Best Lowrance Eagle 5 (83/200) Settings for Reef Fishing 🎣
Optimising you fish finder setup when bottom fishing, whether off a kayak, jetski or boat is imperative to best understand and target your fish. Use the below as a starting point and then get to best understanding and your setup.
1️⃣ Frequency Setting
Use:
• 200 kHz - high chirp
Why:
• Narrower sonar cone
• Better target separation
• Shows fish tight to reef
Use 83 kHz only when:
• Searching for reefs
• Fishing deeper than about 70–80 m
2️⃣ Sensitivity (Gain) Setting
Start around:
• 75–85%
Adjust until:
• You see light background speckling
Why:
• Higher sensitivity reveals small reef fish near bottom
• Too low hides fish in the reef signal
3️⃣ Colorline (Very Important) Setting
Set:
• Colorline: 70–80%
What this does:
|
Return |
Screen Appearance |
|
Hard reef |
Thick red/brown |
|
Fish |
Yellow/green above bottom |
|
Soft sand |
Thin bottom line |
4️⃣ Scroll Speed Setting
Set:
• 80–100%
Why:
• Shows proper fish arches
• Works well when drifting slowly in a kayak
5️⃣ Range Setting
Use Manual Range.
Example:
• Fishing 35 m
• Set range to 45 m
This enlarges the bottom section of the screen, where reef fish usually sit.
6️⃣ Noise Rejection Setting
Set:
• Low
Too much filtering can hide smaller fish returns.
7️⃣ Surface Clarity Setting
Set:
• Low
Only increase if the surface is very rough.
8️⃣ A-Scope Setting
Turn:
• A-Scope ON
This shows real-time sonar returns and is excellent for:
• Watching your sinker drop
• Seeing fish approach bait
• Vertical jigging
What You Want to See on the Screen
Typical reef fishing display:
• Reef: Thick solid bottom line
• Bait: Cloud above reef
• Reef fish: Small arches or dots just above bottom
• Predators: Larger arches above bait
Simple Setup Summary
|
Setting |
Best Value |
|
Frequency |
200 kHz |
|
Sensitivity |
75–85% |
|
Colorline |
70–80% |
|
Scroll speed |
80–100% |
|
Range |
Manual (5–10 m deeper) |
|
Noise rejection |
Low |
|
Surface clarity |
Low |
|
A-Scope |
On |
💡 Kayak reef fishing trick:
When you mark fish, stop paddling and drop bait immediately. Many reef fish sit tight to structure and will strike quickly when bait drops directly into the sonar cone.
For more information on the above setup, as well as setups for Jetskies and boats, please feel free to contact us at Wild Coast Kayaks. We are Garmin and Lowrance Dealers.
