Eagle Fishmark 480 What am I seeing ?

[Drawout]

Here are a few pics need help determining what they are.

[Drawout]

Few more pics same lake.

[StuBone278]

I just learned the basics of my sonar, so I'm no pro, but this is what I assume:
It seems to me like a lot of that stuff is just debris picked up via a medium-high sensitivity level (the particals spread all over)
Now a few of these may be baitfish, but I'm not sure, could also be a christmas tree or some type of brush in one picture (the one with extreme lump in the middle).
The last one definately looks like a fish on the bottom but your transducer may be a little off-kilter, so it only picked up half the arc...

Wait for more experienced input, as I am also, haha ;)

[Drawout]

Thx for your input ive heard good things about this unit i guess ineed better settings and possibly a transducer move.:confused2:

[Drawout]

Also a lot of times when this debri looking stuff is appearing the alarm will be sounding like it is fish ???:crazy:

[Drawout]

bump to top :big_smile: :confused2:

[Big Sam]

Eagle has a web site where you can ask and obtain all info necessary for your fish finder look in your instruction manual it has the site listed i have the same one and i love it the top view does not look correct to me i could be wrong when your on the arch mode it is the most accurate..but you have to study it harder..check the website out.:smile2:

[catfishrus]

i say its bait schools in the middle of the day. i find area like that on my lowrance and when anchored they come and go. everynow and then a old cat will be in there with them too. strange that its on the bottom so thats why i say middle of the day or after the sun has came up. before first light i get a lot of bait closer to the top. water depth is not that deep so i believe bait is what you are looking at.

it could be turbulance if your fishing in a river too.

[catgetter1]

Drawout looks ta me like your seeing alot of weeds and stumps the clutter you see cud be debris kicked up by either you trolling motor or outboard just judging from the depth adjust your sens., gain down a little....in the deeper water the pics look like weeds, hydrilla or milfoil judging by the depth also quite a few stumps in thar the weeds are the narrow looking spikes the stumps are the more solid echos...How does one say Bass fishin hole.... the large dark echo cud be a large dense weed bed or a dense school of shad maybe an ol' boat....the last pic iffen I seen it on my finder would be supper that fish is probably on the prowl....Looks ta me like a large cat or huge bass...Probably came outta that deeper water you kin see in the finder.. You read the destructions of your finder and just anaylize what you see after awhile it'll become your eyes.... good fishin.......

[Drawout]

Thx for the replies guys,ive read and read and read but it is amazing what other expirience can tell you so im gonna keep fiddling with this new unit and post pics along the way for opinions.thx.

[StuBone278]

No problem, as I've said I am just learning my sonar unit and its so much fun!!! One time I actually saw some arcs along the bottom in 16 feet of water, pulled the boat into position to anchor, and caugt a few small blues! Once you get it down its very rewarding....

I've also seen an arch on my screen that went almost completely across it in 8 feet of water, all an arc, not a straight line!!!! (as the fish would be following under the transducer) I saw it on the screen and threw the cast net in that area but I think by the time I got the net ready it was gone....

[blackwaterkatz]

At 12-13' you won't likely see fish arches. Your sensitivity is turned up a little too high. Try playing with it to reduce the clutter. I'm seeing bottom structure and what looks like grass in the first one (not very clear) with probably some small baitfish mixed in. I do think your sensitivity is a little too high for that shallow water. Keep questioning what you see. That's the way to learn. :smile2:

[Drawout]

Just got in from another skunking only one sandbass caught. here are a few more pics i think contain fish !

[Drawout]

2 nd two pics are basicly the same first pic is same depth but different part of lake.

[blackwaterkatz]

Good deal, now you're seeing fish arches in the deeper water. Keep fine tuning the adjustments.:big_smile:

[Drawout]

Im glad to hear that im getting closer,now; i just gotta learn where to anchor when i see this on graph

[Stubby]

Good thread Johnny,. I'm doing the same as you but i'm starting a bit later in life. I'v got an Eagle 520C and i'm still trying to learn how to set it. the first thing I did was hide the Book from myself so I wouldn't lose it. I did a good job because I still can't find it.
Anyway here are a couple pictures I took yesterday on Kaw Lake Oklahoma and also a picture of some Blues somebody had cleaned at the dock/ramp. there were 11 of them floating that I saw. Trot Line fisherman were everywhere. Water temp was lower 50s, slight ripple and We never had a pull all day. fished 8 dif locations.

22188

22189

22190

[Drawout]

Some people are inconsiderate to others, Thx for posting your pics First thing I would do is turn the fish id off and go by arches cause lots of things trigger the symbols trotlines turtles tree limbs.Looks like you found a good brush pile,or maybe shad and the fish are their because of it.Keep the pics coming cause i think this will be a help to a lot of members.:smile2:

[rwilley3]

Hey Stubby you can get a pdf of your owner's manula from Eagle at following website. You can download and view and print out

http://www.eaglegps.com/Downloads/Manuals/default.asp

[screamnclickersc]

Looks like grass beds or weeds to me-the last pic in the first set looks like a rock pile.Use the "Fishreveal "feature- it sometimes shows you fish hid in the weeds.

[Drawout]

Sorry for the glare but what do you guys think ? http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w206/Drawout/Picture1073.jpg

[Drawout]

One more pic still lotta of glare.

[Drawout]

Bumping this back to top.

[Drawout]

Come on guys i need you expertise lol. :embarassed:

[Gordhawk]

Johnny,
The glare on those last 2 pictures was so bad I couldn't make anything out of them. I would imagine that's why you haven't received more replies. Get rid of the glare and maybe you'll get some help.
Glenn

[blackwaterkatz]

Yeah, the glare is pretty bad, but it appears to be fish (and baitfish) above structure on the edge of dropoff, maybe. :smile2:

[Drawout]

These are a little better not much

[Drawout]

Can anyone make these out ?

[flagmax]

Hi, I can't offer any help sorry. But would like to ask you how you like this fishfinder as I am thinking of getting it.

Thanks and sorry if I hijacked your post.

[Drawout]

I like it alot and dont think you will find any for same price with all these features, I would recommend.

[blackwaterkatz]

Johnny, it's time to see what you've learned. :big_smile: You tell us what you see in the last pics, and then we'll grade you on the answer. hehe.
As for the unit, it's a great unit for the money. I used one for a couple of years or so, and still have it on another boat that I use occasionally. It will show you a lot of detail if adjusted properly. Good luck with the fishing.
BTW, are you using flash when taking those pics? That may account for the glare...

[Drawout]

Tommy when i first saw it i thought it was Jackpot balls of baitfish and active feeding fish swimming around.Thats why i was so eager for you guys to tell me i passed a goldmine lol.I think they were hybrids though.

[blackwaterkatz]

Tommy when i first saw it i thought it was Jackpot balls of baitfish and active feeding fish swimming around.Thats why i was so eager for you guys to tell me i passed a goldmine lol.I think they were hybrids though.
The glare is pretty bad, but I would tend to agree with you, at least from what I can make out. The arches are more like long horizontal lines, which tells me you were moving slowly, right or wrong? If so, a slightly higher speed would produce better arch definition, and be a little easier to read, but sometimes you have to play with what you're dealt, therefore the need to understand as much as possible about the sonar. I'd say you're making good progress. :smile2:

[Drawout]

Thx Tommy yes i was movinging slowly ,was running about half speed or less at first 15 mph then saw this and stopped and took picture the white birds were scooping on water also but when i threw shad net i got nothing and its a 7ft net that is why i was wondering.

[catfishrus]

johnny that is bait. those bird arent there for nothing. as for the cast net. hard to catch them in the daylight that deep. they will swim out from under it. someones going to say they can catch them i know but you find the same bait school less than 10 ft deep and you can catch them too. it might be that its small bait too. i have caught bait that deep with a 7 ft net before too but they was big gizzard shad laying on a ledge in the dark. you have to get right over the top of them to do it. i have two depth finders on my boat and that is why the one at the trolling motor is just like the one at the wheel. i get right over the top of them with the trolling motor and cast my net. there is fish in there too but i like to look for scattered bait with fish mixed in. fish just seem more active when the baits scattered in a area. i will say i am amazed at the different answers you got with this post. it is a very hard thing to do when you dont know all the conditions but birds=bait.