Vertical stacked fish on sonar and questions, etc.

[Cane Pole]

I am sure most of us have seen this on sonar, but it is not a true picture of what is really going on. If the fishes were truly vertically stacked, then only one fishy would show up on the screen. I believe the horizontal alignment of the fishes, but not the vertical. I believe the sonar is re-arranging the fishes in the vertical position. Someone enlighten me here. Just curious. What is really going on here? I understand how sonar works. I too lazy to research this...ha

Tom

[labill]

I am sure most of us have seen this on sonar, but it is not a true picture of what is really going on. If the fishes were truly vertically stacked, then only one fishy would show up on the screen. I believe the horizontal alignment of the fishes, but not the vertical. I believe the sonar is re-arranging the fishes in the vertical position. Someone enlighten me here. Just curious. What is really going on here? I understand how sonar works. I too lazy to research this...ha

Tom

Tom.....you're right about horizontal suspension of crappie, but the only way I discovered this was thru the AquaVu camera. I did see fish "stacked" semi vertically on my sonar, but they were either barfish or stripers when I lowered the camera. The crappie were spread almost all at the same depth, not much more than a foot difference between them. I can't say this is 100% with all crappie all the time, but I have yet to see them suspended vertically anywhere I've looked. I can guess that the only time we might see them in vertical array is if the temp and oxygen were consistently equal from the lower fish to the upper. The only problem with the AquaVu is that when I have it onboard I spend more time looking than fishing, but it's an incredible (and entertaining) tool. :D

[crappieseeker]

Tom, the only time I have been able to positively say that my depth finder was actually showing fish. It showed them vertically stacked, but it also went in a horizontal direction. Now it wasnt vertical all the way to the top of the screen, about half way if I remember correctly. I dont know what was going on down there, but I caught alot of crappie and crappie only that day and when I quit catching fish, I noticed that the depth finder no longer showed fish. I have not ever been able to identify fish any other time. When I just catch 2 or 3 fish from a spot, I am never able to see them on the screen. I do remember a time though where I was catching fish over a brush top and a skiers wake washed me over the top of the structure and it looked like it showed fish moving off the structure. I never caught anymore and when I went back across, the spots were gone, so they must have been spooked.

[Cane Pole]

If I had one, I would be like you...looking instead of fishing. Dont take much to entertain me. I just don't think the sonar view of fish vertically stacked is a true picture. If fish were perfectly stacked, there would be only 1 blip on the screen. Sonar can't see thru fish on top of one another and show it on the screen. just can't happen. I know how sonar works, but never claimed i could use it worth a sheeeet. ha..

Seeker, I understand. Seems like when I see fishes, they ain't hungry...ha..I usually catch fish when i dont see em. I use me sonar to find stuff, not to find the fishes.

Tom

[Crappie Reaper]

I have an old eagle graph that I bought in the mid 80's. I always thought that vertical stacked fish represented a submerged standing tree.

[ShortStorie]

I turn off the fish symbols... Every sonar article I've read says to do so (but I haven't read 'em all)...

[drill instructor]

i have a garmin 250, and when i turn off the fish symbols i don't see many arches and the one that i do see are not well defined?

[Barnacle Bill]

i have a garmin 250, and when i turn off the fish symbols i don't see many arches and the one that i do see are not well defined?

The slower you go, the more stretched out the arches will be. Lowrance says you need to be going at least 3 mph to see an arch. That does't help much when slow trolling.

[SIG70]

at this time of year I look for that upside down triangle to target areas,usually structure.Every time there are some crappie on or around these areas, I cant explain this but it seems to work...I wish I had camera too....

[CrappiePappy]

I think you're right, in your assumption that vertically stacked "fish symbols" do not represent a "true picture". But, that's the best a 2 dimensional screen can do, to show a 3 dimensional world. It's not "saying" that the fish are perfectly aligned, one above the other. But, even if they were, they would still show up ... just like the bottom and structure shows underneath a "fish symbol". What I think it is showing, is a tightly packed school of fish ... where the signals are so close together, but far enough apart, to be interpreted as seperate fish. The screen, as you've mentioned before, is "history" of what the signal has already passed over. The boat is moving, the fish are moving, so you don't really get a "static" picture. Crappie tend to school in a "pancake" shaped formation, around structure or cover ... whereas some other species tend to form a "wad" (like a moving school of Shad).
The only time I've seen "stacked" fish symbols - and caught fish from the area where these "stacks" were showing - was when trolling for Hybrid Stripers. The larger Hybrids were suspended at this spot, and chasing Shad schools to the surface. We caught quite a few, before they moved off the spot and I lost track of them.
Just my thoughts on the matter ............ cp