nathanhooper

I must be picking up junk then. I'll have to take a picture and post it. I recently came across a color sonar and it shows some things different than my other one. I had my doubts about the thermocline truthfully. It may be more of a wind swept debre field. I do not notice it when I get up close to shore, just when I am doing some turns out in the open water. I'll try to get some pictures of the other stuff I am seeing down low also. I think that I tried to outhink myself last night. I should have stayed with my instincts and gone shallower. I talked to the local hardware store guy and he said a guy came in just yesterday morning who caught a 28 lb striper on topwater the night before(Tuesday). I saw a very nice one who someone had filleted at the Indian Creek boat ramp and left the head and body at the end of the dock. It had to have been 25lb+ or even over 30lb. It was a good looking one for sure.

I hear you on the drive. I too live up close to the dam area and have driven to go fish other area's, only to find that the fish like to bite just about as well there as they do anywhere else. I do think there is a time and place for driving out of a persons way, but I think they are few and far between. I like to hear someone elses take on marking fish and bait with the sonar. I am a newbee when it comes to sonars. Got my first one this year. But I have been noticing the same thing as you. I was seeing a LOT of bait around the 15' mark Monday night(correct that one post about it being Sunday night when I went out) and it almost seemed that I was seeing the thermocline around the 15' mark also. I could be wrong on that though, would love to hear what your take is on it. I too have noticed a lot of "stuff" in the deeper water by the dam. I have just thought it was old tree's and trash down there, never thought it was bait down that far. I know a lot of times they can be found down there, but just figured it was later in the year. I guess reading and correctly inturpreting a sonar is something that comes with time? Oh, and don't kick yourself too hard. I went out last night to test out my new downriggers and managed to reel in one little ole walleye(which got off right at the boat) but did not see much at all in the way of fish on the screen like I did the other day. Makes me wonder, but I just would say it was an off day all around.

I'm a little late replying, but I took my wife out Sunday evening and we did great (compared to what I've done in the past). We got out just at dark and fished till midnight. Made for a long day yesterday. I was fishing up by the dam, just flatline trolling. Caught small mouth, white, and even a walleye to boot. But they are up there, marked a lot of fish deeper than I could reach them at the time.

I live and hunt about a mile away from the area. It's the track of land that was going to become eagles bluff. Not sure if their website is still up. There are no deer or turkey. You also won't find any bear from time to time. The only thing there is some panthers. Mean suckers. In all seriousness, it is going to be a part of beaver lake WMA. It has the same rules. Talk is it may become bow only. But for sure it is walk in only an you bet your butt they will enforce it good for a while. I'll be out there this fall. Probably before scouting it out. For those who like to get out away from it all this place will be nice. It is pretty rugged, but I guess I'm used to it hunting where I do now. You'd be suprised at where deer will go in hills such as these.

I guess I am not seeing where you mentioned where your going, but maybe that's the point? Lol All I can do is run over the 2 mph range. Not set up for anything lower than that for any extended period of time. I have been catching them doing the fast trolling, and same depth, but just not the numbers you speak of. Must be the flicker shad I'm not using.

Ok, so I'm a little new here. Been creeping a bit. And not that I really like to fish for those walleye that don't exsist, but if for some reason I was to find one on the end of my hook my curiousity is where the general area you were fishing was? Truth be told, I fish the Indian creek/dam area exclusively. I know there are better places to find large numbers of them, but I don't like to drive my truck a long ways or boat a long ways. I live up in gateway. I so wanted to fish last night. I was thinking it was going to be a perfect night. I'm going to try like the dickens to get out tonight even though work calls in the morning.