SIMRAD Using "Bird Mode" in Halo Radar for the First Time

George Poveromo shares his first experience with the Halo radar “Bird Mode”.

Chub Cay, Bahamas – I ran my brand new MARC VI (a Mako 334 center console powered by triple Mercury Verado 350hp outboards and piloted by a full Simrad electronics package) 144 miles to the Chub Cay Club, Bahamas. This was only the second time I was aboard my new boat and the first time fishing from it. Friend Carl Grassi joined me; we were shooting a television episode for our 2017 season on NBC Sports.

Going into this journey, I was particularly intrigued with how the new Simrad HALO-4 Pulse Compression radar would perform in “Bird Mode”. I’ve always fine-tuned my radars to pick up birds; unless an angler has a lot of experience doing this, a person won’t know what to look for, or the subtleties involved in fine-tuning radar to pick up birds. It has been somewhat of an advantage for experienced pros. Could a simple push of a button prove superior to the manual fine-tuning tricks I had mastered? Admittedly, I had reservations.

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Run & gun, the chase

At Chub Cay, we headed offshore to troll. Our radar was set on Bird Mode, and at three miles. The troll had been slow, so we opted to run and gun, looking for birds and other signs of life. The HALO-4 radar showed birds at three miles, and we raced to a large gathering of terns hovering over breaking skipjacks. We dispatched the trolling baits. Within minutes, we landed a beautiful dolphin! Then, a few more passes later, we hooked up with a yellowfin tuna of about 40 pounds; unfortunately, the hooks pulled on that fish. The action ceased, and we were back in the run and gun mode, guided by our HALO-4 radar.

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The payoff

The ocean was void of weeds, but we spotted more birds on the radar. We raced to them and came upon a weedline and scattered debris, which held several tripletail. And, once again, we scored a dolphin. The HALO-4 radar was picking off birds in incredible fashion – and much sharper and clearer than I was able to achieve manually on my previous radar. The HALO-4 radar’s biggest payout, however, was on the morning of our last fishing day, where we spotted two birds three miles away. We raced to the find, and noticed two large dolphin. Carl pitched at one, and I pitched at the other. We landed two trophy class dolphin weighing 18 and 38 pounds!

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Bottom line

The new Simrad HALO-4 Pulse Compression is beyond incredible. The Halo radar is so effective at locating birds – and as easy as pushing the “Bird Mode” button – that it’s almost cheating! I couldn’t believe how precise and detailed it was in Bird Mode – far better than what I was able to ever tune my old radar. It’s so simple; it’s like child’s play. Now, anyone regardless of experience can pick up birds and hang with the pros, with the Halo radar.