Wayne P.

Here is another screen shot of the thermocline at the previous body of water a month earlier where I was adjusting the sensitivity to "thin out" the return to better determine it's exact depth. This was taken with a Humminbird Martix 97 as well as the previous snapshot.

Add a pearl white 4" Fluke to your arsenal rigged on a 4/0 Texposer hook.

A Zoom finesse worm rigged weedless wacky.

Here is a thermocline screen shot in deeper water that I took last summer

I use Humminbird units and the 50% sensitivity setting shows the thermocline very well. It is also shown on Down Imaing and Side Imaging. I verify the thermocline with a remote temp sensor thermometer since plankton can look like a thermocline occasionally. The dense clutter in this screen shot is the thermocline:

I just got a spool of the 20# multi-color (green/red/yellow). It states "3 lb Dia (0.15mm)" My first impression is it feels like old technology 4 strand weave which gives it the rough texture like Power Pro has. I'll test it on some bass tomorrow. It recommends adding a leader of monfilament or fluorocarbon as a shock tippet and using the uni to uni knot. Also set the drag lighter. "A monofilament backing is required" edited: after installing it on a reel, there is another color (blue). The spacing of each color is not practical for line visibility since each color is several yards in length before changing to the next color. I wouldn't recommend the multi-color as a replacement for all yellow. It also felt much like regular Fireline in stiffness.

Yesterday the thermocline is gone at the 15'-20' depths it was a couple of weeks ago, I didn't check any deeper than 25' though.

I saw a version of that machine on Lake Guntersville last week.

Yep, fished there from Wed thru Sunday. The frog bite is very slow. Some other presentations are very productive. I'll PM a few hints.

The longest length leader for braid should not be any more than the distance from the rod tip to the reel or rod hook hanger. If a longer one is used, you have defeated the no-memory property of the braid.

You can download a manual from the Humminbird web site. Reading it may solve operational and installation problems.

PM sent

P.M. sent correction: e-mail sent with attachment

Hey, you are from Radar O'Riley's home town, LOL. The most durable mount I have seen in person and advertized is the Transducer Shield and Saver. If you are wanting a cheaper mounting system than the fragile factory mount, just drill a 1/4" hole in you motor skeg, use a stainless steel bolt with stainless locking nut, and a spacer (regular steel is cheaper but will rust) and bolt the transducer to the skeg. As long as the bottom of it is level with the water surface it will be fine. An alternative if it is new, unused and unopened, is to EXCHANGE it for the proper trolling motor transducer which cost nothing but the return shipping. No matter what you do, you may need zip ties or tape for the cable to shaft mounting. A roll of plastic tape is quite cheap. You could just let the cable be loose and take a chance of damaging it-it cost nothing to do nothing, but may end up being costly. "That is all I have to say about that" ---- Forrest Gump

Here is another group of bass holding in a depression during a Fall cold rain infusion that was starting to change the water color from clear to very muddy-this was at the water color transition. The strongest returns are shown with the white line setting.

progater, the other colors depend on what brand of sonar you have and the color palate that has blue as fish. Most color units show fish in two or more colors depending on the distance from the transducer. A general "rule of thumb" is the strongest returns are shown in the brightest colors of the available color range. This is a group of bass with one of the several color palets for 2D sonar and Down Imaging to verify the returns are actually bass. The fish are shown in red and blue with red being the strongest return when the widest part (strongest part) of the fish is closest to the transducer. The yellow is the strongest returns from wood laying on the bottom.

Super Fluke, lipless crankbait, and a clear Spook Jr.

My Senko substitute is the Wacky Worm Wacko The 3/8" electrical heat shrink tubing is the size that fits most quality fat worms snugly. No heat required. If you don't get an unheated snug fit with your bait, you aren't getting the best falling wiggle.

1. Thermocline 2. Try crappie jigs or small minnows. If they are shad forget it. 3. The bass don't know they are there, the bass are not hungry, or the fish are not on the bass's diet. Something like this example?

Mike, wrong conclusion. The wide gap allows for the plastic baits to bulk up on the hook shank without blocking the hook point. The thicker the bait is, the better application the wide gap is. The offset shank at the hook eye is a popular trait for a lot of hook styles. That offset is to hold the head of the bait against the eye. It has nothing to do with the hook bend. A straight shank hook has the best hooking ability since there is no part of the hook shank taking up hook bend space on a direct pull.

EWG hooks have two anti-fish landing qualities. 1. The length of the wire that makes up the hook gives the hook more flexibiltiy. A flexible hook shank will lessen penetration. 2. The hook point is postioned towards the hook eye and missed hooksets occur unless the bend is opened up some to expose the point more. A somewhat solution for that style of hook is the heavy wire models like the Superline EWG and open the hook bend some so the point is parallel to the eye offset.

The lower end of the lake is where the dam is. Lower as in lower elevation and water runs down hill.

5'

The lead used for fishing lures and sinkers are not water soluable EVER. Your vehicle tire balancing weights will never desolve in water either. Do a web search for lead soluability.

Explain how "less drag" with a prop is a bad thing. Props don't drag, they transfer power to the water and any air bubbles on the blade surfaces will increase slip. It makes more sense to have a polished prop to get max water contact. Even sharp leading edges on prop blades will promote better grip. Rougher surfaces on a hull or motor lower unit is a good thing to break up surface tension.