The three essential Lowrance screens are your chart, your sonar, and a dedicated battery screen, each set up with the same overlay data, remaining hours on the trolling motor, state of charge, battery voltage, time, and water temperature, so you never have to switch screens to see what matters. In this How 2 Tuesday I show how to use the overlay function to display any information you want on any screen on your Lowrance.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The idea is to put the same critical data on the three screens you actually use: your chart, your sonar, and a dedicated battery and fuel screen. Across all of them I display remaining hours on the trolling motor, state of charge, battery voltage, time, and water temperature, so I never have to switch screens to see the information that matters.
On the screen you want, hit the power button and choose edit overlay. Then select add and pick the data field you want, such as time remaining, state of charge, voltage, or water temperature. You can place each item where you like and then save it so the data stays on that screen.
After you add a data field, select it and hit configure, then choose the display size. I set the time to extra large so I can read it from the back of the boat, while keeping other readings smaller. Configuring each element's size lets you prioritize the information you care about most.
Yes, and that is the whole point. I add the same overlay data, time remaining, state of charge, battery voltage, and time, to both my chart screen and my sonar screen. That way, whether I am running the chart or watching sonar, I never lose sight of my battery status or the time without flipping screens.
For me the most important readouts are time, water temperature, remaining hours on the trolling motor, and state of charge on the Lithium Pros batteries. Speed over ground and battery voltage earn a spot too. Those are the numbers that keep me efficient and on fish through the day.
Because time tells me what the tide is doing and how long I have to fish a spot before it changes. I display it extra large so I can see it from anywhere on the boat. Knowing the time and the tide together is part of being in the right place at the right moment.
I am not always going to have a screen up with only battery information on it. I may be running sonar, forward-facing sonar, or the chart. So I set up the overlay to show the same critical data, remaining hours, state of charge, voltage, and time, no matter which screen I am on. I break down why that matters in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday, with the full demonstration in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Adding the data is only half of it. I configure each field's size, setting the time extra large so I can read it from the back of the boat while keeping other readings smaller. That way the most important number jumps out at a glance. I show exactly how to configure size in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Once my chart screen is dialed, I edit the overlay on my sonar screen and add the same time remaining, state of charge, voltage, and time, so I never have to flip back and forth. You can carry this to any screen you use often. I walk through it step by step in the episode, so press play in the player above.
For me the data that earns a spot is time, water temperature, remaining hours on the trolling motor, and state of charge on the Lithium Pros batteries. Put those in front of you everywhere and you fish more efficiently.
The Lowrance overlay system makes this easy once you know where to look, and you can set up your screens exactly the way you fish. Press play in the player above.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
Lowrance · Lithium Pros battery · NEMA connection · forward-facing sonar · state of charge · remaining hours · water temperature · trolling motor · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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