Mo, that's a great side scan shot. Mine doesn't come close to being that good. What electronics do you use?

These bumps along the bottom on a point or hump is what white bass look like when water is cold and fish are hugging the bottom. Normally this bottom is smooth, so I know it is fish.

Thanks Dennis, that is an outstanding explanation. I would not have never even suspected that. Great shot and great explanation.

When you guys are looking for fish at a particular spot, are you using the big motor or do you cut it off and use the trolling motor. I have often wondered because I see that the boat speeds are usually pretty slow.

Big motor so you can cover more water in less time.

That is from my old 1197 humminbird, I have since replaced it with onix 10.

Mo

C worthy, haven't you heard you can drive around without looking at your electronics and watch everyone else until you see them catching fish?Then move in close to see exactly what lures and how they are presenting them and copy them. It's too much trouble to work it out myself. My folks didn't teach me about ethics and that do unto others stuff and I don't know any better and don't care anyway. It's all about me!

With that out of the way, and sorry I couldn't resist the temptation, like others I look for drops and humps with bait holding on or close to them. A fish or 2 showing is preferable too in winter. In summer I like to see more fish on the screen before I'll stop. If fish are scattered I will sometimes troll an area with helllpets or umbrella rigs and then stop to fish where I had hookups. Usually I'll just start thumping on a hump or drop if I see bait and a fish or 2.

Lot's of good information, tagged for later.

Yea, I used to do that, but MANNN they would get mad when I started tying up to their boat and asking if I could bum a few baits they were using that I didn't have.

OK lets go back to 1980. Now where you suckers gonna fish? Most people have become spoiled with electronics.

So you turn on your old Lowrance Basswater Pro LFG-312. She spinning and the light shows debt and some occasional flickers in between. You now better have more tricks up your sleeve. Some methods work better than others depending on the lake.




1. Birds- diving birds usually mean bait fish which can mean feeding strippers and hybrids. FPH that is not always true. Sometimes they will dive and feed over our gar feeding. Ya see a gar move on. Trust me on that one.



2. Wind- the wind with push shad into the steep humps on shore breaks. Waves are bigger but on FPH fishing is better.

3. Smell/Oil Slick- That's right you can smell them. When Hybrids at FPH are feeding on shad you can smell the oil slick from the shad before you will see it. Calm days are best if you are trying to locate fish this way and make sure your fishing partner took a bath that day.


4. Pattern- I can honestly say that many times I will come in and guys with 12 inch side scan finders get stumped and my arm is wore out from catching. Knowing the lake, locations, times of day mean a lot. I don't mind helping people find fish but I don't like keeping Hybrids. They have red meat and don't taste that good to me so I like to encourage people to let them go. The quickest way to get me to not tell is to keep fish.





5. Understanding your prey- I have also found people who say they were stacked up but all they caught was 16-17 inch fish and one or two keepers. Hybrid in FPH have a tendency to hang out by size for some reason. If you are on a large stack of smaller fish move out a little. Those Phat Girls like to hunt on packs together. They move 100-200 yards or more constantly. They tend to run in and out of the shad and smaller stacks of fish.

6. Color- I have been on the boat in heavy action and running white while another guy ran chartreuse. One lure that day performed better than another. Switch till you get it right. One rule ids bright day bright lure, dark day dark lure.

7. Sound- thumping works but I swear to Michael Jackson. I do have one speaker aimed down in the hull. No bull. Not sure if it works but hey it makes the beer go down smooth.

Last- Take an Ausie fishing. Those people from down under know how to have fun MATE.

Great post Timmy! The Kiwi's are a lot of fun also, I have a friend who visits in the summer from down south and he is a riot to fish with. Outfishes me everytime.

Time to get out the ol' cast net and start practicing !!