scrutch

I'm still trying to get better at identifying fish species when I makr them. I've never tried the inverse palette. Does it make a big difference marking fish Wayne?

#1 is a rockpile on the edge of deep water. #2 and #3 are a creek channel #4 is a weedline with a stump in the upper right hand corner. #5 I'm still working on identifying. I'll post more pics of this next time I get to this lake. I think it's got something to do with the roadbed that runs thru the lake. ALL are areas I've identified as structure to fish. QUESTION: Which areas would YOU hit first and why? And when would you think would be a good time to find fish there?

any guesses on these images? #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

I'm trying to figure out how to post pics that you can zoom in on. I'll figure it out... I hope...

This is a snapshot of one of the weedy points I scanned yesterday. You will see the weeds extend from the shoreline about 35 feet off the port side, and ending about 7 feet to the starboard side in about 12 feet of water. Also notice the creek channel I have drawn in. It passes by the tip of this point and has a 2-3 foot drop and averages 5 to 10 feet wide. I marked a lot of fish in the channel and caught a few. I'd like to know how YOU would fish this. AND, WHEN do you think this would be a good spot to hit? Pre-spawn? Post-spawn? Mid summer? All the time? Water clarity 2-3 feet of visibility. Notice the water temp in the pic... Weather was 70 degrees and cloudy. These weeds are last year's crop and are DEAD right now. I see what I think is a large fish in the left side-scan pane about 5 feet from the boat. the track of the boat was from #1 to #2 a better view...

My "oh crap" moment was just last weekend. In a hurry to get in the water for some evening fishing. Put the boat in the water, looked down at my feet and saw water coming up thru the floor drain in my boat! Yep...."oh crap!" Forgot the plug! grabbed the plug from the splashwell and laid down to reach the hole in the transom step to put the plug in. Whew! Got it. That was close! Opened the battery compartment to see how much water I had taken on board. "oh crap" AGAIN!! Plug was in the wrong (livewell intake) hole!! Finally grabbed my spare plug and put the plug in the correct hole. It took the bilge about 20 minutes to pump all the water out of the boat. I had water over top my battery boxes! THAT was fun getting that water out of the battery boxes when I got home! NOTE TO SELF: Don't get in a hurry!

Any bug that requires a 5/0 hook to use for bait, ain't worth catching.

Tom, aren't you at work right now?

I know all of you are gonna sit back in your chairs, roll your eyes and say "AWW MAN!" But I gotta say, after all the cars I've seen, I'd still buy a Corvette ZR1. Let the dogpiling begin!

Have you seen the new Z9 CDC? Center Dual Console. I think it looks kinda weird, but I think there is a lot of function to this design. check it out. Nitro boats

It was great meeting you Ronnie. I enjoyed talking to you every morning at breakfast and seeing the piles of sugar packets beside your plate! WOW! You are a machine!

RIP Jack. you'll be missed.

John would know better than almost anyone... I was thinking whites or stripers... I have several images like this. Kenlake is LOADED with these fish!

Very true Big O. I felt sorry for him trying to fish three in my 18 footer. He was so gracious and upbeat. It was so cold and windy and we were on top of each other in my boat. Steezy never uttered a hint of a complaint. I'd go fishing with him anytime, anywhere. I think I'd have enjoyed myself just as much if not more if I would have just watched RW, Steezy and you fish that dam at Kenlake. It's not very often I get an opportunity to watch a pro like you in action. Thanks for being so patient and gracious with us novices. I haven't forgotten... 1. Access to deep water. 2. Find what they like to eat. 3. Find what they like to eat more! I already KNOW what they like to eat! RAGE TAIL! Thanks a million!!

I was laughing until I read the story of how the Fluffy story happened. I think STEEZY could aptly be named Fluffy II. If the Steezamatic reads this, I'll let him tell the story. "Hats off" to ya Bob! Great fishing with ya!

Some Roadtrip 2011 images from Kentucky and Barkley lakes from last weekend....We marked a ton of fish but I'm a little new to this technology and I need to learn how to interpret the species of fish a little better. Right now all I'm going on is the size and shape of the schools and the size and shape of the individual echoes. Is there any other way to do this? How can I tell if I'm looking at largemouth? What do you all see in these images? I think these are bass on a sharp drop into Barkley's main lake channel on the edge of a spawning flat next to a point. The bottom contour doesn't show how steep it was because I was zigzagging across the top of the dropoff. It drops from 6ft to 25ft in a space of about 25 feet. Bait ball, bass, and scattered structure? These next two are very interesting... I'll reserve my comments until you get a chance to guess...

Gentlemen, gentlemen. Before it gets too chippy here, I'd like to add ... If the bass spawn and contributing factors were singular and simple, then discussions like this wouldn't be fun for some. Moreover, bass fishing would be boring. The fact that nature and specifically bass biology is a tangled web of contributing factors makes it fun. There's ALWAYS a new puzzle to be put together. Thank you for your intuitive approach. Those who are frustrated by this thread can exercise their right to CLICK. Fishing is like golf. An unconquerable sport in which the factors leading to success are always changing. The journey is the reward.

Wayne is right. I usually use 2-3 times the depth for the most accurate readings. Farther out in "search mode", like 4-5 times the depth ti identify larger structure to focus on and scan again at setting for a more accurate picture.

Gary & Mary, It was a pleasure getting to talk to you. I only wish we had more time to get acquainted. Send me your address and I'll send you another bottle of the Oliver Blackberry. I might be able to make it to Pickwick if that's where the Roadtrip goes next year. I hope to see you there if it works out. GMAN, I enjoyed meeting you. I didn't get the jigs I wanted so I'll have to get some from you soon. I wanted to go fishing with you on Kentucky Lake but I needed to keep David with me. Maybe at Pickwick you can show me a few things about jigs. I'm already looking forward to it. Keep in touch! Scrutch

What I have found since buying an 1197 is that it's actually easier to locate structure with the 2D sonar than with the DI. It's not as defined, but you'll identify more structure with the 2D, mark it with the GPS, and return to scan it with the DI for a better picture. The reason for this is the shape of the sonar beams. You can pass NEAR structure with 2D and see it. With DI you have to be directly over top of it to get a good image. That being said, the DI is an awesome tool. If you can afford it, it's worth the extra money to get a unit with Side Imaging. You'll be able to scan MUCH more water with one pass.

How was Wednesday's fishing? Did the storm shut them down a little? How about a little Roadtrip fishing report?

Hey yall, I just got home from the Roadtrip. Man what a great time! I learned so much from everyone, especially Big O. I can't wait to take all the tips and apply them to my home lakes! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all. Glenn, Keri, Lund Explorer, Long Mike, Uncle Leo, CWB, Birdman78, Tombstone, MNGeorge, Roadwarrior, Alpster (how's the thumb?), Fishing Rhino, Simp, Oteymc, MR. STEEZY (Great fun to fish with you! Sorry I didn't put you on more fish!), CJ (thanks for all the tips!), Greg & Deb, and BIG O (thanks for all your education and mostly for your patience and caring about us little people. It was truly an honor spending a little time with you and learning from you!). For any of you reading this that have never been to a Roadtrip. Get to one soon. It'll be an experience you'll never forget! Roadtrip pics and videos coming soon...

I have a two stroke Merc. Two stroke + prolonged idling = expensive death. Seafoam will clean all that gunk out of your motor. Put an entire pint can into your tank (treats 8 - 25 gal). Take that boat to a lake that you can make LONG RUNS and BLOW IT OUT! Take some rags with you to clean all that gunk off your motor around the exhaust. Your motor should run better.

Heading out in one hour to Bloomington, IN to pick up my bro-in-law. Then on to Kenlake! See YAWLL there! Be Safe!

Just follow your nose Tom. I gottta believe an 'ol salty dog like you can navigate his way to the good fishing grounds.