Very little information on how to use the Fish Hawk!

[garrymny]

Very little information on how to use the Fish Hawk!

I am ordering a Fish Hawk X4 on Monday, but I am disappointed there is so little information on how to use it to catch fish. Almost zilch on you tube. I attended the Salmon School this year, and they ran short on time and talked very little about what to look for as for temp breaks. Don't get me wrong, it was beneficial and I am glad I went. So, everyone on the forum says you must have one, and you will catch more fish, but that does not help the guy that buys it, and has no idea really what to look for, or how to utilize it?

 

What temp profile will you likely find the salmon? 

Do you look for horizontal temp breaks, or vertical temp breaks?

What kind of a break, how many degrees, is important?

Are you looking for surface temp breaks, (if vertical break) or temp breaks in deeper water? 

What technique do you use on a typical day? Do you put the probe out and slowly go around looking for the temp profile you want, and then when you find it, start fishing?

Or- do you just put it down and observe, and run it up and down looking for something? 

 

Help needed Please, otherwise I will have purchased a very expensive gadget, that will take me years to figure out.

 

Thank you 

Garry

 

[choked-up]

Plenty of fish caught without fishhawk. It's a tool, not a magical fishing machine. Go to lake troll at 2.5 mph(gps) where fish are at on depth finder. Probably 50-80 foot down. When you catch a fish check to see what fishhawk says. Over time you may see a pattern. If your fish finder marks fish 57 foot down? Where would you put your downrigger? Probably 57'. I have owned x4d for 2 years and somedays I use it some I don't. It's just tool.

Sent from my XT1565 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[garrymny]

Thanks for the info. I fished last year, first time. We did ok, but some days folks at the ramp were cleaning some nice catches and we were skunked. Many days we did not mark many fish, some days we marked a few here and there.  Except at the bar in the fall. It was loaded with marks-hooks, across the screen, but nary a bite!. Nothing like experience, I realize this.  I thought maybe the Fish Hawk would help us reach the next level. 

[Captain Laxton]

You can go online to Fish hawk website they have a temp range chart for fish species. That may help with your question.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Sk8man]

garry - choked up makes some excellent points. Too often folks on here seem to think that reliance on electronics is the main way to catch fish and that unless you have the latest greatest technological improvement you might be doomed for all eternity from catching trout or salmon. There is no "silver bullet" out there no matter how sophisticated the electronics or how good the marketing ploy is that will guarantee that you catch fish when you turn on the "gizmo". Another American myth is that "if something is more expensive it is better than other things or more effective than they are" etc. We have in fact become more "scientific" in our approach to fishing over the last few decades and relatedly more reliant on the technology but like many things in life direct experience, close observation and attention to detail coupled with curiosity and openness to learning are far more important in gaining competence than reliance on any device or particular opinion for that matter. One way to combine both aspects is to seek out a capable charter guy who uses the Fishawk X4 series routinely and go for a half day charter focusing on the use of the instrument and have potential questions written down to go over withthe person and let them demonstrate. You will not only pick up the technical information you are seeking but possibly much more in the way of how to fish using that particular tool (and perhaps a whole lot more). Learning requires active participation at some level not just the "spoon feeding" of information or the "instant gratification" response so common in today's world. YouTube can be helpful sometimes but usually doesn't substitute for actual hands on experience out on the water.  You already have put together a good start in terms of great questions so seek out the experience to go with it and I think you will be a happy camper.

P.S. The new Bluetooth capable model  also allows the use of your phone or tablet to use as an additional  display and seeing this set upand in use may be good to know as well.

Edited May 7, 2017 by Sk8man

[choked-up]

Garrymny, I have lived next to Lake Ontario my whole life and experience the same as you. Other guys slamming​ them we don't catch anything good. "Should have been here yesterday". Lol. Sometimes we slam them and others don't. X4d does help you not waste time. If your in 120 fow and it's 38° down 60'. There no fish there. Go to 250 fow 80' down 38° no fish there. Go to 450 fow 80' down 52° water but no fish marks. Well that's better than fishing 38° . See where I'm going? Many different opinions on "the best temperature" . Best advice,. Fish where the fish are.

Sent from my XT1565 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Sk8man]

garrymny - There are various temperature preference charts out there and they sometimes serve as a good starting point as far as an estimation about where you might find the targeted species you seek but there are other factors at work guiding the fish locations such as the availability of bait or food sources and sometimes structure as well. Keep in mind that there are points in time during the season when water temperature plays little role in fish location and they may be found way outside of the preferred temperature range usually in search of food. There are times during the summer when chinooks for example may be found at the depths inhabited by lake trout (e.g.42 or 43 degrees) yet the preferred temperature charts may indicate temps in the low 50's. Differences even slight ones may be a very important at certain pints in the season as in early Spring when browns seek the warmest water they can find and this is often the nearest spots  to the shoreline and the water may be only 2 degrees higher than the outer water but in the warmer weather when the thermocline forms they are often found at that 58 degree water temp where it meets the bottom - especially where it may be close to drop-offs or rapid changes of depth. What I'm getting at  with these basic examples is that water temperature is only one aspect of the equation and some of the more complicated water temperature relationships (e.g. thermal breaks, thermal bars, vertical and horizontal stratifications etc. you ask about have a whole bunch of "what ifs" associated with them as well. That is why I offered my above suggestion about getting direct experience seeing this stuff in action. Some of these things can be visually observed even without a temperature device sometimes.

Edited May 7, 2017 by Sk8man

[Jerryriggin 2]

Have the fish hawk to help you repeat what caught the last fish as far as speed. You cant start the day and say im going to put the probe rigger in 48 degree water and it will be the hottest rod on the boat. That is not whether it is for. Use the probe to find the break and speed the great lakes have wicked currents you need to pay attention to. 5 degree change in course can be the difference in a full cooler or just a couple fish in the box. Still fish the marks.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Lake Ontario United mobile app

 

 

 

 

[whaler1]

If I had to pick between my fish hawk and my fishfinder, it would be the fish hawk any day of the week.


Sent from my iPhone using Lake Ontario United

[Fat Trout]

Fishhawk for current direction and your speed.    Then also  Fishhawk for what the fish are doing.....ie I see marks at XXft, where are they in relation to the temperature.    As said, its only data.   but its good data.  the problem is, it takes a whole lot of other info and experience to make it make sense.  Even then, the fish just give you the "middle fin" anyway and leave you scratching your head (ha ha)

Edited May 7, 2017 by Fat Trout

[dukhnter8]

I don't have a fish hawk but have a depth raider. Majority of the time I use it for speed control. My ff might say I am going 2 and down speed is off by 0.5-1 mph. Speed is most critical I say, even more for walleye which is what I target mostly now.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[Reel Overtime]

I have  a fish hawk x4 and still cant figure it out, I too use this for only speed...  I just got a smart troll set up and will be installing it soon,  I cant wait to use this as it will tell me my lure depth also... I think this will help

[Sk8man]

Gathering data and understanding what you are looking for by any means available and then interpreting it based on experience is the bottom line. Putting as much information as possible into the situation leads to increased chances of makng a good decision or conclusion. Paying close attention to detail while you're doing this out there is also very important as is visually assessing the situation and knowing what you are looking at. For example, looking for color lines or color differences in the water, birds  congregating in an area etc. can sometimes be more important in  locating bait or fish than specific water temperatures compared against preferd temperature charts at some points in the season. That is basically what I was saying above. It in no way diminishes the power of using termperature devices including the Fishhawk series. They are great devices made  and serviced by a quality company

[cabezon99]

Fished for 5 years without one, had plenty of success but glad I have one now.  I am pretty new with it and from experience this spring I have used it to find warmer water areas and it helped me focus on those areas with warmer water.  As the year goes on I have read guys use them to find the thermocline where the water temps differ horizontally, often you can see this on a decent fish finder as well that I know from experience.  Anyway back to what I have read is that guys use the fishhawk to set a spread just above or below the thermocline.  With my previous boat I employed same tactic using my fish finder when I could see it or if I heard someone talk about it on the radio.  I agree with what everyone is saying here, dont ignore the obvious, if you are marking fish go with it.  Below is the link to the fishhawk chart if it lets me post it, thanks for the tip Heath.

http://www.fishhawkelectronics.com/salmon-walleye-fishing/preferred-water-temperature

[garrymny]

thanks for the responses. Tried it out of Olcott tuesday the 16th. Seems the water is pretty much 47 to 48 degrees everywhere, and top to 90 feet down.   I could see where the speed was almost same top and down at the ball too. Very calm day. I did see once where speed was a little different down at ball which told me there must be a current.  At this point a light bulb came on in head, and I thought, I should be trolling with the current, when I find it because I have never seen a trout facing downstream in a creek, so why would they be different in the lake? BTW, I caught nothing, and saw nothing, except logs and sticks and debris and I was fearful of losing my probe to debris. 

[Gill-T]

Garrymny, as others has said, the downspeed and temp unit give information.  Experience tells you what to do with it.  You still have to use your eyeballs esp. in the spring!  This morning out of Olcott before the winds picked up you might have noticed a slick line in the water at about 50'.  That slick line is a "current tell".  Usually there is debris in those slicks.  Fish will collect along those current lines just like the debris found there.  If you paid attention to the weather the day before, you would have seen there was an East wind which blows in cold water and pushes fish to the West towards the warm Niagara flow.  As the wind picked up, you might have noticed that there was brown water coming in at 75-100' but the green water was persistent inside that line. Did you see many seagulls today floating around?  Why not?  If you were trolling towards Wilson and paying attention to your fishhawk, you were trolling into the Niagara current and against a stiff westerly.  Your gps speed would tell you that you  were barely moving, yet heading into the current as displayed by your fishhawk should have told you that despite not covering much ground, the current against your lure was keeping your lures working correctly.  As you gain experience you will learn to trust your downspeed unit and find the units true worth, especially as the season progresses and you begin to fish deeper in the water column to find the thermocline.