898c si

[hartwa]

Hi guys....

I am new to fall crappie fishing. i.always went during the spring spawn before but this year i want to try to locate the fall slabs. I bought the 898c si to help me locate them but i am not having any luck even marking fish.

I am not sure that i am using it correctly..... I am fishing a large flowage in wisconsin concentraing on the 20 to 30 foot flats away from the current. The water temp is 62.

I have found a few fish..single pins on the sonar but not anything close to a school to crappies.

When fishing new water how much time do your guys typicallytypically spend prefishing? I got 5 hours in in two days.

I am using clear mode....mostly due to the junk on the water. The si is on 800...should i use 455? Should i target a different water depth for this temp? Djfferent location...dropoffs maybe?


I appreciate any help you guys can offer....my wife says she expects a return on the 898 investment....help!

Hartwa

[rnvinc]

Here is good info on where to start looking for crappie as the water temp changes during the season...
Archives - Stuff we don't want to loose.

Your lake may vary some but you are on the right track as looking for the bait...

Your 898c SI has 2 separate SI frequencies...(see depiction below)...

While the 800kHz is going to give better detailed images.. The 455kHz should not be overlooked as it will show fish higher in the water column out to the sides...

As fall crappie are basically looking to fatten up for the winter..they may be moving a lot chasing bait up in the water column giving the 455kHz (180degree coverage) an advantage of detecting those moving fish...

Keep moving and find the bait...and give the 455kHz SI beam a try...



Rickie

[hartwa]

Thanks for the help...I will try the 455 frequency.

I saw a tactic on a video where a guy was tying several hooks on one line about 5 feet apsrt. On the bottom he had a 3/4 oz weight. He was trolling this. Instead of just watching my sonar...i might as well do this too while i am surveying water. It might help me to id cralpies onthe screen if i do rerun into them. You know...i see marks on the screen and then the pole goes down...i will learn what i am looking for on the screen.

I guess he was using his trolling motor...not sure what speed. Maybe 2 mph?