This day and age most sounders are pretty good, they have a high pixilation number (the amount of little colored squares on a digital image that make up the picture – the higher the “pixel” count the better the image). 

To most young people, this is just normal language. To us old blokes, it can sometimes be a foreign language. Most up-market sounders are coloured and have GPS units built in. 

The main units that we see in the Riverina are Humminbird and Lowrance with a bit of Garmin thrown in. For the saltys it is Furuno and Simrad. 

These are all good units and are well worth the money when purchasing whichever make you like. 

Most of it is a Ford or Holden type thing, with all makes and models pretty much doing the same thing. 

I personally favour the Humminbird because ease of fitment, ease of use and after sales assistance. 

Most sounders these days also have down imaging or high definition and side scan or structure scan. 

Down imaging or high definition is a huge advantage in most waterways, including saltwater, as it gives you a true three-dimensional picture of what is directly below you. 

In normal sonar setting you may get what you think is a school of fish, when the down imaging actually shows you that it is a tree or a shrub.

 It can also show you what type of ground you are over, hard or soft, and can also, in some circumstances, show the type of fish by the shape of it. 

Side imaging or structure scan shows you what is beside the boat to a predetermined length – set by you – and this is fantastic when fishing the river especially when casting. 

It also shows a three-dimensional picture similar to down imaging, but it is off to the side of the boat. When fishing the river I set mine to an accurate casting distance, around 30 metres and it is amazing how many fish you can actually see at that distance. 

Side imaging will also, very clearly show items in the water such as car bodies, sunken boats, trees and bottom covering. 

Anything that casts a “shadow” on side imaging means that it is off the bottom and this makes a good casting area. 

It will also show large clumps of trees and branches and while this may be good coverage for fish, it also means that it is a good area for losing lures. The money saved on not losing lures can equate up to the cost of a good sounder.

The sonar system without using down or side imaging these days are remarkably accurate as well. When fishing impoundments and the ocean use this to locate fish especially if you are fishing for schooling fish there is no use fishing where the fish aren’t. 

This can mean sometimes fishing outside the norm that you are used to. I know a few blokes went to Copeton the other week and fishing the normal five to six metres of water near the edge, they actually used the sounder to locate the fish, finding them right out in the middle in over 20 metres of water. 

Once they found them it was a hook up nearly every 10 minutes. You can see on the picture (above left) the huge schools of yellas that they found and on the GPS, where I have circled, is where they caught a fish and went off a straight line for a short period. 

So pretty much long story short, a good quality sounder will help you catch fish, will save you money by minimizing the opportunity to lose lures and more than likely make you a better fisherman when used correctly and the results can speak for themselves.

* Burrinjuck is well going off for those that are locating the fish, catches of up to 20 per day is not uncommon. If you are lucky enough to hook a female just watch the numbers of males that follow her up, it is not unusual to see four to six fish following her. The fish are mainly getting caught on lure; bibless vibes have been very successful

* Blowering is pretty much the same as the ’juck with good numbers of pigs being caught, it is not unusual, in Blowering to have a good yella on and then it gets monstered by a big cod, I have heard of this happening a few times and would get the already raised heart rate a bit higher, vibes once again are doing the job.

* Talbingo is pretty quiet with no reports coming in from there.

* Tantangara is fishing well but with the water dropping fairly quickly, it makes it dirty and uncomfortable with the amount of mud around. Worms and small yabbies are doing the damage there.

* Eucumbene is a little slow, some nice fish with a lot of space in between, good for washing lures I suppose.

* Jindabyne is also slow, most fish on the sounder are down deep and down rigging is a must, but when down rigging you need a good sounder, so you can keep an eye on the bomb.

* Hume Weir is fishing very well with yellas and reddies being landed in good numbers and good sizes. McGrath lures have been the best in this water way accounting for a lot of fish.

* Mulwala is also picking up with good numbers of yellas landed in the “Golden Dollars” fishing competition last weekend

* The river is fishing pretty good; the most productive area has been down towards Berrembed, both below and above the weir.

* South Coast has seen some nice Yellowfin east of Bermi in the 500-1000 fathom mark – some very good flathead still hanging around in the estuaries.

Eucumbene 50.1%

Hume Weir 73.0%

Blowering 59.3%

Burrinjuck 79.7%

Jindabyne 67.1%

Tantangara 17.0%

Talbingo 45.0%

Mulwala 94.1% 

Send your photos to craig@waggamarine.com.au or 0419 493 313