# Help me decipher...



## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

what's on the screen! I was out fishing Sunday, trying my new fish finder, when all of a sudden I pass over this (pics taken from a phone). I thought I hit the absolute motherload of something, but couldn't get any takers! Then, after about 15 minutes of trying, I foul hook a little shad.












For people who are experienced with sonar units, are these ALL shad? If so, how do the game fish relate to huge bait schools like this?

EDIT: Could only get one pic to upload for some reason, but you get the gist. Thanks!


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## viper1 (Apr 13, 2004)

Just looks like a large school of bait fish with some larger fish out side of them. A lot of times the larger fish are under the bait fish and strike upward.


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## markfish (Nov 22, 2007)

thats a ball of shads balls of bait alwise show up like that on scren


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

i agree with viper...also you will do yourself a HUGE favor by turning of fish ID and learning to read the "hooks"...i did years ago and will never use fish ID icons again!!! to many false reads...


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## joetrimbo (Jan 27, 2010)

Your right about that,Mine was marking fish on the boat ramp.I am able to get a knew fish finder anytime but I just don,t understand them.


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

Yeah, this is my first fish finder, so I was flipping it on/off just to get familiar with it... 

So if one of you guys saw this on your graph, what would be your plan of attack?


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## MadMac (May 2, 2005)

Like Wave Warrior said. Turn off the "Fish ID " and learn how to read the graph the right way. You will miss half the info if you don't. As far as a plan of attack after viewing that school of shad it would depend on what you are fishing for and where. That one picture is telling you the shad are stacking in that area. One piece to the puzzle.

PS. Good idea to post pics of your screen. If you need more help post some more. There are some sites that do the same thing. Good way to learn.


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## GO FISH (Aug 13, 2004)

Sorry I disagree, I think that you are looking at the thermocline. Not a bait ball. Not that I'm any expert by any shape or form,that's what it looked like to me. If you search for thermocline pictures on the net,it looks similar also.


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## center pin daddy (Apr 15, 2004)

I don't think we have had warm enough temperatures to possibly make a thermocline. It is only March and the ice just left, plus he is only in 15 FOW.

Shad or baitfish for sure.


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## whjr15 (Jun 16, 2005)

So if one of you saw this, would you stop and investigate further? Try throwing some lures? Or is it just something thats very common and means nothing?!

Like I said, this is my first fish finder, so I'm trying to make sense of what I see on my screen, and how to use the information to determine my presentation!


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## Gottagofishn (Nov 18, 2009)

I would agree....not a thermocline for the above reasons stated. The rest depends. Depends on what your fishing for. Generaly speaking, bait in an area you are fishing is a good thing. It makes for some active biters often. The rest can be tough to determind sometimes. Experience will help a ton in this area. In the meantime......there is a lot of information out ther with pictures that will help....Nothing beats the time on the water though.


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## Jerk Bait (Aug 22, 2007)

I have seen many thermocline on erie in July/Aug. and they don't look like that.


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## gobrowntruck21 (Jan 3, 2009)

Telltale sign that it's NOT thermocline is the shadow that is casted on the bottom in the second picture. Down imaging is cool ain't it?

Not to steer OP away from this site, but BBC has a forum dedicated solely to Humminbird SI/DI interpretation. It is definately worth taking a look at if you haven't found it already.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

This might help some of you. It shows all the fish in the top of the water column. Thermo! Your pic looks like some shad with craps around it. At this time of year there should be fish under the bait with alot more suspended fish. ALL our waters roll over twice a year. With geothermo at 40 deg it was colder on top. Now its warmer but ONLY the top couple feet. Because of the cold front now most the bait kicked out again. This is what your seeing. Bet you step out into 20fow plus youll find better fish. From what I see this must have been takin in the afternoon??:T:T This pic was in June/July


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)




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