Catching Fish Found On Sonar

Riege: There's a heat wave a comin'

BY BOB AND GINNY RIEGE

Nothing on earth that’ll get me humin’ like a heat wave comin’; Yes sir, Clint Black is right when he sings his song Summer’s Comin’. A lot of us started out singing that song in April. However, in many parts of the North we were still singing Summer’s Comin’ into September.

Due to the cool spring and summer, we as anglers have to realize that the fish are going to be in a different pattern than they were last year at this time.

Walleyes are found around structure. In any lake, river or reservoir, most walleyes hang around certain significant bottom shapes. Deep-water reefs (sunken islands) are a classic example, as are points that extend into water deep enough to suit walleyes.

The key to consistent success is finding the fish, not using a magic lure or bait. During the summer and especially during the heat of the day, deep water humps or sunken islands are the most important structure for locating walleyes.

Most structure that attracts walleyes will have a significant drop off, giving the fish an easy way to move up and down in the water while staying close to the bottom. Light penetration and water temperature usually determine how deep they will be. Walleyes like water temperatures in the 60s. Therefore, I would expect to find walleyes along steeply dropping structure over a hard bottom, deep enough to escape bright light and deep enough to be in water in the mid to high 60s.

Using your electronics to locate prime structure and deep water fish is a good idea, as is using several markers to define the structure outlining each break. Markers should be dropped at least 10 feet away from any fish you’ve marked. If a good location can be pinpointed by using landmarks or a fish icon on you locator screen, I will not use markers making my new found hotspot less obvious to fishing pressure.

A fisherman’s underwater eyes are his electronics, and the correct interpretation of their readings is what finding those walleyes is all about. Knowing the habits of various species is also vital. Shad, for example, generally appear as a large mass, and walleyes usually appear, as a group of individual makes related to the structure. If you have a “structure scan” feature on a Lowrance HDS 8 you can actually see them in 3-D

Knowing which bottom types hold fish, and how to find them, is also extremely important. If a second echo appears on your sonar screen, for example, a hard bottom is directly below the boat. If the double echo disappears completely, the bottom is most likely soft. Walleyes usually prefer harder bottoms.

Sonar Fishing | Fishing Like A Pro

Buy our award winning Fishing Lures at www.escalure.co.uk . These fishing lures are guaranteed to improve your catch rate success

I noticed that he had about 4 large bass on a stringer near the shoreline, which immediately sparked my attention. I started inquiring and asked him what are you using for bait? His answer surprised me. He said Bluegill. I thought to myself for a second and said “really?”. I would have thought that shiners or some of the other bait sold at the Bait shop would be producing such results. He further indicated that he has been using Bluegills ever since he was a boy and has never felt the need to change.

I went home that day and did some research and found the Bluegills are a keystone species for the overall health of any healthy pond or lake. Bass, Pike and Catfish feed on them all year round. This made me think that for all the years I have been buying bait the best bait at all was free swimming right in front of me. Since that day I have supplemented my Bait shop run with a few extra hours in the morning Bluegill Fishing to fill the bait well. I still use Shiners and Suckers, but Bluegill is never out of the question while on the pursuit of a Large Bass or Pike.

They can be rigged much the same way as you hook a shiner or sucker, but I generally use a slightly larger hook as I think that the height of the Bluegill’s body sometimes make it difficult to swallow for a smaller bass. Their sharp dorsal spikes are actually an asset when setting the hook as they can give some more resistance when a Bass or Pike tries to spit the hook once on the line.

Now I even have numerous lures that resemble Bluegill in my tackle box. All of these lures have slight variations of color, but have the general shape of a bluegill.

How to Use a Fish Finder to Catch More Fish

Using a fish finder to locate fish is not difficult, but it does take some practice and some getting used to. The first thing to do after buying a fish finder is obvious- Read the Manual! The manual may not be exciting or may have more technical information than you are interested in reading, but it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to read the manual in order to familiarize yourself with the unit you purchased.

The next thing to do will be to mount your fish finder. Whether you are using a transom mount, trolling motor mount, hull mount or a portable mount, your manual will be able to walk you through the steps to properly mount your model. If in doubt, consult a professional or have a professional mount it for you.

Reservoir limnology, ecological perspectives

Comprehensive Guide to Fish Locators

Field & Stream

Field & Stream

New York game & fish