Secret tip revealed

[Nightprowler]

Here goes. Take a average size live crappie that you just caught from your lake and get 12 to 15 feet of fishing line. Then tie a loop knot to the fish's lip (so it can swim freely) and the other end tied somewhere near your transducer. Now let the fish go back and watch what a actual crappie looks like on YOUR depth finder. You can adjust the unit and see what the different feature do. Release the fish unharmed and THANK HIM for the lesson he just gave you. Next time out you'll know what to look for and be able to know a crappie from a trash fish. Hope this helps.
Nightprowler

[luvjign]

This very subject has surfaced here more than once, and became very controversial every time!!!!!

[beagle man]

sounds like a fun thing to do, I always wondered why the fish people couldnt incorporate facial recognition programs into the fish finders I think I will try that trick I dont think it will work but what the heck. now if I can catch a crappie

[CrappiePappy]

This very subject has surfaced here more than once, and became very controversial every time!!!!!

.... the subject of tying a Crappie to a line afixed to a balloon or floating marker, as an attempt to "use" the fish to follow the school, with the assumption that the "marked" fish would return to the school ... has been discussed. Yes, it did prove to be a bit controversial, in that it was considered by some to be unsportsmanlike, and in some cases considered illegal.
This particular "tip" is not the same situation ... and it could be accomplished by simply allowing a caught fish to swim around, while still on your rod/reel/line, under the transducer. But, unless you have a really high end depthfinder, you're really not likely to be able to distinguish any difference between a Crappie & another fish. And maybe not even then

... cp

[LBM]

While tightlinging and watching my jigs on the graph while fishing it has always amazed me at the size of mark on the graph for the jigs I'm fishing with. If the little jigs returns a mark on the graph of that size it seems like the graph mark going over a 10 inch crappie would have and display a much larger mark but I really don't see larger marks on my graph.

In the past while tightlinging I have been happily fishing along watching the marks on the graph thinking well at least there are fish down there and then realized I was just watching my own jigs. :o

[yankee doodler]

While tightlinging and watching my jigs on the graph while fishing it has always amazed me at the size of mark on the graph for the jigs I'm fishing with. If the little jigs returns a mark on the graph of that size it seems like the graph mark going over a 10 inch crappie would have and display a much larger mark but I really don't see larger marks on my graph.

In the past while tightlinging I have been happily fishing along watching the marks on the graph thinking well at least there are fish down there and then realized I was just watching my own jigs. :o

when I first started spider rigging and flipped my 727 over to dual beam. Couldn't figure out why all the fish I was marking were in the 83kz and not moving into the 200kz. Then it dawned on me....:o. Live and learn.

[CrappiePappy]

While tightlinging and watching my jigs on the graph while fishing it has always amazed me at the size of mark on the graph for the jigs I'm fishing with. If the little jigs returns a mark on the graph of that size it seems like the graph mark going over a 10 inch crappie would have and display a much larger mark but I really don't see larger marks on my graph.
In the past while tightlinging I have been happily fishing along watching the marks on the graph thinking well at least there are fish down there and then realized I was just watching my own jigs. :o

I wonder if the lead of the jighead, returns a stronger signal than the air sac of a 10" Crappie (lead being denser than air) ... therefore creating the illusion of a larger "signal" (not actually being a larger signal, but a stronger one that was interpreted as such by the unit).

... cp

[mozingo1952]

a solitary ,stationary target under a motionless boat will just draw a straight
line on your finder, what will that tell you ?
You have to consider a lot of variables when looking at a sonar image.
a small fish close to the transducer can appear much larger than a big fish
further away. Speed of the boat , speed of the target, water depth , range
or scale on the unit, these are some of the things that have to be considered
when reading a graph. It is not as easy as it may appear.
I try to minimize the number of varialbles, when I look for fish or structure.
I keep the unit on the same scale all the time, 30 ft,
and keep the boat at idle speed,

I think it is important to look at your finder when you are catching fish,
many people forget to do this.

Mo

[ReelfootYankee]

a solitary ,stationary target under a motionless boat will just draw a straight
line on your finder, what will that tell you ?
You have to consider a lot of variables when looking at a sonar image.
a small fish close to the transducer can appear much larger than a big fish
further away. Speed of the boat , speed of the target, water depth , range
or scale on the unit, these are some of the things that have to be considered
when reading a graph. It is not as easy as it may appear.
I try to minimize the number of varialbles, when I look for fish or structure.
I keep the unit on the same scale all the time, 30 ft,
and keep the boat at idle speed,

I think it is important to look at your finder when you are catching fish,
many people forget to do this.

Mo

Do you troll and keep 30FT allthe time and why?
And have you ever just kept a fish on your line and see how it reads on your sonar? Just woundering dude. I prob. missed something becuase of the thirst the heat created! Thanks for the info though. RFY

[mozingo1952]

No , I don't troll , but I rarely fish below thirty feet. If you let
the unit change ranges automatically, the picture varies. so even if I am
looking at 10 or 15 ft of water , I keep the 30 ft scale. So 2 lb fish looks
the same on the bottom in 15 feet of water as suspended at 15 ft in
30 ft of water. If you let the unit switch ranges on you , it looks
completely different.

Haven't kept a fish in the water on purpose just to look, but I have watched them come up on my line before.


good luck

MO