DG here are a couple of pics taken at the speeds I like. Can you see those crappie along that breakline? What about the ones on that cover?
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DG here are a couple of pics taken at the speeds I like. Can you see those crappie along that breakline? What about the ones on that cover?
You liken the blue screen better? I like the Amber 2
I think it is personal preference (like blondes brunettes) (Can I say that) but I can spot the fish better with the blue. But I am forced to the amber2 when the sun is bright.
I can see them pretty good near the bottom. That's what I did that day was ease around for about 45 minutes til I saw a pattern on where the fish were located. Then sho nuff, they were right where they showd up on the Hbird
1st pic is T Day and they were a lttle deeper than prefish day. That's the 2nd pic but they were still just off the bottom
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...ish/S00120.png
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...pyofS00107.png
Here are some things I have come up with. The really bright fish you see are not crappie. Every time I have fished for the bright whites, I call them, they were those trashy stripe, hybrid, white bass whatever. Minner can tell you what they look like at Pickwick..
The crappie I catch most often are not in tight big schools but look like the ones above.
If I see numerous crappie on a tree that make it look like leaves they will be smaller crappie.
If I see several fish like on this top picture relating close to a cover I can catch some of them most of the time.
I am to the point now that if I scan a stake bed or brush pile and see no fish I just go to another one. Grass is another story. Can not see them most of the time.
I do not claim to know it all but these are the parameters I work inside now from the hundreds of trips where I only fished for fish I could see on SI. That is how I learned.
Here is something else you can look for. Spring when crappie head to grass i figured out that when the boat traffic got heavy and fish got hard to catch they have just moved out a bit. See them here? Easy to catch trolling.
See that interference on the left side? A real pain in the tail to get fixed. If it looks like this it is not electrical or blockage. It is water turbulence blocking the signal. Got it fixed but took forever to diagnose.
It's a slow process for sure on learning what is what. I've had mine a year now and just now starting to figure out whats what. Those bright spots are most times tops of stumps or rocks. I look for isolated fish alot when trolling. that is unless I see something stacked on a ledge or brushpile, then I'll stop and try 'em. Havent' dealt with grass yet, haven't needed to
I found when I've passed over something, the turned around and gone right back over the same spot that the prop wash will fool ya at times if you don;t know to look out for it. I thought I'd hit the mother load the first time I did that. LOL
These look to be poles were they sticking up out of the water?
CrappieHunter - I can see the fish in the first picture really well. The second picture is harder to see. What are the dark spots that you have circled? Are those fish shadows or beds? Thanks for posting them up for me to see. What was your screen speed at that mph? 6?
I see that you have absolutely no turbulence near the center line of the boat. Makes it look real clean. My pics and DD pics have the same turbulence or interference.
DD - Nice pics... Looks like your scroll speed is faster than mine. You ever try the sharpness setting under SI Enhance? Some people like it and some don't. It will make them a little grainy but the fish seem to pop out better.
DoubleG
Exactly Ray. When I got ready to leave Eagle on Prefish day, I rode by several piers North of the landing that I didn't get a chance to fish and took images of them. That way when I got home, I could zoom in on them and see what was there and if it was worth fishing
Here is a brush pile I found one day with fish on it. Scroll speed still might have been too slow but see what you think.
http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/t...ams/S00128.png
After looking at these pictures... I probably should have fished this spot!!!!! I ran across it one day fishing for stripers:
http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/t...ams/S00177.png
I have tried it Zack but didn't like it. I get confused enough as it is and when you have it on enhance, rocks and stumps really stand out to much
I hear ya man... Some say it is too grainy for them but I like it. I plan to be off all next week and will do a bunch of scouting with this SI. Hope to get it dialed in pretty good and find a good pattern on the rez. I heard one good report last week at 43 bridge and need to go check it out. I been hanging out in the main lake too much.... It is just nice to be in the water fishing in about 5 minutes time from leaving my house.
I would have had to have fished that top. and that stump too.
Ease on over to Pelahatchie bay man and learn it. In my opinion, the biggest crappie on barnett are in the bay. Dang hard to find in the winter though. I like it in February and March in a couple spots for size and alog the causeway for pure numbers of just good keeper sized fish (10-14 inches)
BTW Zak. For all this info I'm giving you wheather it's worth a crap or not, I'll take the lat and long of those last 2 pics. LOL
Well, I think it's cheating!:rolleyes: J/K:D:D:D I envy you guys with the structure scan.:o
DD - Yeah I am tempted to run over to the bay and learn that area. It is just too close to the house not to try it. I plan to be off all next week so I might be all over that lake.. haha. I will let you know if I find some. Btw, I will hook ya up with those locations.... The fish in the second picture were not there last Friday but the ones in the first might be there. That was near the Welfare hole.
DoubleG
gabowman, just cause you see don't mean you can catch them.. Well at least that is what I have found.
Well that is number 999.. I am taking a break.
I called Humminbird... They are going to ship me some sort of boot to put on the power wire for the trolling motor. We will see if that helps.
DoubleG
no matter if you have SI or not, any lake takes time to learn. Just cuts down on the learning curve having a SI unit is all. Time of the water will teach you more than any FF ever will. I'm just over 2 years Crappie fishing right now and most of it has been on Barnett. I still learn something new almost every trip. This summer I learned a wh9ole new section of the lake that I THOUGHT was shallow. Turns out it has some 30 foot water in it
Ray, how in the world do you control your boat at 5 to 6 mph. At that speed, mine is right in the middle of the squat into the hole and is very squirrely and nose heavy. Only thing that helps is negative trim and constant steering corrections. Negative trim means blockage to the ducer though.
Wannabe...
If you knew how to drive the dang ocean liner you have, you wouldn't have any problems man. Just operator if'n you ask me
If you knew a boat from a hole in yer head, you'd know what I'm talking about....ya grey goose karate choppin' peckerwood.
Wannabe...
next...........
your turn, DD........ get with the program........ clocks a tickin
I was faxin some street grade hub cutsheets to a contractor sorry CN for taking so long. Boat from a hole in my head? That's mighty weak there bud. I think that even ole Mo could do better that that weak comback
which one of those replies is the most weak? I think it's a tie........ c'mon ya'll..... we expect more for our $$$ :)
See yall done made me waste my number 1000 out of guilt of not answering your questions.
Wannabe I know what you mean and the hull design of the predator steers great at up to about 7 mph then get a little hard to control that is the advantage of a aluminum hull. Plenty of downsides that come along with it though.
Double Gooble. Yep those are bream beds. My scroll speed only changes if I get on the trolling motor and go less than 3 MPH.
There are at least 6 fish on that cover right around the cursor.
when I get the check, I'll do better LOL
Dang Ray, I wasn't asking you no mo questions due to the next one being 1000. Congrats to our new General though
Ya know I like all the going back and forth messin with each other..........but ........this one here is really some good stuff. Kinda teaching a NEW SI user some of the tricks and what to look for.
Like the discussion of each picture as well.....its better than watching any of the videos that are out about it.
Thanks guys.....
You need to redo yo thanking on this one dude to this.
Im hoping to learn a lot more from FEELAY
All you gonna learn from WB is how to scam a free lunch and where NOT to fish
You guys are sure tough on WB one of these days hes gonna let loose.
Hey now...thems is important lessons a man's gotta learn. Don't be knocking Wannabe's School of Fishless Lunches on the Cheap. We are fully accredited after all.
Wannabe...