I'm not suggesting you may be using MLI incorrectly, but . . . I use it in Forward Mode when I'm casting. Or trolling, and I turn the transducer around. When I'm ice fishing I pretty much always use it in Down Mode. The exception is if I'm "ice trolling"--when I'm on a huge flat bottomed shallow lake (like Upper Red Lake). I'll drive next to an ice heave for quarter mile or more, and have the kid riding on the tail gate with the power auger. Every 30~50' I'll stop, he'll get out & drill a hole. We'll keep that up for a LONG ways. Then we'll turn around and stop at every hole, scoop the ice out of it, and drop the transducer in and give it one spin while looking for fish. When we see a school of them, we'll get on top of it and fish them. But they DO move around! This is one way to get on top of the fish quickly. And waiting to put the MLI transducer in until after the holes are drilled gives the fish time to recover from the noise of the auger. Other than moving around a lot, I haven't found a good reason for using Forward Mode while ice fishing. Is that how you're trying to use it?
