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Thread: Help me locate more fish!!

  1. #41
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    First you need to trust your Electronics... Your boat speed needs to match the Settings on the sonar. the side imaging showing streaks is a good indication it is not set correctly... Huge bait balls are also a good indication the Fish are not feeding. In cold water you have to slow down --- get on u-Tube fishing and watch lots on setups using Helix units .. some of those guys have the camera set up poorly showing the screen without you being able to see what buttons are using.. On the water SI and DI are covered very well and watch dozens by different users. Knowing how the colors and brightness helps you understand what the Sonar is putting on the screen
    Likes SpeckledSlab LIKED above post

  2. #42
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    Another year!


    Made an upgrade to my sonar via an HDSI transducer. Seems to clear the SI up a good deal, still have not made much use of DI yet.


    Have been twice so far for quick outings on a local 190acre reseivoir. First trip SWT was 36.8, still some ice in coves. I cruised the banks with SI, playing with settings and looking for structure. Found a pretty good looking spot on a point in 10-12ft, but could not really tell if I saw fish or not. They definitely weren't piled in there if any at all.

    I tried to cast some 1/32oz natural bucktail jigs I had tied this winter. That proved difficult with my gear. Switched to 1/16oz for better castability.

    I let sink to bottom, and retrieved in at a snails pace. I was able to hang up a few times, so atleast I was in the "right" spot. No bites or confidence any were likely to come, so I fiddled with my sonar a bit more before loading up to beat the coming rain.



    3 days later, the temps were to be 50. Talked the wife into going with me after work, we loaded up quick and returned to the same lake.

    SWT's were 41. I had plans to scope out a spot near the dam, I had seen several boats there before. Curious if they were fishing some brushpiles or such.

    A boat was already in that area, so I chugged back to the spot I fished previously in 10-12ft. I didn't spend as much time with the sonar here as I wanted. Took me a few passes to even find the structure I had seen last time (even though I had it marked!) and oddly enough it did not appear the same to me. I eventually quit making circles and spotlocked over a bit of some brush. This times I tied on slip bobbers and jigs with paddletail plastics. Black/chart and pink/chart, and tipped with some crappie nibbles (I picked 8 jars up at Walmart for $.75ea!)

    Had troubles with the light jigs pulling the line down to the stopper, and realized I had left my splitshot at home. Switched to 1/8oz jigs to alleviate the sinking issues.

    Was much easier to fish this setup. I used the rod lengths to measure out about 9-9.5 ft tot he bobber stops, and it seems close enough. Adjusting mine a foot down had me hitting bottom by a few inches later.


    Gave it a good attempt with no bites (or, really any hope of them), so I moved back towards the dam to check that spot out.

    Using SI as I pulled past a point hitting a little deeper water towards the dam (22-25ft), I started seeing fish in SI in the water column. I switched to 2D and saw a good deal of decent sized short, blobby arches, mostly holding at 15-16ft. Many were close to bottom. This went on for a decent area, I cut the bobbers off, and we dropped jigs to bottom and pulled up a tad. Fished various depths as we sat. There was zero breeze at this point, so really no drift. I used the Ulterra to keep some sort of movement so we could backtrack through the fish we marked. No bites.


    The wife switched to using the lil buddy heater and reading on her phone out of boredom. I threw out both rods and made some slow passes over the area. Tried various depths and speeds up to .4, but no luck. Hit the ramp and made it home a little before dark.


    Its going to be 66 today. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold, might have to cut out of here early!

  3. #43
    Redge is offline Crappie.com Legend - 2017 Man Of The Year
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    Nice post Binfordw, I enjoyed the read.
    Proud Member of Team Geezer!

  4. #44
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    It was forecasted to hit nearly 70 today.


    I aimed to leave work at lunch, and give it another attempt on the same water. Some meetings dragged things out until 2pm, but I hit the door running!



    I put in and went straight back to the place I marked fish yesterday, by the dam. Sure enough, I started seeing fish on SI.








    I had a plan to fish this again differently. I rigged 1oz bell sinkers with a jig 20" above- or spider rigging style as I could remember. I drifted and trolled over this area for 20-30 mins with jigs/plastics tipped with crappie nibbles. I began to realize these were likely not crappie. Not sure what they were, but, I decided to move on.


    I cruised the same west bank with SI, however, this time I killed the main motor and used the Ulterra. I figured in 10-15ft of water, noise didnt help.


    It wasnt too far before I passed a small cove and at the south side of the cove, I saw fish! I marked it, and tracked back over it using 2D and trying DI, although I can actually make out what I might call fish in the DI, it's definitely not obvious to me (in DI)






    I spotlocked and cut off the bell sinkers, and re-rigged 1/16oz jigs with plastics. I used a black/chart (3 legged "joker?" grub- cant recall name!) and paddle tail shad in pink/chart to start, tipped with pink nibbles.

    I watched the 2D mark fish right off bottom, while I waited for something to bite. 5 mins in while I was fiddling with the sonar, I got a nibble!!


    Did I just get a nibble!?! on artificial bait in march?


    A few minutes later, another bite, this time I landed a monster dink!






    It wasn't long before I had another monster in the boat. Then more hits. I was even able to change colors a couple of times when one rod caught a few fish in a row and not much on the other.



    A shot of the 2D




    I saved this one after catching one, seems to show me pulling it out of the pile, sorta neat!







    I put enough in the livewell for a meal, I think I managed to get 10 in the boat, I had one get off, and missed a handful of hits. This all happened within maybe 30 mins. I noticed the 2D was thinning out, I jogged around to see if I could get back on them but didn't have much luck. There was still fish, but not packed several thick as when I started. When I decided it was time to leave, I noticed my crappie nibbles were gone on both jigs.

    I wanted to try to find another spot, hopefully similar, and be able to pull up a few more, but I didnt see anything worth trying really. I headed to the ramp, happy I was able to make a plan work!






    I still have doubts I can go tomorrow and repeat these results, BUT, atleast I saw fish, marked them, fished the spot and was successful!!


    Really looking forward to frying these up!
    Last edited by binfordw; 03-13-2019 at 08:10 PM.

  5. #45
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    cevans is offline Crappie.com Legend * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Awesome! WTG!

    PROUD MEMBER OF TEAM GEEZER
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  6. #46
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    The best advice I can give is that it just takes time, and a lot of trial and error. Once you begin to find fish, you can then analyze the conditions, and trace a pattern, which will allow you to predict what spots may be productive on a given day in a given season.

    Finding fish is one thing, finding active fish is another.

    Took me a while to realize that most of the guys on here posting limits of fish on a regular basis have fished their respective lakes for years. There's nothing worse than that "left out" feeling you get when other guys are pulling them in left and right, while you can't get a bite.
    Likes Redge LIKED above post

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