Marking birds with Simrad Halo radar means selecting the preset Bird mode, which automatically sets the gain, sea, and rain clutter for finding birds, then using a dual screen and the offset feature to extend your view well in front of the boat so you can change course toward the action. In this How 2 Tuesday I sit down with Captain Scott Walker to walk through the Halo's modes and the exact setup he runs to find birds.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
On the Halo radar, marking birds used to mean fiddling with gain and clutter settings, but now it is a preset. Go to menu and choose Bird mode, which automatically adjusts the array speed and sets the gain, sea or surface clutter, and rain clutter all at once. Scott pairs that with a dual screen and the offset feature to see miles ahead, then changes course toward where the birds show up. He demonstrates the whole setup in the episode.
The Halo has preset modes for different jobs: Harbor for near-shore docking in fog, heavy rain, or lightning; Offshore for finding the fleet when the bite is on; Weather for spotting and avoiding lightning and rain; and Bird mode for finding feeding birds. Each mode sets the gain and clutter for that task with one button. There is also a Custom mode for advanced users who want to save a perfect setting. Scott explains each one in the episode.
Offset shifts your boat's position to the bottom of the radar screen because you do not care what is behind you. Go to settings, view, position, and choose look ahead. It drops everything down and opens up several more miles of view in front of the boat, so a six-mile range effectively lets Scott see about ten miles ahead. That extra reach is what gets him on birds sooner. He shows the menu path in the episode.
Scott likes a dual screen, which is unique to the EVO3 and above, so he can watch a long range and a short range side by side. He sets one around six miles and the other around 1.5 miles. The long range finds the birds far off, and the short range, along with binoculars, lets him verify whether it is really birds or just a small boat as he closes in. He explains his ranges in the episode.
At long range an area of returns might be birds or might be a small boat, so Scott verifies as he gets within about a mile and a half. He uses his 1.5-mile screen and a pair of binoculars to confirm it is legitimate birds before committing. Until then he changes course, sets the autopilot, and trusts the process. He walks through that verification in the episode.
In the past, marking birds on radar was genuinely hard, you would dial in the settings, then have to change everything to look at anything else. The new Simrad Halo changed that with preset modes, and Scott Walker runs it as well as anyone. He has spent years refining how he uses the Halo to find feeding birds offshore, and he shares the exact ranges and the offset trick that lets him see miles ahead. Hear him break it down in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Marking birds used to mean manually setting gain, sea clutter, and rain clutter, then undoing it all to look at something else. The Halo's preset Bird mode does it in one button, adjusting the array speed and all the clutter settings for finding birds at once. These presets were built from captains' input over years of fishing. Scott explains why that takes the guesswork out in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Scott likes a dual screen, unique to the EVO3 and above, so he can watch long and short ranges together. He sets one around six miles to spot birds far off and one around 1.5 miles to verify as he closes in. In rough water he runs a tighter range and speeds up when it lays down. He covers his exact ranges in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The offset feature is Scott's favorite trick. He does not care what is behind him, so he goes to settings, view, position, and chooses look ahead, which drops the boat to the bottom of the screen and opens up four more miles in front. At a six-mile setting he is really looking about ten miles ahead. That reach gets him on birds first. He shows the setup in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Radar gives you a target, but it does not tell you for sure that it is birds. Scott changes course toward the return, sets the autopilot, and trusts the process, then verifies with his 1.5-mile screen and binoculars as he gets within a mile and a half. That keeps him from running down a small boat by mistake. He explains the verification routine in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The Halo radar turned bird marking from a fiddly chore into a one-button preset, and that changes how aggressively you can hunt the bite offshore. Bird mode, a dual screen, and offset are the three pieces that matter.
Set up your screen the way Scott does, trust the process when a return shows, and verify with your eyes before you commit. Press play in the player above for the full walkthrough.
Captain Scott Walker · Into the Blue · Simrad · Simrad Halo radar · EVO3 · Bird mode · offset · Waypoint TV · How 2 Tuesday · Tom Rowland Podcast · Saltwater Experience
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.
Captain Scott Walker runs Into the Blue and is one of the most respected charter captains in the Florida Keys. He runs a full suite of Simrad electronics, including Halo radar, and is known for turning complex marine technology into simple steps any angler can use. He is a frequent How 2 Tuesday guest in the Simrad electronics series.
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