I get quite a few questions in pm’s about sand dunes since I mention them quite a bit.
I’ll probably get the boat out this weekend and can bring an SD card with to capture some screen shots for a write up.
But, what questions do you have about sand dunes that I may be able to help answer?
My first question would be is how do figure out what piece of sand will be best. Current? Depth? I know it is basic but have side scanned a bunch and never seem to see much.
My first question would be is how do figure out what piece of sand will be best. Current? Depth? I know it is basic but have side scanned a bunch and never seem to see much.
That’s the ones with the species of fish you want. I don’t fish structure, I fish fish.
I’ll show dunes with fish using side imaging.
I’ll save the fish school identifications for a book I may write some day. It’s a complicated deal but there’s maybe a few pointers I can give on screen shots.
I like to chase catfish and walleyes on the river – I am getting better with the SI but I plain and simple just don’t get out enough. If you happen to have a good example of cats vs walleye on SI I think that would be helpful. I can usually find a lot of fish but I have a hard time telling more than this is a larger fish or this is a school of baitfish. I guess I have had some decent shots of sturgeon and paddlefish.
Is it safe to assume when you are specifically looking for fish you are running the 455 frequency and then running a slightly higher contrast to get those fish to pop a little bit more?? What is your preferred distance to look e.g. 60ft? I know this is a loaded question as graph size etc. might change that too.
Is it safe to assume when you are specifically looking for fish you are running the 455 frequency and then running a slightly higher contrast to get those fish to pop a little bit more?? What is your preferred distance to look e.g. 60ft? I know this is a loaded question as graph size etc. might change that too.
I run 455
Sensitivity of 1
Contrast 10
Green pallet
50-70′ wide until I’m over 20′ then 80
1199si
Catfish will be softer, and less sharp.
Whereas walleye will be a harder more crisp return.
It is their skin and the way they like to congregate in current.
Once you get out of current fish don’t have the same school tendencies and are often congregated, thus much much harder to diagnose exact species. There are exceptions to this of course. When water is coldest fish Id is easiest. Fish are schooled up more and the differences of current tolerance between species grows.
Dunes are in current, so fish id is easier
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tight_lines wrote:</div>
Is it safe to assume when you are specifically looking for fish you are running the 455 frequency and then running a slightly higher contrast to get those fish to pop a little bit more?? What is your preferred distance to look e.g. 60ft? I know this is a loaded question as graph size etc. might change that too.I run 455
Sensitivity of 1
Contrast 10
Green pallet
50-70′ wide until I’m over 20′ then 80
1199si
Yes!
I really appreciate the opportunity to pick your brain FBRM. Do you prefer to troll the dunes upstream, downstream, or parallel to the dunes?
My assumption is downstream because it more similarly mimics tumbling bait fish being swept by current. On the other hand, I feel like it might be better to see them on SI and then troll parallel if you find a group of fish.
this is really scientific but interesting none the less. i thought sand was sand and now sand is a dune if it’s in current. why do fish prefer dunes over normal sand? i can’t believe a fish sees the ripples in the sand and says this is where it decides to lay down? there is so much bait in P4 right now anyway that i think you basically have to throw something that sticks out to get bites. i will try your settings and actually spend time looking at these dunes next time out, thanks for the tips
thought sand was sand and now sand is a dune if it’s in current. why do fish prefer dunes over normal sand? i
Think about snow.
Where there is wind, there is drifts, where it is calm, no drifts.
Hide behind a snow drift on a windy day to get out of the wind…. be behind the sand dunes to get out of current, while still being in current. Fish like animals live better being efficient with their energy. Dunes put fish in low energy zone with high food availability.
Notice the snow harness changes on a snow drift. Front and top and hard, back is soft. Same happens with sand dunes.
You might say… well do fish go looking for these current breaking features in current. Absolutely. As the current rises and falls they leave and find area of similar current and food chain.
What makes a current seam different than a dune. Not much, except dunes are a larger scale than seams and therefore hold more fish as the structure generally has more carrying capacity.
Dang FBRM you are a fishing Scientist.
I enjoy reading your comments, it proves to me that I gotta lotta learnin to do.
Computer crashed, new one on the way. Sorry for delay
Computer crashed, new one on the way. Sorry for delay
Curious so I’m looking forward to it.
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