WRB-2.0

Getting way off topic. Arches are a result of the sonar target moving into then out of the sonar cone. The thin tip being the furthest distance as the fish first enters the cone signal. As the fish passes through the cone and is in the strongest single return zone the arch is reaches it's maximum width, then tapers back down as the fish exits the single cone. The length of the arch is determine by how fast the target enters and exits; stationary fish with the boat moving at say 5 mph; the arch is nearly a inverted V. If the boat is not moving and target is moving through the cone slowly; the arch is more like a straight line. The thickness of the arch depends on the size of the air bladder inside the fish. Perch, bass , crappie, bluegill the same size will have similar size air bladders; you can't tell the difference from the shape of the arc. Big carp and big bass look the same to sonar for example. Faster moving fish make longer arcs. Stair step arcs, top to bottom, are almost always air bubbles. Sonar interpretation takes a lot of time on the water, unless you are using the new technology coming out as we speak; StructureScan and down looking SI for example, will eliminate a lot of the issues with sonar interpretation. WRB

The point is; stacked suspended sonar arches are rarely bass, in fact they are rarely fish. A ball of bait fish is usually tightly bunched mass (air bladder bubbles) with a few big arcs around them; those could be predators and worth your time and effort. During the cold water period a holographic 1/2 oz Little George or structure spoon will quickly solve what is out there mid lake.

Interpreting sonar signal returns to identify suspended bass can be extremely difficult. Sonar bounces off high density objects and fish are low density tissue with a high density air bladder. The sonar signal return is actually the air suspended within the fish, a bubble in the water or other dense debris. Trying to determine a bass from any other fish or air bubble with sonar signal is nearly impossible, unless you catch them. One method is to determine how the sonar target moves or is positioned relative to cover, structure or baitfish and that takes a lot of time on the water. The sonar signal is cone shaped, like a spot light beam and covers a small area. Staying on top of moving suspended fish with a sonar unit is difficult in open water. Stacked fish are usually strings of air bubbles from decaying matter or spring water, a tree and sometimes schools of smaller fish, bass rarely stack vertically. WRB

Call IGFA headquarters and ask about the current fly fishing records, it will cost you a phone call. WRB

It not so much as bobbing up and down, that happens all the time with bow mounted trolling motors with TD's mounted on them. What is important is the TD is pointed nearly straight down. If you use a flash light for example and point it straight down and rotate it around, the spot stays on the target. If you point the spot light off to one side at an angle, then turn it around the spot is egg shaped makes an arc. That is what causes the distortion in return signals. If the trolling motor shaft, for example isn't straight down, then same distortion occurs, we just don't realize it. WRB

The TD sonar signal cone is round, not directional. However if the cone isn't exactly perpendicular (90 degrees) from the water surface, it becomes elliptical instead of a round conical signal return. This happens every time you approach a sloping bank or point; the furthest and weakest return signal is at the outer edge of the signal cone, the strongest signals are in the center area. You can intentionally angle the TD cone forward, backwards or to one side. I believe this is happening unintentionally with the float tube. The signal returns are difficult to interpret because we (todays Lowrance users) are conditioned to interpret a straight down pointing signal return. The new side and down pointing sonar systems have complex operating systems to display the images so we can read them. WRB

+1, don't switch, just zoom in, you are only working 20' of water depth. WRB

The TD mount is subject to the movements of the flexible float tube. When you make a radial turn, nearly impossible with a boat, the signal return is eccentric. Interpreting signal returns can be difficult; brush, bait, trees, fish close to the structure or cover, suspended debris all can look alike. I have been looking at sonar signal returns for a very long time and sometimes get fooled thinking a bush is bait etc., although not on a float tube. The new StructureScan helps to eliminate most of the signal interpretation issues, however this isn't available as float tube technology for several years. The fact you are fishing from a float tube indicates a small return signal area about 1/3rd the depth; a 7' foot area @ 20' could easily be widened to 10' as you spin around, plus the water turbulence you make will changes the signal density (color) slightly. Hope this helps. WRB

Fish fighting doesn't usually alarm other predator fish, like bass, however your movements and noises can. In streams and ponds an angler moving along the bank can alarm bass. Keep a low profile and back away from the bank while fighting the fish, then stoop down to approach the fish as it comes to the bank. WRB

The carp in your pond are more likely skimming the surface of nutrients washed into the water from the rain. Dissolved oxygen (DO) is exactly that; dissolved oxygen within the water, generally measured in milligrams per liter; mg/l Most fish breath DO in the water and can not breath oxygen directly from the atmosphere. Bass survival limits are ; 3 mg/l to 12 mg/l, with 7 to 9 mg/l being the preferred comfort range. barometric pressure has a minimal affect on DO, about 0.25 mg/l difference from sea level to 5,000 feet. Water temperature however affects DO levels; the colder the water the higher the saturation and warmer the lower the saturation levels; 90 degree water, the max DO approaches 3 mg/l. 38 degrees water is about 12 mg/l, the basses survival limits for both DO & temperature. Wind mixes the upper water column with DO from wave action in lakes and current tumbling the water mixes DO in rivers and streams. Green aquatic plants produce DO via photothynsesis during sunlight periods and consume DO during dark hours. Decaying aquatic plants also consume DO. Rain drops have zero DO, until mixed by wind and surface turbulence. WRB

Agree with Catt and will add the most obvious structure areas are also the most fished areas. Take your time and study topo maps, observe the topography of the surrounding area. Breaks don't need to be big, the need to be in the right location. Metering bass that are wary from boat noise or moving to avoid the boat is rare. The bottom structure and cover doesn't move and the bait fish usually move very slowly. The new StructureScan and SI units with both look down and to the side scanning will help to clarify what is there, but you still must interpret what you see and fish the area quietly and effectively. WRB

It's sounds like SoCal is very similar to central FL. CA is nearly 1,000 miles north to south and like FL the climate varies significantly at point conception, about the middle of the state where the southern Humboldt current meets the Alaskan current. The FLMB have been planted throughout the state, so we have a mix of NLMB, FLMB, spotted bass and smallmouths. The largemouths preferring warmer water areas, the spots and smallmouth tend to prefer cooler water by a few degrees. Cold fronts, the bass tend to go deeper to avoid the affects, with the exception of the delta area, where they go into cover. It's been my experience bass are bass everywhere and adjust to the available prey and ecosystems. WRB

I didn't read into the #4 statement that you should drain the battery dead, although it can happen. Never let a wet cell battery get so low on water that the top of the plates are dry. If that happens; disconnect the battery and remove it from the boat. You can add distilled water to cover the plates and hard charge it with a 50+ amp charger and load test. If the battery doesn't charge back up to 13V+ or fails the load test, don't try to use the battery in series with another good battery; 1 good + 1 bad battery= 2 bad batteries. Try to keep the batteries equal, they will last a lot longer. WRB

Why disconnect the cranking battery when garage charging? The on-board electronics will not be harmed by the battery charger. To the electronics, the charger looks just like a well charged battery. It's like hooking up the battery charger directly to the electronic wires attached to the battery. If you unplug your sonar/GPS unit, including built-ins, and disconnect (switch-off) the power cable from the OB engine, then you will not get charging current to the PC boards, otherwise you can damage the them. The newer sonar/GPS and OB's have memory chips etc that get damaged by charging cranking batteries used to run the electronics. WRB

Good advice SCBasser. The Trojan SC225 series marine deep cycle, group 29 or 31, batteries are a wet cell type and one of the best on the market. I use a Flow-Rite watering system and Stay N Charge "All Charge" system to maintain the batteries while towing and fishing. On board multi bank charger when in the garage. Delco 75 series or equal group 29 or 31 marine deep cycle gel type batteries are good. If weight is an issue take a look the Optima blue tops. Make sure your rig has a switched 50 amp circuit breaker and turn off the cranking battery when garage charging to prevent damaging the on board electronics; engine and boat. WRB

I'm not a HB user, so someone that is can give you the details needed. Side scanning differs greatly from down looking sonar, so I would suggest leaving your consul mounted unit where it is and net work off that unit to a split screen front down looking unit. You are moving slowly, so the TD location shouldn't make a big difference, when side scanning. WRB

Bass, like most predators, feed on what is readily available and easy to eat that gives them the protein they need. (Crayfish) or crawdads are easier to catch when they are out in the open verses hiding in cover. When the crawdads cover no longer hides them or their food source move, they relocate. This movement we call migration and crawdads migrate during the fall to winter and winter to spring transitional periods. Bass tend to have reddened lips and crunchers during those time periods could be a coincidence, however experience supports reddened mouth are a result of feeding on hard shelled prey. Back in the dark ages when we actually kept a few bass to eat, it was easy to determine what they were eating by examining their stomach contents. You can also feel the hard lumps in a bases stomach when it's alive. When bass are eating soft meals their teeth tend to be less reddened, then when eating primarily crawdads. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it. WRB

Crayfish by state. http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/country_pages/species_by_state.htm Click on your state and study the crawdads colors and habits. Crawdads are a prime food source for bass. WRB

Keep in mind we were all young once. Most people look at someone and prejudge them; that young kid doesn't know anything or that old man doesn't know everything, the truth lies somewhere in between. It's human nature to remember people as you last had contact with them, everybody changes with time. My generation was taught to respect their elders, most of today's generation doesn't take the time. There is no way anyone can look at someone and judge them accurately, that takes time. Before you share any photos or information, take a few minutes and ask first if that is OK, they could be closely held secrets, to the old timer . WRB

Fish during low light conditions and use a weedless swimbait or wakebait that mimics the baitfish the bass are feeding on. WRB

The 4 lures I use under those conditions (shallow water) are; 1. Basstrix BaitFry, fly lined on 6 lb spinning tackle. 2. Schurmy Shad*, hollow aluminum spoon. 3. Nail head worm; 5" shad worm (split tail), 3/32 nail weight and #1 Gamakatsu weedless finesse hook, collar rigged, on 10 Lb FC. 4. Huddleston 4" shad swimbait. Whenever bass are feeding on a specific baitfish like threadfin shad, it's match the hatch or use live shad. WRB *Jigshop.com

I look at an old timer every morning in the mirror and say who is that old man looking back at me. It sounds like the guy just wants to share some of his experience with someone interested in bass fsihing. My advice; let him share it. You might want to take a lake map over to him and start showing you some of his best spots, it's a good way to him to relive the past and you to learn about the lake. WRB

There are different levels of skills when discussing bass fishing; beginners, weekend/ recreational, club level tournament, money level tournament, full time professional tournament, guides and trophy bass anglers. Live bait is used by bass anglers at various levels, except during a tournament that have rules against it use. If we just look at live night crawlers for example. A fly lined live night crawler presented properly is an effective technique for bass of all sizes. Live bait fishing is boring? What is boring about catching bass faster then any other presentation and bigger bass on average? Yes soaking a live bait under a bobber where no bass are located is boring. Presenting a live bait to an active bass can't be called boring. I'm not an advocate for live bait fishing for fresh water bass, although I fish live bait for ocean fish. The one thing that can be missing from today's bass anglers is a good knowledge about the prey bass eat. There isn't a better way to learn about live bait then to go out and catch that bait and learn how to fish it effectively. Once you know about live bait, then make up your mind about live bait fishing. WRB

Cap 'n gown; Hopkins Shorty 3/4 oz with shad colored tube slid over the spoon (lube the spoon with attractant, great fall/winter lure combination. WRB

That is such a common experience out west it just another day on the water. Getting angry only upsets your day and can lead to an ugly argument. It gets so bad during weekends, you need a run about aluminum boat to fish good areas, as a bass boat attract a lot of attention and a wrapped boat is like a neon sign saying come over here. Can't tell you how many times other bass boaters have circled me when fishing deeper structure. I had them toss out markers within a few feet of my boat and anchor on top of my spot while I'm fishing. Just another day on the water with the lake lice. WRB