New boat , now where are the fish on Lake Erie?

[Ksam1234]

Sooo I purchased my new boat today!! Get to pick it up Saturday and start fishing for the fall bass. I live right off Lake Erie at the dunkirk harbor and wonder if anyone can help with locating those gorgeous smallies.   The boat comes with a simple hook 5 lowrance fish finder so nothing to crazy as of now. But wondering how to locate these fish? In the spring they are easy for me to find but I don’t know where they go after that as I have never had a boat. Going to take some trial and error obviously but any advice would help.  Or how to read the fish finder properly etc. would they be in 25 ft ? 35? Or shallower now.  

[J Francho]

There's good fishing right out of Dunkirk.  Battery point, or head further east to in front of the Catt.  You could spend a lifetime dissecting what's just a ten minute run from there.

[Ksam1234]

2 minutes ago, J Francho said:

There's good fishing right out of Dunkirk.  Battery point, or head further east to in front of the Catt.  You could spend a lifetime dissecting what's just a ten minute run from there.

The catt as in catterogus creek ? And where is battery point hah. Sorry 

[J Francho]

Yes, and just a few miles east of Dunkirk.  Go up on Navionics Chart Viewer, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[Ksam1234]

44 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Yes, and just a few miles east of Dunkirk.  Go up on Navionics Chart Viewer, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Found it !! Thank you what would you normslly  throw or how deep

[J Francho]

Drop Shot, where ever I found fish.  Last time I was up there in late summer, it was in around 28'.  You might have to chat up the locals, and do some graph work.

[WRB]

Welcome to bass fishing from a boat.

I use the same routine on my home lakes and any other lake to determine what depth the bait and bass are more likely to be active feeding at.

Launch your new boat, use a check list discussed on this site so you don't forget to put in the drain plug or take off hold down straps or transum saver etc. 

While the OB engine is warming put down the TM and turn on the sonar unit. Survey the Marina around the ramp area for any bait fish or bass and note the depth. Idle around a larger area at the marina including the entry break water and any navigation bouys ( bass often hang around bouy anchor blocks. Keep a mental note of the depth you meter any fish, a life zone will become clear. 

Before leaving the marina try fishing for any bass you metered. Check your Navonics map for areas similar to depth and structure elements where you metered marina bass.

Bass anglers don't like to disclose specific areas but will usually be honest about sharing depth, technique and lure colors.

Good luck,

Tom

[J Francho]

I wouldn't spend too much time on harbor rats.

[Krux5506]

First off just get used to that sweet brand new boat. It's gonna be a bit distracting to try and actually fish out of it the very first time you're out. I would just drive around, get a feel for the boat and trolling motor and spend a whole lot of time looking at the sonar. 

[WRB]

5 hours ago, J Francho said:

I wouldn't spend too much time on harbor rats.

Share your way points.

[Ksam1234]

8 hours ago, WRB said:

Welcome to bass fishing from a boat.

I use the same routine on my home lakes and any other lake to determine what depth the bait and bass are more likely to be active feeding at.

Launch your new boat, use a check list discussed on this site so you don't forget to put in the drain plug or take off hold down straps or transum saver etc. 

While the OB engine is warming put down the TM and turn on the sonar unit. Survey the Marina around the ramp area for any bait fish or bass and note the depth. Idle around a larger area at the marina including the entry break water and any navigation bouys ( bass often hang around bouy anchor blocks. Keep a mental note of the depth you meter any fish, a life zone will become clear. 

Before leaving the marina try fishing for any bass you metered. Check your Navonics map for areas similar to depth and structure elements where you metered marina bass.

Bass anglers don't like to disclose specific areas but will usually be honest about sharing depth, technique and lure colors.

Good luck,

Tom

Thank you so much.   Whst do fish actually look like on sonar? Are those the squiggles lines that show up? And bait is the big Mass of dots

7 hours ago, J Francho said:

I wouldn't spend too much time on harbor rats.

Thanks lol

[WRB]

I have only been looking at sonar screens, graphs and flashers since the 60's and don't know how to answer your question about squiggles.

99% of bass anglers don't waste any time in the marina, they launch and run. After fishing all day those anglers return to show off the bass they caught, then release them in the marina, some of those rats are big.

It's a lot easier to learn boat control in a wind protected area the marina provides.

Back to sonar, it's important to understand what a fish sonar return is and it's not the fish, it's the fish airbladder. Small fish small  airbladder tiny signal return, big fish with large airbladder larger signal return. Every fish with a airbladder looks the same on sonar, carp look exactly like bass for example.

My suggestion is go online and watch vedio's on bass fishing using the sonar you have.

Erie is a good sonar lake because it has clear clean water where sonar works best and bass hold tight to structure. 

You have more to learn about boat handling and sonar then anyone can help you with online.

Tom

PS, make sure you read how to break in your new OB before you take off out of the marina.

 

[Ksam1234]

8 minutes ago, WRB said:

I have only been looking at sonar screens, graphs and flashers since the 60's and don't know how to answer your question about squiggles.

99% of bass anglers don't waste any time in the marina, they launch and run. After fishing all day those anglers return to show off the bass they caught, then release them in the marina, some of those rats are big.

It's a lot easier to learn boat control in a wind protected area the marina provides.

Back to sonar, it's important to understand what a fish sonar return is and it's not the fish, it's the fish airbladder. Small fish small  airbladder tiny signal return, big fish with large airbladder larger signal return. Every fish with a airbladder looks the same on sonar, carp look exactly like bass for example.

My suggestion is go online and watch vedio's on bass fishing using the sonar you have.

Erie is a good sonar lake because it has clear clean water where sonar works best and bass hold tight to structure. 

You have more to learn about boat handling and sonar then anyone can help you with online.

Tom

 

Ok thank you!! I know this is going to be a long yet fun journey and learning experience. I am sure I will get skunked a few times. But I’ll do my best to learn about sonar. The different structure looks like and everything else. And by squiggles I mean lines that show up kind of like a  v Shape. Kind of like this. 

[WRB]

1 hour ago, Ksam1234 said:

Ok thank you!! I know this is going to be a long yet fun journey and learning experience. I am sure I will get skunked a few times. But I’ll do my best to learn about sonar. The different structure looks like and everything else. And by squiggles I mean lines that show up kind of like a  v Shape. Kind of like this. 

3 screen shots using traditional 2D down looking sonar conical transducer sonar area.

Keep in mind the size of the signal return area is about 1/3 the depth; starting a few inches at the surface spreading out in a cone shape as it gets deeper.

1. Top screen shoot is only 5 1/2' deep or less then 2' signal return area and the boat is moving forward, like a flash light beam in the dark you see only what the light luminates. Everything on the screen shot is a history of what the boat passed over within that small cone area.

Note; the far right 1/4" edge of the screen is real time images.

2. The arches are the airbladder returns of some type of fish.

The airbladder signal is weak as the cone approaches, it's on the very edge of the signal.  As the boat moves towards the fish the signal gets stronger and wider forming the arch, the moves away the signal weakens tapering off forming a complete arch or banana shape return.

3. The red signal return indicates higher density or more airbladders tight together, baitfish signal return.

4. The blue clutter is surface debris like plankton.

5. Screenshot 2 lower left, 12.5' deep boat traveling at 15.7 mph or fairly fast.

Cone area at the bottom is about 4' diameter, the arches are elongated because the signal approaches quickly and passes over the fish faster, the red center incanted a high density airbladder from unknown larger size fish suspended in the middle of the water column, can't see the depth and could be comming uphill tom12.5'.

6. screen shoot 3, right side, 17.4' deep, 62.8 degree surface water temp, unknown boat speed but moving forward slowly. Bottom return signal is about 6' diameter, red arch looks like baitfish but could also be a few big fish moving the same direction as the boat. The blue clouds look like loosely schooled bait fish without predators nearby.

Hope this helps a little,

Tom

PS,Smallmouths are very Mobil fish roaming around and difficult to meter in shallow water, look for bait and structure.

[Ksam1234]

52 minutes ago, WRB said:

3 screen shots using traditional 2D down looking sonar conical transducer sonar area.

Keep in mind the size of the signal return area is about 1/3 the depth; starting a few inches at the surface spreading out in a cone shape as it gets deeper.

1. Top screen shoot is only 5 1/2' deep or less then 2' signal return area and the boat is moving forward, like a flash light beam in the dark you see only what the light luminates. Everything on the screen shot is a history of what the boat passed over within that small cone area.

Note; the far right 1/4" edge of the screen is real time images.

2. The arches are the airbladder returns of some type of fish.

The airbladder signal is weak as the cone approaches, it's on the very edge of the signal.  As the boat moves towards the fish the signal gets stronger and wider forming the arch, the moves away the signal weakens tapering off forming a complete arch or banana shape return.

3. The red signal return indicates higher density or more airbladders tight together, baitfish signal return.

4. The blue clutter is surface debris like plankton.

5. Screenshot 2 lower left, 12.5' deep boat traveling at 15.7 mph or fairly fast.

Cone area at the bottom is about 4' diameter, the arches are elongated because the signal approaches quickly and passes over the fish faster, the red center incanted a high density airbladder from unknown larger size fish suspended in the middle of the water column, can't see the depth and could be comming uphill tom12.5'.

6. screen shoot 3, right side, 17.4' deep, 62.8 degree surface water temp, unknown boat speed but moving forward slowly. Bottom return signal is about 6' diameter, red arch looks like baitfish but could also be a few big fish moving the same direction as the boat. The blue clouds look like loosely schooled bait fish without predators nearby.

Hope this helps a little,

Tom

PS,Smallmouths are very Mobil fish roaming around and difficult to meter in shallow water, look for bait and structure.

Omg that helps a lot !!! That was way more in depth than I could have asked for thank you. Now I know somewhat of what I’m looking at.  If you can think of anything else I would love t know. Your extremely knowledgeable , again that was perfect.  Hope to be on that level someday hahah