Underwater Structure Sonar Image Guide

This guide will team anglers how to recognize and interpret underwater structures using 2D sonar, Side Imaging, and Down Imaging. By showcasing real sonar screenshots, the guide will help anglers quickly identify key forms of fish-holding cover such as logs, laydowns, brush piles, isolated branches, rock piles, weed beds, and submerged vegetation lines.

Anglers learn how each structure type appears across different sonar views:

2D Sonar

• Logs and branches show as irregular, dense color returns with broken edges.

• Weed beds appear as vertical, fuzzy clusters rising from the bottom.

• Brush piles create layered, uneven arches and blobs depending on density.

Side Imaging

• Logs and laydowns show long, bright shapes with distinct shadows that reveal orientation and height.

• Branchy cover displays as scattered bright returns with multiple thin shadows.

• Weed lines appear as continuous texture changes, with clean edges where vegetation ends.

• Rock or rubble areas show as rough, grainy bright patches.

Down Imaging

• Provides high-detail views, making it easier to see individual branches in brush piles.

• Logs appear as smooth, elongated objects sitting on or off the bottom.

• Dense vegetation forms tall, clustered vertical shapes with clear tops.

• Rocks and hard transitions show as sharp, well-defined structures.

Through these demonstrations, anglers learn how to differentiate structure from fish, how shadows reveal height and shape, and how combining multiple sonar modes provides the most accurate picture of what lies below.