J-Doc

Try starting here. I started this after upgrading from anow Eagle fish finder to a Lowrance Elite 5dsi. Which is not a bad unit, but a far cry from my current HDS units. I have learned a ton since starting this. I think it will help you and give you some confidence. The only way to get the most from your graph is by understanding what sonar is, how it works (the signal being sent on a cone or oval shape and received back as a signal), what you're seeing on the graph in relation to signal information/data, and a little homework. Oh and a Doctor Sonar training DID is a big help too. ;-) Yes Stump. Dropshot is more about feel and watching the rod tip. Sometimes you don't feel it but see the rod tip twitch. Had that happen several times before. I've caught up to 25+ in a day on dropshot. Some of which were big fish. But you have to have patience and learn to watch the graph and fish an area that is holding fish.

A) Thank you for your service. Police, Firemen, etc are service providers. Just like the military. As for patterns, dropshot can work but well....let's just say you have to feel the bite. If I had not checked for weight, I would have missed my last fish. Super subtle bite. The deep crank bite can wear a man out. I've got a big crankbait rod and deep diving cranks. But I've never produced enough fish on them to keep chunking and winding all day. After about 10 casts I'm ready to swap. Lol! If you're an efficient and effective cranker, Champs advice above sounds about right. Best thing is to watch your graph. If you're not seeing fish and covering water, you need to either change depths or location. Right now, the thermocline is pushing most fish around the 23-25ft mark as noted above. Hard to get cranks down to that depth and stay there for very long. Long lining can be effective I hear. Dropshot and Carolina rig are your best options. So is night fishing.

^^ Now that's cool.

It's hot. Traffic is pretty busy. Thermo is 23ft...ish. I found a ton of fish but bite was non existent by 7:30. Took the day off Friday to take my visiting nephew. Gave both boys my best baits but they only had a couple nibbles. After some post fishing tube pulling, I gave it one more try. I finally got a bite and landed a nice smallie. All I've seen in a while. It's super rough. Worst I've ever seen it. And on a Friday, by 10 am it was starting to resemble a Saturday for ski traffic.

I hate to sound rude or hateful but I mean really.....if someone does not have enough knowledge and understanding about how lightening works, endangering yourself (and others - rescuers), then I say let Darwin and one of his "theories" prove true. I believe it was just last year a father and teenage daughter was killed by lightening walking on a beach in Florida during a heavy downpour with violent lightening strikes all around. They may as well have danced around waiving lightening rods praying for lightening. And from what I've seen of lightening in Florida........those are straight down to the ground strikes. No small bolts........big ole Zeus, King of the Greek Gods type bolts! So yeah.......natural selection.

Wave runner towing a tube during storm? Natural selection.

What's sad is the amount of cig boats this year on Beaver. Beaver is headin towards being a "Little Grand Lake". But without the big bass population and still having all the tournaments. Lol!

From what I've heard by many, both are bad. But the volume of hi speed craft and yacht sizes is overwhelming at LOZ. I've seen boats (docked) on LOZ that belong in the ocean.

That's what I've heard. I've been on LOWER twice buy I was sheltered on the upper Gravois arm where the cig boats don't traverse. But I saw how massive it was and the type of boats that are on it. No thanks. I prefer to live.

Goes pretty much in sync with the lunar forcast. I thought about going. Just didn't have the desire strong enough.

That is true. LOL is a complete danger zoo. It's like running with lions loose in the jungle. And why I would never live there.

It's been my best and worst year. When I was catching them, I was on good ones. The traffic gets so bad so quickly on weekends, I just don't even go much. Haven't had time during the week and I hear its busy even during the week. When the traffic gets bad, the fish dive deep and they are very hard to get bites. Night fishing is probably better bit even then, there are morons without lights on and skiers in the middle of the night. I may try night fishing tonight. Just to escape the heat and get some water time. High water is not the reason as it simply scatters the fish more. It's the increased traffic this year I think. Also, the bass in this lake seem to get tougher to catch everyou year. I was on a good spot with a large fish population and couldn't get a bite even though fish we're active. I tried 6 different top water plugs, crankbaits, worms, etc. Only got one fish there and I had to troll to get him. They were very particular and locked in on a certain forage. I haven't even had much luck on spoons this year. There are a select few that always do well on this lake. I ain't one of em'. Lol. Some guys know some secrets to this lake and they do great.

White bass eat way more of the bait population than any other species in the lake. They just don't stop feeding.

I'd say it was successful

I wouldn't plug them if I didn't like them. I do think they can be a bit brittle at times so lightwe tackle only is a good idea. No a-rigs or heavy baits like c-rigs and such. But the crankbait rod will launch a big plug with my BPS Pro Qualifier reel.

No problem. Just wanted to establish some background on how I'm judging them. I don't build my own rodd but I'd like too. One day. Yes, that's the Diawa rod I mentioned. I have a spinning rod for spoons. It's a great little spoon rod. I had a crankbait tied on and was hap-hazzardly trolling it behind the boat one day while I was rigging up a trolling rod. Rod went crazy and when the fish got to the boat, it realized it was caught and wasn't having any of it. My bud and I saw it as I got it to the boat 3 times. It was at least a 35lb striper. That little spinning rod got the workout of its life for 15mins before I pulled the hooks out on 6lb line. Yes, 6lb line pulled the hooks out. I over tightened the drag. After 15mins of chasing that beast with the big motor, she came off. The Diawa was bent over like one of those little cheap Walmart kids throw away rod combos for $15. I assure you.... The reel seat is okay. Lol!!!!

Why I don't have very expensive gear. I have good gear, but the higher priced stuff will just send me into orbit if I break, lose, or worse, have it stolen. I find medium of the road stuff. Stuff that works well and stuff I'm happy with. Which is why I tried H20 rods. Heck my reels don't get over $100 either and I wait for sales. Lol!

Should have at least tried the H20. I've got a 7'-6" St Croix Avid that could feel a guppy fart. I used to fish it dropshotting but switched to the H20 because it's shorter and sensitive enough. Now the St Croix is my Ned rig rod. I know......not supposed to feel the bite on the Ned. But I can feel them pick it up so I can reel down and then swing back on them.

I honestly don't know that I could find a fish if I trolled a sane net behind me. Well......my electronics will find them. Getting bites is a different story. I think next trip I will empty the boat and take one rod only. And one bait. And I'll then catch fish. I'm that confident in it. And I've got a little something extra for it that I haven't tried yet so I'm anxious to know if it works. Now that being said.... No clue on your question. Look for offshore humps and use your electronics. Mark a spot then back way off of it. Turn off everything. Then sit and camp on it and fish like you were fishing in 40 degree water. Have to slow down based on what I've been seeing. I'very had luck fishing in new waters this year and then next week I have nothing. Seems to me, an aggressive presentation has to be just exactly perfect to get a bite. Some can just flat catch-em'...me, I struggle some days. Others I'm doing great. So if they are not aggressive, slower than freezing snot in Maine is what they want.

I've been using the original Ethos series for several years. Bought a spinning rof one day and loved it. Light, casts well, seemed to be sensitive enough. With the right line, I can fish with an Ubgky Stick and feel bites. I've just learned to focus more and concentrate. However, I still miss a ton of fish I never knew I had. Lately I've been getting some super subtle bites to where you have tone focus super hard for the bite. On any rod. I once went with a guide that had G LOOMIS rods and he was plugging them. We were dropshotting and I used his Loomis and my H20 Ethos. Side by side, mine was almost as light and almost as sensitive. If I had not have had them side by side. ..I would have said they were the same. The sensitivity difference was so subtle, the cost difference was not worth it unless I was sponsored by them and they were giving me free rods. I own 3 rods worth about $160 each. Everything else is under $100. The RIGHT rod is all I need. I like sensitive rods and with a good backbone. I own several Ethos rods (H20), 3 St Croix Avids (old series, probably lyrics 6-7yrs old or more now), a few Berkley Lightening rods (they are decent), Falcon Orginal, and a cheap $35 Diawa spinning rod that I love! Can't find anymore of them. I'd buy 2 or 3 more if I could. And I own a St Croix Mojo Bass that's 8ft long and built for 3oz weights (a-rig rod). I have a Shimano and don't care for it that much. I have a couple cheap Quantum rods I bought many many years ago and I'm proficient with them also. I don't believe in paying a lot of money for rods. I do fine with good rods. So.... I think the sensitivity is surprisingly good. Better than Duckett rods, better than Vendetta and much lighter, etc. I think they are a fine rod. I have an H20 crankbait rod that is perfect. I'm happy with them. Especially when they are exchanged for new ones if they break even after a year or two. ;-)

I've had probably 6 or 7. Broke 2 or 3. Academy always swaps them out for me for brand new ones so I can't complain!

Not sure exactly but I was told All Star makes the H20 rods. I like them but they can be a bit brittle. Super light, sensitive rods, but I have broke a few. One casting a Carolina rig (sounded like a 22 rifle) and the rest are broken rod tips. Either my fault or just brittle tips. As for the baits, could be the same plug and different components and finish. Compare in the water side by side to know for sure.

It's also sucking at record levels this year also.

No clue. I haven't been there in a year because it has more boats per acre than Beaver.

I'm not seeing where I can filter all the whining and bickering about catch and release or other non sense. If someone finds that setting, please let me know. Thanks Sorry. That wasn't helpful at all. No I do not know the answer. I didn't know it was an issue? Curious now though.