I actually have a nice depthfinder, brand new SI, G3, etc. just does not work and the company will not look at it for maybe 3 weeks. Went out yesterday and looked for them shallow, they were not up shallow, this time of year if they are up shallow they are all in or all out (i know how to find the shallow bite north side channels etc.)anyway hard to find them deep w/o a depthfinder-any advice?
Can you return the graph and buy another new unit that works?
If you know where they will be shallow, go right outside of that. Do you have a winter graph to hang over the side? I would be looking just outside of weedline, with shallows and deep water available, navionics on your phone?
could get navionics, thats a good idea. Hard to find and stay on a weedline esp. this time of year w/o a graph. I might find more of a dark basin lake and drift it close to spawning areas. Dunno
Thanks
Found a bunch of crappies in metro yesterday. Shallow dark bottom dock harbors. Seems to be relating to wood and were right up tight to the wood or shore.
Really? I was out on a metro lake and forgot my slip bobbers and figured I’d fish a big marina and I couldn’t get a bite.
Yeah was in west metro so not sure if the ice came off couple days earlier than east or not. But they were in some areas pretty thick. Slip bobbers like a foot or two from bank and in around wood. Trees and docks.
Yeah was in west metro so not sure if the ice came off couple days earlier than east or not. But they were in some areas pretty thick. Slip bobbers like a foot or two from bank and in around wood. Trees and docks.
Crazy. Started on shoreline wood, then went to the docks and got no bites. 
Maybe it still needs a few days.
I actually have a nice depthfinder, brand new SI, G3, etc. just does not work and the company will not look at it for maybe 3 weeks. Went out yesterday and looked for them shallow, they were not up shallow, this time of year if they are up shallow they are all in or all out (i know how to find the shallow bite north side channels etc.)anyway hard to find them deep w/o a depthfinder-any advice?
I wouldn’t even consider launching my boat without at least a basic form of sonar. You could run into shallow water quickly and ruin your lower unit, prop, etc. If anything you need it just for safety purposes.
Water temperature is also a critical element for fishing this time of year. Virtually every fish that swims is gonna be looking for warmer water.
I’ve been on three different lakes in the north metro area in the last few days. One lake had large schools of crappies in super shallow along the south facing shoreline, the other two the fish were still in transition and we found them in 5-8 ft in and around standing vegetation.
Find the warmest water, find the fish.
It would be a struggle without a graph. For me the temp and being able to find standing weeds is critical right now.
If I had to go without a graph I’d go to the lake I’m most familiar with and fish memories.
I wouldn’t even consider launching my boat without at least a basic form of sonar. You could run into shallow water quickly and ruin your lower unit, prop, etc. If anything you need it just for safety purposes.
Yeah, boats weren’t even invented until sonar was. 
For safety sake I will only fish lakes that I know somewhat, but I agree with Rons joke-have grown up fishing for decades w/o electronics. I might go to a lake that I have some waypoints marked on a handheld and check them out with my camera. That shallow water bite is tricky this time of year-fished a shallow bay a few years ago, my friend and i must have caught and released 100 fish, area that was good was probably half the size of a football field, went back 6 days later, fished it hard for over an hour and got zero. Thanks for all the tips, keep them comming-might even carry my jon boat into a small lake w/o a launch..hmm
Do you have a winter graph? Can you return the graph that doesn’t work?
Wait till it warms back up.
Supposed to be warm by the weekend, course we probably lost 10 degrees of temp.
Wait till it warms up? Great advice, however I will go out anyway! Gets me outta the house and if I see my bobber go down and I have a 2lb. largie cartwheel out of 5 ft. of water then I am happy-
No response about winter graph or returning your new unit?
Yeah, boats weren’t even invented until sonar was.
^
What he said. X2. Fishing didn’t happen either without batteries I suppose too. You’re basically saying you don’t know how to fish without a locator. That’s the pits.
If safety is your concern, slow down.
If you have a general idea of where they will move in shallow fish the first break out from it. The lake close to home they tend to stay staged off the first break tell it is time. Other lakes they have warmer bays they will move into much sooner and stay longer.
If you ice fish grab your flasher.
Dusty-Got the graph from a boat dealer and I think they prefer if you contact the manufacturer, the dealership in fact is closed right now. Not in the mood to try to figure things out by floating my vex ducer, I would rather fish visible structure than do that (good idea though, might just change my mind) Easy enough to say you will just find the breakline and follow it, then you get out there and you remember that even small lakes are dang big when you are looking for something like that (an acre is a football field, so a small lake might still be 100 football fields) Crappies this time of year can be very concentrated, which can make them very hard to find, but awesome if you do! Thanks for all the tips, keep them coming.
As far as safety I went to a lake I knew, lake has no humps, took it slow by shore, and this oldish guy loves his power tilt and trim.
Good luck out there. Can you visible see old or new weeds? Vex can be surprisingly helpful. Your dealer might have an extra graph they will trade you for and have them deal with humminbird. They don’t need it sitting on the shelf, you need it to fish.
If safety is your concern, slow down.
Yeah, I was going to say, you’d be amazed at how many fewer lower units you wreck once you quit driving 20+ MPH everwhere.
Man, how did we ever survive much less catch fish back before everything had a battery and a computer chip in it? Oh, yeah, I remember. Common sense.
Grouse
Grouse-I’ll give up my graph when everyone else does! Then their will be more fish and they will be easier to catch.
And slow down? Faster you go the shallower you draft!
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