Humminbird Units

[Bass Enforcer]

Hey guys/gals, I am looking for some expert tutorial on 859 CI HD DI combo Humminbird units. My first question is regarding the significance of the 83 kHz.

What/when do you use it for?

Should I really have it?

What frequencies should I be using when drop shotting to be able to watch my lure drop and the fish react?

When cruising, what or how should I set my unit up for best results? What Beams or frequencies should I set it on?

All of this being said...can you speak in simple terms haha. I'm still kind of new to the advance technology with the high end units. Thanks for your help guys. It's very much appreciated.

[Dutch]

I don't have birds but I do have units with the 83/200 kHz transducers. The 83 will give you a wider cone than the 200. I like to keep my trolling motor on one frequency and my console unit on the other one to minimize interference.

The 200 kHz has a cone angle of 20° while the 83 kHz is 60°. You can see more water with the 83 but can be more spot on with the 200. If you want to get into math the way to figure the coverage is the tangent of 1/2 of the cone angle. I know for the 200 it is approximately a circle with the diameter equal to 1/3 of the depth. So if the water is 30' deep you would be seeing a 10' circle at the bottom. I haven't figured it on the 83 but it will be a lot bigger.

I don't drop shot any more so I can't help you there.

Experiment with both frequencies to see which works best for you.

[Champ188]

Doug Vahrenberg is a MIssouri guy and probably the best anywhere with Humminbird electronics. Here's a link to his videos page and you should find the answers to just about anything you want to know by watching the numbered series of videos that are listed down toward the bottom of the following page.

http://www.dougvahrenberg.com/Videos.html

[dtrs5kprs]

Might get jumped for this, and I am not a bird user, but for basic deep fishing you should not have to do more than turn it on and set the sensitivity where you want it.

It is very easy to get caught up in everything "going on" on your screen with the newer units. At its most basic you just need to see the bait, fish, and whatever you dropped down to it. Very simple to over think it.

Lord help me if I have to start doing trig or calc in the boat. Might have to take up golf.

[Champ188]

Might get jumped for this, and I am not a bird user, but for basic deep fishing you should not have to do more than turn it on and set the sensitivity where you want it.

It is very easy to get caught up in everything "going on" on your screen with the newer units. At its most basic you just need to see the bait, fish, and whatever you dropped down to it. Very simple to over think it.

Lord help me if I have to start doing trig or calc in the boat. Might have to take up golf.

I am with you, Dave. About keeping it simple. I've already taken up golf.

[5bites]

I'm going to start running an 83/200 split screen. After talking to a rep this weekend it made lots of sense especially on days when theirs a breeze.

Also check out bassboatcentral.com Lots of good info on there.

[Seth]

I don't drop shot for bass much, but do vertical fish brush piles for crappie. The 83/200khz split screen is my preference and I turn the scroll speed all the way up. The 83khz lets me know if I am close to the brush when it's not showing up on the 200khz. When I get it in the 200khz beam, then I know I'm right where I want to be. If you are drop shotting in water over 20', then you shouldn't have any trouble finding your bait on the 200khz side. Don't be afraid to crank up that sensitivity either. I've gotten to where I use clear mode with the sensitivity all the way up instead of max mode. The screen stays uncluttered, but I can still find my lure and the fish/brush easily. This is just on a cheap 728 unit. The 859 should be much easier to view.

[Bass Enforcer]

Thanks guys. I appreciate everything.

[LD Fisher]

Do what 5bites said. BBC (bassboatcentral) has a ton of information on the birds from setup to reading the different screens!

[inshore]

I have a hummingbird with 200/83. most of the time I run with both on. normally fish in the 200 will be red because they are in the narrow beam and in the wide beam will be blue. set your sensitivity up till you start getting a lot of clutter. run you chart speed depending on your speed usually I will set on 6 because I'm lazy. you will normally only see your drop shot in the 200 beam. when I drop shot I always turn the rts on this will show what is directly in your beam. On your di you need to really turn up the sensitivity or you won't see any returns. you will find after a little time out with the unit it will get easier and finding fish deep will be a lot easier.

good luck and good fishing.