to the other; "Watch him. He's wearing them out. He can catch them anywhere he throws.".
I have to try this bass fishing thing. What I want to do is see a school just under the surface about 10 feet from another boat and then cast there and catch one. That ought to do it.
LOL!!! You are evil!!
But I think that would be a blast to do!!
Is there a depth at which the Panoptix becomes less efficient. The images posted by lwinchester are of 60' of water. Say you are in 20' of water. How effective is it? How far away does it read ? Old brain trying to understand .
Do you idle along looking on DV and SV until you locate schools then zero in with Panoptix ?
I assume the angle on he PS21 can be changed dependent upon water depth ?
Last edited by lukethedog; 03-20-2016 at 12:25 PM.
I use several techniques. I believe the old adage 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. First you have to find that 10% of water. I'm quite lucky for spring fishing as I live within 6 miles of three major rivers that flow into Fontana Lake. I already know, from experience, on each tributary within 1 mile of where the crappie will begin to congregate. So I've narrowed down the water to search tremendously. Also, once I've caught fish, the next day I go to that spot and if they are not there, I search 1/2 mile each way if necessary. Generally my searching is done using 2D and SideVu at idle speed. I am looking for concentrations of bait or fish. Once found, then down goes the trolling motor for a more serious slower search. To have a spectacular day you only have to find one good school of fish. The limit here on walleye is 8 and the limit on crappie is 20 so if I can find and follow a school it will be all I can handle. Wherever you find a school though there is often other schools.
Once I catch my limit, I do not quit. I go back to searching nearby areas to try to get a handle of the distribution in that area. I want to know if the school I found was a fluke or if this area is going to serve several days of fishing.
I do not know the depth limitations of the PS21. You can see from the screenshots that it has picked up crappie as far away as 120 ft. I don't know why it wouldn't also see that deep. This is very unusual and speculative on my part. The specifications say 100 ft and on most brands as far as effectiveness goes for seeing fish you can reliably figure that performance will be about 60-75% of the specification. It is very difficult to just the accuracy of the specification. I should be able to next fall when I see fish using the GT51 on SideVu at distances of 100-150 ft away and then point the PS21 in that direction to see if it picks them up.
The mounting angle of the PS21 is adjustable. Currently mine is mounted on 45 degrees. I understand that is not the recommended angle but I am very impressed with the performance anyway.
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