how do you use down scan

[brettw]

Guys I've enjoyed using the down scan and feature on my lowrance, I use it every time I go out, but I'd like to be able to see schools of fish and what I usually see is just pile of brush , rocks other structure. I'm thinking this the next time I go out I'm going to use the down scan almost exclusively to see if I can pick up any place that has large schools of fish and then just fishing those spots. What do you think?
Is it the wrong time of year to be trying this, because it seems like when I go to all my favorite brush piles , I pick up one or two fish and then I have to move on. So how do you guys use your down scan ,thanks

[beagle man]

knowing your location would be of great help, In Missouri, the weather is changing, IE the fish will start to move following the shad, so I just start scanning points, mouths of coves, find a big ball of shad and work it, sometimes side works better than down, but down scan has sure help me find a lot of brush and trees, find the structure, natural or man made fish will not be to far from there, then search out the deep water to shallow water, the fish will probably travel back and forth, now once you find the fish and catch a couple or four they will move on you , so circle around and do it all over again.

[brettw]

location near Charlotte nc

[brettw]

water temperature still 80

[brettw]

So what you're saying is as the water cools off scan points and find structure on the points also bait balls and fish there is right?
I think we are in full summer pattern

[Shellback]

I think you might have better luck with sidescan. No need to run over the fish you are trying to catch. Very limited experience with downscan and sidescan, but one trip sold me on sidescan. Running by a brushpile and the white dots of fish show up. Make a cast, and bang a fish. Run by the next brushpile, and no white dots. make a cast, and up comes an empty hook. Take a trip to Kerr reservoir, your NC license is good there and there are hundreds of brushpiles. DonG might even share some waypoints!

[skiptomylu]

Besides water temps come down they get ready to feast to stock up for winter and go shallower chasing shad before heading deep to their winter spots. Your lucky having water temps at 80, we are over 90. I sure am looking for cooler weather as soon as possible and will start fishing hydrilla again trolling my little Roadrunners.

[Greenwing]

I would use side scan to locate the fish and mark them, then use down scan or 2D to try and catch them.

[slabbacks]

brettw

Alot of good points brought up already. Oct. is a special time to be out there, bait balls and slabs with the feed bag on.

When I use the DI this time of year in areas where I have brush out already, I'll hit the brush piles one at a time looking for the one with the most activity. I'll keep this up till I find one that looks really good and drop a marker. After hitting the other brush I know of and maybe marking another one I'll then go back and start fishing the first marker I put out. I'll start from the outside and work into the middle of the brush. The time spent checking other locations let the fish move back into the spot if spooked.

As already said above those fish will move if you have your boat right on top of them in the depths we have them right now around here in TN. Later in the season though when they pull out deep it's a def. story. In this picture from Dec. (if i recall right) you can see the crappie stacked on the ledge of the channel in the trees. I was able to get over them with a bottom bounce rig and have a ball using a flasher unit after finding them with the DI. The other photo is just a reference. We are finding them in 8-12 fow in brush, these I would slide into with a spider rig just bumping the edges or cast to.






After using the DI for close to a year now I have to agree with shellback, I can see the added help a SI unit will give. I just ordered a 898c HD SI from Brian at BBG that should be here soon. Will be interesting to see at least.

On this tree I've marked fish stacked in and around it from the DI, went over it and saw nothing...this is just in front of the houseboat.

After parking the boat and dropping a camera down I noticed something else. I saw no bait fish at all through the water from top to bottom. In the next few weeks as the water temps drop start looking for that and I hope you get a boat load. The large schools on the screen will show back up too.

[brettw]

excellent input, thanks, I'll try and remember it all. I guess I need to start using my SI more as a fish finder than merely a brush locator