Laurel Hill 7-03-2014
 

Was able to get the kayak in very early this morning at Laurel Hill. Was hoping to beat the wind and fish the whole lake all day but that was not to be. Had to stay in a bay and while the size Gills I was looking for was not there the numbers and fight were. I only caught 4 Gills all about 7 inches. I did however get into shell cracker in the 7 inch range....now that is fun. I caught a total of 33 shell crackers. Don't ask where the big ones are as I don't have a clue. I found all of these fish using my side imaging. I would go bed to bed picking up 3-5 fish off each bed. Still no big numbers on any single bed but enough for me to have a little fun and find another one. I don't know if the shell cracker will being going back on bed soon or not but I will keep trying and find out. I am posting some pics of the side imaging to show what I was dealing with. If you look you can see a few fish on each bed. Sorry for quality of fish pics as was dealing with the sun. On the morning of the 21st of June I remarked on Doug Markham's radio show that the place to get a trophy Gill was either Dale Hollow or Laurel Hill. Well on the 28th of June a 2.5 pound bluegill was caught out of Laurel Hill Lake....and it was a regular northern strain and not a copper nose. They have a pic at the concession stand. It is quite a fish.


Regards

awesome pics! You chase them gills and wear them out!
2.5 pounds....that would be as big as a dinner plate and super thick across its back!
I attached a screen shot of one of your image pics with a few questions wrote on it. Im still in the process of learning how to read one of these to decide which brand i like best before i take the big plunge!
by just using the side imaging, how can you tell if a contour is a hump, or a depression? Is it really easy and im just not seeing it? LOL
Thanks for your help!

Alpha, you're really tearing up the water this year. Great questions TNBronzeback.

I'm gonna guess because I don't know Alphahawk's settings, but it looks like his unit is set on 455 kHz. The "what is this?" areas are probably the shoreline.

I think you are correct that it is a depth change. Shallower will show up brighter/lighter. Drop offs will show up darker because it is getting a weaker return or no return at all (like what I assume is the shoreline).

Alpha is that the same shoreline on the top left and bottom right? Did you turn the kayak and go back to the same spot to fish?

You are correct....but I didn't turn around.....different shoreline. That is a continuos run. Just found that bed today paddling around in the back of the cove. It is set to 455 kHz and I wish I had not spent the extra money to get the 800 kHz transducer.


Regards

What unit do you have?

See my post for nailman. I won't even try to get into which unit is better. Here is what my experience is. You can tune on either a Lowrance or Humminbird until you have a perfect pic.....but sooner or later you have to fish....LOL. I can post better pics but it takes time to go through settings....color palettes. My settings will change each time out because of the water. I have used it enough to know that I have found a Gill bed and I know what one looks like with fish in the beds. So I get pumped up and start fishing.....LOL. Sooner or later I will hit a big bed where there are a ton of fish on it and get a pic of that. It is quite a sight. I am trying to hit Center Hill to look for shell cracker and at Normandy to look for walleye on gravel. One thing I really dislike in kayak fishing is the wind. Where I want to go on both lakes is going to be open to the wind so I have to pick the right day to go. I have had many opportunities to snap great shots of bass...catfish thrashing around on a jug line.....but just get excited many times at what I am seeing I don't hit the mark to take a pic. Right now my mind is in search mode for bluegill. This fall I expect to see tons of crappie at Nickajack on the unit. I don't think one would go wrong with either brand....but I have to say I have called Humminbird several times about things and they have always been on the phone in a few minutes and if the tech I am talking with can't help me he or she consults with another tech to get the answer. Humminbird advertises their unit can side image in 2 feet of water...I can say that is a fact. I just know one of these units will change the way one fishes.

Regards

I have the Humminbird 899. Would love one of the touch units not only for the touch screen but also the much higher resolution. But I am really happy with what I have.


Regards

Yeah Jeremy I am getting a ton of seat time this year. The main reason is the new side imaging I have and since TK cut my trailer down it makes it a little easier to load that barge I have....LOL. The BG II is a heavy rig but I got to tell you it is one ultra stable boat. I keep the seat in the elevated position nearly all the time. Life is good!


Regards

I'm glad you are in a boat that you really enjoy. Having something that is fairly easy to load and unload makes trips much more enjoyable.

That's the truth, the thought of lifting my Big Tuna above my head to get on the jeep is enough to keep me home some days! I need a trailer!


Mike