Well, don't I feel like the idiot now. I need to go back and reset mine to Fact. defaults. And start with the zoom.

Well I do but I never let that stop me before. I think I'll do the same, and set the sensitivity to auto. I've been playing with the ping rate and graph speed, no telling what damage I've done to myself .

I have fished EM for the last 2 years pretty often with very little luck as well. When I get lucky and see them on top I have a field day. When they are not on top I am afraid my family would starve if that were our only source of food. I see 2 and 3 boats in certain locations from time to time, but always hate to come barging in on people I do not know. Just when I think I have it figured out I will make 2 or 3 trips without catching a fish. It is frustrating as hell. I have a 8 year old that I am dying to get in the middle of a school. He likes fishing, but has never experienced that kind of fun before. If any of you ever see a yellow Stratos out there swing by and say hello. I have the only yellow fishing boat I have ever seen out there. It is actually a fish and ski. I say fishing boat and the wife says ski boat. I am by myself pretty often and like to go in the mornings during the week.

It dose'nt get any easier than right now. This is the time of the year everybody can be a hero.They are on just about every hump in 25 to 30 ft. water.
Johnny

TXwidomaker, I'm the same way, I don't like pulling up on people when they're fishing, having said that if you ever seem me out there your more than welcome to join in. If im on them I'll let you know, if im not I'll let you know and maybe ask you for suggestions. I'll be out Fri. and maybe tommorow on E.M. I'll be in a 18ft blue and white Blue Wave. Please feel free to join or just say howdy. Just don't blow through a full throttle. Please. Really even if the people don't want you around it's not their lake. I think as long as you don't run in hard, idle up and keep a safe distance a large majority of people enjoy the company, and have someone to swap lies with.

Thanks alot Johnny, here I thought I was good.

Thanks Bama I appreciate it. I do my best to be as courteous as possible around other boats. As far as I know I am maintaining a excellent record when it comes to that. I might try to get out Friday morning before the party begins out there. Memorial Day should make fishing a real pain in the bottom once all the other folks get out there.

Kolban, here are the coords for Grapevine during the summer.

I just went to Cooper Lake last Saturday and had the best day ever. These guys gave me a little trouble about how some looked like hybrids so I touched the photo up a little just for grins. We caught these in less than 3 hours using "Little George or BPS Tailspinners". Right now they are still laying eggs and are up close to shore around any brush.
http://www.texasfishingforum.com/forums/...per#Post2278959

Thanks BigMack ... unfortunately my boat is in a marina on Eagle Mountain. Although I have a trailer, I no longer have a vehicle that is capable of towing the trailer so I won't be able to go visit any other lakes for a while.

My vehicle was lost at the end of March. I was fishing on EM and when I got back to the dock was invited to have some beers with some of my fellow boaters. One beer turned into many beer and I called my wife to come pick me up. It was after 11:00pm now and as we were driving home on Eagle Mountain Damn Road, we were struck head-on by a young teenage girl who had cross the dividing line while taking a corner. Thankfully there were no serious injuries but my SUV (with tow package) was destroyed. My new vehicle doesn't yet have a tow package.

TXWMKR, I'll be out in the afternoon.

Now that you have a graph, I'll try and help you out.

When your graph looks like this:

Drop a slab, a swimbait, a humdinger, a bottle cap, anything and you'll catch fish.

If it looks like this:

Keep looking until your graph looks like the first pic

Seriously though, in the second pic, you'll see the obvious marks of fish. But, the not so obvious, are those fish to the left and right that are laying on the bottom. The contrast between yellow and orange is a dead give away. If you have ever heard someone say they caught fish even when the graph was blank, it's more than likely because they don't know how to "see" fish hugging the bottom on their graph. Learn this and you'll catch fish when others can't

JV4 NITRO,
Many thanks ... that was incredibly useful. WOW!! Although I have only had a graph about a week and only had 3 outings, the lower of the two pictures is not hat uncomon for me (in black and white and much lower definition). The top picture is a WOW!! I can easily see how that would produce huge results. I have a number of invites from many new friends through this posting ... it has been overwhelming. I am now trying to get back into town and figure out how I can make time to get out as much as possible and meet many of these folks.

For the top graph ... obviously if I could find the "hot spots" then great ... but I'm getting the impression that one needs to cover some ground in order to find the fish out there. What speed should I be traveling at in order to cover the most ground and yet be able to get a good return? I am thinking that the faster I travel, the more area I can cover in a shorter time (obvious) but I am also thinking that the "return" from the graph will get poorer/cluttered ... as I start travelling at higher speed. My graph receiver (the bit in the water) is hull mounted near my in board engine and I seem to remember that at even low/medium speed, the churn from the propeller resulted in a uselessly cluttered screen.

Again ... in case I haven't said it enough. Everyone on this forum is exceptionally kind and helpful. To the many folks who have PM'd me ... please don't think I have forgotten y'all. I work out of town many weeks and this is one of them and until my calendar clears and I get back, I can't even begin to try and hook up some time to visit with y'all.

I am also looking to somehow "payback" all the kindness. I am willing immediately to host fun outings for anyone ... if there are any "charities" or "organizations" that could use me to take some kids out on a boat or otherwise, please let me know ... I'll jump right in there. I am also thinking of stenciling "TFF" on the side of my boat so that anyone on the forum will know that I am VERY TFF friendly and are welcome to come visit me any/every time.

Neil

Neil I have to agree with you that this post has produced tons of great information. The cool thing is how many people are willing to help someone else out. I used to swear that when it came to fishing no one would tell you anything. You can now call me a liar. Thanks to everyone for providing such good information. I can't tell you what it means. I have 2 young boys that love getting out in the boat and fishing. Being able to watch them catch fish and have fun is worth more than any fish I will ever reel in. I sincerely thank you guys for the help. Now if I could just ever get the heck out of Wichita, KS I would be in good shape. Hope to see some of you on Friday.

Kolban, as far as how fast to go when locating fish it depends on the type of structure you are trying to locate fish on. If its a hump you'll have to go slow and find what depth the fish are at. If your searching along a ridge you can go fast idle until you find something then slow down and really graph the area. I never go more than a fast idle when trying to locate fish because I pick up too much clutter/interference on the screen. Hope that helps a little.

Hey Buddy, I am glad to hear everyone is alright. My main point was to use the same pattern I've been using this late spring on all lakes. Weekend before last I caught 6 14to18" LMB and 60 Sandies at the Vine on the same spot then last weekend at Cooper using the same technique. I would almost guarantee I could do the same at your lake this weekend. I find a sharp rise to a shallow point with brush around. Here is the Grapevine spot.