Side imaging and Bedding Bass?

[Mike Cork]

I do fish for bedding bass. I know some think it's wrong but lets not debate that here (use Dock Talk please). In fishing for bedding bass I like to cover a lot of water as fast as I can. The new side imaging technology seems like it could help with this tremendously. I mean some of the screen shots everyone has shared from Lowrance and HB have been amazing, if you can pinpoint a fish and it's shadow or a rock and it's shadow, can you see a bed as well? Obviously you can see the fish? Seems like you would be able too.

[coldfront]

I know beds show up really well when going over road beds and stuff...but those are typically in a bit deeper water.

I think what you'll possibly be looking for Mike will be stationary fish 'in pairs'...near some kind of cover...  not sure how well the bed will show up...

but it'll be interesting to consider this going in to spring...

[DougV]

This is from Humminbird of Bream Beds in Shallow Water and can see the fish on them:

[coldfront]

I get what you're saying Doug...but I'm thinking bass aren't 'colony' bedders...and typically try to bed 'next' to an object...

which, when some of those beds might be on inside weed lines...might be hard to see via side imaging...

there are a couple of places here with lily pads...might be interesting to try and 'see' under them this coming spring...

[Mike Cork]

Outstanding screen shot. Thank you. Amazing how you can pick the fish out of it as well

[Fishton]

I decided to go have a look at a part of Inanda that I have not known much about as I have hardly ever fished it.  It turned out to be quite interesting, to say the least.



The old road, funnels and river channels are very clear.



Zoomed in for detail and creating waypoints at the click of a buttom.



Beds ...

[coldfront]

Fishton,
I haven't done nearly enough with the DrDepth software (which I think you use for the mosaic view?)...

Regardless, the sidescan 'on the water' plus playing it back at home on the PC...and the ability to put it onto a 'map' like you show really is a game changer in terms of quickly driving my understanding of spatial relationships between cover, structure...depth...and all of a sudden it's like a light clicks on...  '...always wondered why those fish were there and not there...'

the technology, as wonderful as it is in identifying lots of stuff with a lot less pass overs...really helps those of us (me) who aren't so great at understanding 'spacially' what's up by taking simple multiple passes looking straight down...

Normally, I find I'm so fascinated by the images on the water that I really miss a bunch of the stuff I need...so when I'm back at the home PC and working on putting the lake 'together'...it's like having the world's best 'class notes'...