How Does an Ice Fishing Sonar Work?

There is a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to ice fishing sonar. Many anglers think you’re limited to choosing between an ice fishing flasher or a fish finder. They think only one or the other will work, but that’s not always the case.

The goal of this guide is to explain how ice fishing sonar works so you can better understand how to implement it into your fishing game. Let’s get right into it.

How Does Ice Fishing Sonar Work? 

Ice fishing sonar works through the use of something called a transducer. You’ll take this device and insert it into the water and it sends rays of sonar down into the water. Whenever something interrupts or interferes with the sonar ray, it will cause a reading to display on your unit.

There are several types of sonar but let’s break down the most popular ones.

1/ Traditional Sonar 

This is the oldest type of sonar and it’s important to understand where we came from. You’d be hard-pressed right now to find a fish finder that still uses this technology. That said, the original fish finders sent one single ray of sonar down into the water.

Whatever interfered with the reading was declared a fish. There were no ways to tell the difference between a fish and a structure or vegetation. It was basically up to you to figure it out yourself.

Another issue with traditional sonar was the time between readings. Since it was only sending one ray of sonar, it would take a minute for the reading to return before it could send another one. This means that you were missing a lot of details because the readings were about a minute apart.

2/ CHIRP

CHIRP sonar was the greatest advancement in fish finding technology because it reinvented traditional sonar in a way we didn’t know was possible. Now, instead of one single ray of sonar being sent down into the water, you get multiple rays at different frequencies which allows you to decide what type of view you want.

For example, most CHIRP sonar units come with a high and a low frequency. The low frequency allows you to get a bird’s eye view of a large distance so it’s useful in deep water. The high frequency narrows in on a specific location so it’s more useful in shallow water.

The time between readings is much faster as well, with most transducers providing a new sonar reading every few seconds. This decreases your chances of missing something.

3/ Side Scan or Structure Scan

Depending on what brand of sonar you have, it’ll be called something different. Side scan or Side View is a great new technology that’s around a decade old. This technology now allows you to scan the water on both sides of your boat instead of what’s underneath you.

In the case of ice fishing sonar, this isn’t that useful but it’s still important for you to understand even though we’re focusing on ice fishing.

How to Read Ice Fishing Sonar?

Now let’s talk specifically about how to read sonar on both a fish finder and an ice fishing flasher.

1/ Flasher

When you first look at a flasher, you’re likely to quit right away because they look so complicated. I’m here to tell you they’re much simpler to use than you think.

A flasher is essentially made up of a bunch of lines that indicate the depth of a fish and where it is in accordance with the bottom, top, and your lure in the water column.

For example, there will always be two red lines on the flasher. The top red line is the surface and the bottom red line is the bottom. You’ll also see greens, yellows, and oranges.

The green color indicates vegetation and structure while the yellow color indicates your lure.

The reason flashers are so useful for ice fishing is because you’re fishing a vertical column since you’re dropping the lure down and pulling it back up. As a result, you can drop the lure down and see it actively falling on the flasher. Once it reaches the point in the column where it meets the red line indicating a fish, you know to leave it there and see what happens.

2/ Fish Finders

A lot of people think that fish finders don’t work in ice fishing, but I’m here to tell you otherwise. The Garmin Striker Plus 4  is a great option for ice fishing as well as the Garmin Livescope.

Both of these have transducers that can read through the ice so all you need to do is set them up on the ice and put the transducer on top of the ice and wait. The best part about using a fish finder is that you can get a lot more details and actual imaging of what’s happening around you.

To read an ice fishing fish finder, you’ll simply keep your eyes on it and wait for readings. Most fish finders will indicate a fish through the use of a fish arch. It’ll look like a slightly curved line floating in the water. If you see one, chances are you’re near a fish.

It’s best to do a few reading before drilling holes so you don’t waste your time drilling where there aren’t any fish.

FAQs:

1/ Does Sonar Work Through Ice?

Yes, sonar does work through the ice on various fish finders and ice fishing flashers.

2/ Do You Need Sonar for Ice Fishing?

You most certainly do not need sonar for ice fishing, but it helps a lot.

Final Thoughts

So, how does ice fishing sonar work? You now have the answer to that question and a variety of ways to apply it to your ice fishing. If you’re determined to have a flasher or ice fishing fish finder, I highly recommend the Vexilar brand . These are made specifically for ice fishing, they hold up well, and they always provide an accurate reading. Good luck out there!