What am I seeing on my sonar?

[ChrisNClark]

Hello. I haven't fished with a sonar, or really even out of a boat for years (been fly fishing). Recently bought a boat to get my twins involved with fishing, and I'm trying to learn this sonar stuff.

I am seeing this a lot when I'm parked with baits in the water. Just curious if this is some kind of interference, as I haven't caught fish when I'm seeing these patterns on the screen.

Thanks for the help.

[Halli]

Maybe you're line you may have the settings too high but with that said I am green at depth finders so it's just a guess.

[TNBronzeback]

In my experience it could be 1 of 2 things:
1) fish coming off bottom towards the surface.
2) air bubbles- ive seen this alot actually. I know its bubbles in my cases cause im using the trolling motor mounted sonar, see those lines, then i see bubbles rising to the surface.
Could be your settings as well, if you have it set to slow, it you could be getting multiple pings off the same object.

[ChrisNClark]

I am seeing these patterns all over JPP on three different days.

[agelesssone]

If you are sitting still, the long horizontal marks would/could be fish. They are just slowly moving through your transducer's cone or your boat is moving very slightly.

They would probably be smaller fish as a large fish would give you a thicker and longer horizontal mark.

The diagonal lines could be air bubbles or any kind of debris in the water column.

Sitting still screenshots are difficult to interpret.

[XxthejuicexX]

Without knowing the situation it could be multiple things. Merv and TN have already said it but it could be fish coming through your sonar cone while siting still. Usually bait on a hook straight under the transducer will look like a straight line while sitting still.If fish, those would be small. Big fish are thicker and return a harder signature, yellow on my Lawrence.

[XxthejuicexX]

Straight lines are minnows. The line coming off the bottom then going back down is a fish... More than likely a crappie. I wAs sitting still


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