Thinking outloud about fish finders

I've got an extra one at the house. Mind you it's a Garmin that consts me about 175 bucks but can't remember what model. Got an idea and THINK it should work. Seeing as it's got a 8 foot cord on it, I can reach out 8 feet, what about clamping the TM transducer onto a piece of PVC pipe and using it to search each stump when jigging by simply moving from stump to stump and placing the transducer by the stump for a second to see whats at the stump. That way when it's cold and the bite is real slow, you see if the stump has a fish on it and how deep that fish is. I know that sometimes oyu have to let a jig sit there for 6-10 seconds without moving it before the fish would strike so it'd save you ALOT of time. Thoughts on this?

I will have to think about this a little. At first thought....sounds like you have been spending way too much time around Wannabe. :D

To show fish as arches, you have to move toward and away from them with the boat. While your idea would give a return, it wouldn't look anything like a fish. When the transducer gets close to the bottom, it will begin getting returns from the bottom, which will make it tough to see anything.

Catfan's right. A stationairy ducer in the vicinity of structure with a fish just sitting there is gonna give you a picture that will make the fish look like and extension of the structure.

Where it might be beneficial is searching for stumps to fish. It would give you an indication of it's presense before you get there and run over it. Something that gives me fits. A lot of people will angle their transducers forward slightly to get the same effect, although with less time to react.

In addtion, G3 is a gewber.

Wannabe...

Wannabe must be taking smart pills now, LOL. That is the best answer I have ever seen him give. Finally catching 6 fish must have boosted his confidence etc. :D

dd underwater camera

I'll have it set to Fish Symbols. Course it ONLY SHOWS fish symbols. LOL As I come through a stump field, as I come up on a stump, I'll circle it around the stump to see whats there. Thanks for the comments fo sho and keep on thinking outloud. Trying to not spend any money right now Billbob and use what I do have. Now if Wannabe wants to GIVE me some money for a SI, now werre talking. I'm about to go nuts wanting one after I saw the one Satdoc and Torch were using. Those things are way sweet but I can't afford one right now

With fish symbols turned on, you're gonna get lots of false returns and returns that are false. 1st thing with any FF to do when you first power it on, find out how to turn it off.

Additionally, G-3 is a major gewber. He's been promoted.

Wannabe...

DD.....this is Major Gewber reporting.....by the time you get that tranducer out there and give it time to work and work it all the way around the stump....me and Wannabe will have caught 6 fish ( 3 apiece). :D

You maybe but not him. Just thinking that I've had to count to 10 at times jigging arond stumps before the crappie bites. Say I came across a stump field with them everywhere, I could ease through them with the pole/FF in my hand and just work my way around pretty quick to see WHICH STUMPS held fish, then come back to them. SAy work 6 or 8 stumps without fishing, just checking them for fish. THEN ease back through and you'd know which stump had fish and exactly how deep. Theory is sounds anyways

Give it a shot and let me know how it works out. I got a couple of extra fish finders.

seeing it they are piled up in between the pilings or just off the edge at the drops

Now that we've heard from the other folks, let's go outside the box. Why shoot from above when you could mount it sideways and shoot for many feet and never get close? Canepole made up a mount that turned from down to sideways (90 degrees). I think that would give you poor boy side imaging. Whatchathink?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skeetbum

Now that we've heard from the other folks, let's go outside the box. Why shoot from above when you could mount it sideways and shoot for many feet and never get close? Canepole made up a mount that turned from down to sideways (90 degrees). I think that would give you poor boy side imaging. Whatchathink?

---

Now your talking...... I may give that a try. Thanks for the idea.

You could mount it side ways on your trolling motor and then you could use your foot pedal and aim it in any direction that you want to.

Thought seed planted.

Now remember this is only a typical fish finder. Hree's the problem with that. IF you have your transducer pointed out to the side, you'll have the water depth at however far your FF with reach so it may show 300 FOW and fish at however far they are from the Transducer. If you have 6 or 8 stumps near one another and you ease by at say 10 feet from them with the Transducer pointed out to the side, you won't know exactly which stump they are on. All you'll know if that there are fish at say 10 feet from you, not a direction or location of them. IF you are right on top of the stump though, pointing straight down, you'll have a more accurate idea of which stump they really are on AND the depth they are at. If you know which stump they are on and the depth, you can drop your jig right there and hold it right in from of his mouth until the fish bites it.

Years ago in a magizine I saw a picture of two guys spider rigging and they had 2 sounders with 2 pucks mounted in a big u- shaped piece of tubing---looked to be maybe 3-4 foot off the out to both sides and maybe 5-6 feet
out in front ---don,t remember the mag. or the guys but I,m thinging CAPPS and COLEMAN ---:confused::confused:

Guess thats one reason they've won so much though. THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DonDon

<cut> with the Transducer pointed out to the side, you won't know exactly which stump they are on. All you'll know if that there are fish at say 10 feet from you, not a direction or location of them. <cut>

---

That's not entirely accurate. The transducer will have a output angle that gets larger as we move away from the transducer. Think of it as an expanding triangle.

There are two ways to get an accurate bearing: Narrow the aperature of the transducer to make it able to recieve a narrower return OR sweep the transducer until the return JUST shows up on both sides (point just left of target,,it shows up, move right until it just disappears or point right and scan left), the actual bearing to target will be the midpoint of both bearings.

The essentuals will be the ability to rotate the transducer, know the bearing, and view the fishfinder.

Pretty simple sonar techniques, narrow the beam of the transducer will make finding bearing to target easier and faster.