Rainbow Trout on graph

[Beanstir]

Will I mark rainbow on graph? This weekend we flat-lined for rainbow in 10' to 35' of water. Our water here on Georgian Bay is very clear. The discussion was on the boat was what were the fish we are seeing on the graph. My position is not rainbow, as I do not think a bow would stay under the boat to register on the graph. We recorded fish marks when we were trolling shallow in 10'. That would only be 3.6' of coverage. Cannot believe these marks would be anything but bait-fish. Do we not use planner boards for walleye because they scatter of to the side of boat when trolling? Should I be looking for water temperature as opposed to trying to find them on the graph? Some fellows are fishing shallow over deep water. Would these guys be seeing fish up high on the graph? 

[Buckmaster7600]

I mark rainbows regularly in a small lake by me. Our number 1 rig is a small dipsey down the chute with about 30ft of line out. We run riggers and Inlines but that dipsey down the chute out fishes everything else combined right below the prop wash.


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[Sk8man]

I guess it should be mentioned that not all fish marks on the fish finder are trout or salmon (although we'd like to think so), or bait for that matter. secondly, interpreting the marks seen as specific species is at best an educated "guesstimate". Fishing the deeper water during summer months you stand a better chance of trying to interpret..as the rainbows usually appear above or within the thermocline layer, but so can browns and salmon. In shallow water during the Spring  in the Finger Lakes or Lake Ontario for example the trout and salmon species may congregate in that  shallow water to feed, and there may be bass suspended there too as well as other species; so any interpretation of marks can be just plain guessing. The 10 to 35 ft. mentioned above could contain anything including carp or bullheads for that matter and they are not always on bottom

Looking for bait in shallow and seeing marks suspended near it may be more productive but again it is a guessing game. The more effective strategy is to concentrate on more likely areas to fish like around stream mouths, where shallow spots are near drop offs  and using relevant artificial lures and spoons (small to medium in size and trolled fairly fast). A major problem with getting in that close is the weed beds that often stretch out to that area. You want to be outside it not only to avoid weed hang-ups but the wrong species such as pike pickerel and bass. a lot of the grass has not laid down yet because of the higher water temps than usual for right now.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Sk8man

[jimski2]

Shallow water graph use is difficult as the transducer on the back of the boat has a smaller cone signal and fish flee from the
Moving boat above them. Flatlining behind the boat is almost useless also as the fish flee away from the boat . Using long lines off planer boards or inline planer boards is highly effective since your lures are away to where you have herded the fish away from the moving boat.


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