Identify Bass from trash fish?

[idahobasser]

I have been trying to catch bass in the deeper open water. I find fish but I don't know if they are bass, catfish, or carp. Is there a trick to this using the fish finder or do I need a camera? I just want to know how the experts do this?

[Cajun1977]

the only way to know for sure is to catch it. baitfish is the exception cause they will look like a cloud of crap on your finder and the fish will be arched shape,but to tell bass from catfish youll have to wet a line.

welcome to the site

[Thefishy1]

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Thats the best way that I know to figure out what is down there, unless you want to pay 2000$ for the side-scan sonar. ;D

[Cajun1977]

the side imager still wont show you what type of species

[FHUAngler]

Actually-the Lowrance LMS series color sonar identifies catfish from bass. Bass will be represented by a certain arc, however, catfish will be more of a half circle arch with red and yellow underneath. The bass will show no red or yellow underneath. This, I know for a fact.

[Infidel.]

Actually-the Lowrance LMS series color sonar identifies catfish from bass. Bass will be represented by a certain arc, however, catfish will be more of a half circle arch with red and yellow underneath. The bass will show no red or yellow underneath. This, I know for a fact.

That's too cool.   8-)

Doesn't that have to do with the size of the airbladder?

[WRB]

Actually-the Lowrance LMS series color sonar identifies catfish from bass. Bass will be represented by a certain arc, however, catfish will be more of a half circle arch with red and yellow underneath. The bass will show no red or yellow underneath. This, I know for a fact.

Where did you come up with that fact? Lowrance factory settings are set to show the hotter spectrum colors as the stronger signal returns.

Blue being cool and red being warmer or stronger followed by yellow etc. Air is one of the most dense signal returns a sonar can pick up, thus shown as red. Both bass and catfish have air bladders that the sonar signal returns as marks. If the fish is directly under the transducer signal in the center of the cone area, the signal will be the stronger than signals out on the outer cone edge. Free swimming bass, carp, catfish or any other fish with air bladders, including baitfish, will return a strong warm color signal return. The arc shape is generated by the boat moving over the target; as the target enters the cone signal area the return is faint and gets stronger as the boat passes, then fades, creating the arc shape. Or the fish swims through the cone signal area, creating an arc shape or straight line if both the fish and boat ae traveling at the same speed.

The signal returns location in regards to baitfish or structure elements is your best clue to what the fish is. Catfish usually lay on the bottom, belly down on the mud. Bass rarley lay on the bottom and normally will have a few inches to several feet of bttom seperation or they are free swimming under or in the baitfish schools.

WRB

[Crestliner2008]

An UW viewing system (camera) is the only sure way. If you can see bait fish clouds near the bottom and defined arches close by, you probably have some predatory fish down there of some kind. But they could be pike, cats, large crappie or yellow perch...you just can't know for sure unless you can take a peek with the camera. Or...unless you can catch one!    Trouble is, a lot of folks fish over what they think are their target species and catch nothing. It's amazing to see a bunch of smallies down there; knowing that can give you the confidence to stick around and switch up your presentations until you connect.

[FHUAngler]

The different color underneath the arcs has something to do with the fact that the catfish has skin which allows the sonar to send back a different signal as opposed to the bass which has a skin covered in scales. I learned this from fishing with a Lowrance Pro Staffer one day. He showed me the arcs and told me it had to do with the skin differences..so I will take his word for it, since he IS a pro.

[Jig Man]

Professional catfish guides swear that they can tell the difference on a color unit.

[.dsaavedra.]

the only way to tell for sure is just to try and catch whatevers down there!!!!

[NBR]

It makes no difference what kind of sonar it is they show something submerged in the water. A sonar can't differentiate between a partially submerged stick, a plastic bottle or a fish. Bait does show as a blob because there is a lot of it close together.

Other than a guess as to the fish type because of where the echo shows up the only way to know for sure what it might be is catch one, have an underwater camera or send a diver down.

[surfer]

It makes sense to me that high end sonar could tell a difference in the densities of the fish considering that cheap ones can see the difference between the density of mud and sand.

[Sam]

Interesting question.

For guys who are experts with their sonar  (like Don Iovino) they may be able to tell a bass from a carp from a crappie from a catfish from a pike from a muskie from a striper from a bowfin, etc. But for us normal guys, we usually cannot do this.

You may also have a nack to "feel" the bite and know what hit you other than having the fish take your bait and head out, never to be turned or landed, and believing it was a striper.

I agree with the guys that you have to catch the critter to see what it is.

And the bluegill, white and yellow perch and Crappie can drive you nuts with their tap-tap-tap and never get caught.

If you ever find the secret please share it with us.

And welcome aboard.

[WRB]

The different color underneath the arcs has something to do with the fact that the catfish has skin which allows the sonar to send back a different signal as opposed to the bass which has a skin covered in scales. I learned this from fishing with a Lowrance Pro Staffer one day. He showed me the arcs and told me it had to do with the skin differences..so I will take his word for it, since he IS a pro.

Lowrance Electronics; 918/437.6881

Give them a call and report your Pro Staffer name, he is misleading his customers. A 25 to 60 pound blue or channel catfish will look different (bigger) than bass in the same lake. Skin vereses scales, thats a stretch of the imagination. What is evident from a sonar return is the location of the fish and the relative signal strength within the signal field area. Carp and bass look alike to sonar. Fish that are free swimming in the water column look similar to sonar; stripers, bass, trout, pike, musky, catfish or whatever. The size and shape of the signal return in comparison to the amount of airbladder a particular fish may have that gives a high density return, may give you clues to what a fish maybe; based on location, not color of the return.

Trout for example tyically return a thin nearly straight line arc because they a fast swimmers and have small airbladders, whereas bass create an arc shape return because they tend to swim slower and have large airbladders. To some degree some fish can be identified based on knowledge of the fish location and how the signal return appears. It's still a best guess without seeing the fish visually. Scales verses skin is pure BS.

WRB

[FHUAngler]

All i know is that I got to fish with a pro for a day. I won't name him. But he showed me how to use the sonar and thats what he told me. He was using a LCX-113C, and he said that based on the color underneath the arc he could tell between CATFISH and BASS. He said it was due to the skin material and the way the sonar reacts to each. He also said that he could usually tell between bass and crappie just because of the way each usually hangs out in the water column, but that he couldn't tell based on the arc and the color. This is just what i was told...no reason to throw any accusations out.

[Del from philly]

The different color underneath the arcs has something to do with the fact that the catfish has skin which allows the sonar to send back a different signal as opposed to the bass which has a skin covered in scales. I learned this from fishing with a Lowrance Pro Staffer one day. He showed me the arcs and told me it had to do with the skin differences..so I will take his word for it, since he IS a pro.

Lowrance Electronics; 918/437.6881

Give them a call and report your Pro Staffer name, he is misleading his customers. WRB

BETTER YET, call the police and have this guy ARRESTED!

sometimes these big hotshot "pros" need to learn a thing or 2 that only the back of a police car can teach you....

;)