Anyone have any UW camera shots from this kind of condition?

[desmobob]

When you get out on the lake at dawn and the screen goes almost totally red, is it smelt?  Shrimp? Perch fry? 
I could barely use my flasher or sonar for a while Saturday morning on Lake George, NY. (Even with the gain turned way down on both units.)



I going to look for some kind of seine or net I can drop down and quickly pull back up so I can see just what it is that's going by.

[Kevin23]

Its little tiny micro bugs in the water. On camera the whole screen looks like you are in a snow blizzard (cant see anything) and you can see the little dots swimming around in quick little movements. They are micro small, like the size of the . dot on your screen. You'll need one of those fancy nets that biologists use to collect bugs, probably need a microscope to see them well.

[kpd145]

When you get out on the lake at dawn and the screen goes almost totally red, is it smelt?  Shrimp? Perch fry? 
I could barely use my flasher or sonar for a while Saturday morning on Lake George, NY. (Even with the gain turned way down on both units.)



I going to look for some kind of seine or net I can drop down and quickly pull back up so I can see just what it is that's going by.

Ive seen that on George, only seems to be in the weeee early morning or when its dark.

Not sure 100% but I noticed little fish swimming in my hole when my light is on for my pullover. Maybe an inch or 2, almost transparent from the dorsal back.

Try to put a light down pointing at your hole and wait a few minutes, you will see them maybe an inch under the water just chilling there, I used my dip next to snag one to check it out, never used it for bait though.

They go away shortly after sun up for me.

[Badder]

Had the same thing happen on my Vex here in central Michigan last Friday night.
The darker it got the more red on the screen, it was happening to my buddies finder as well.
Makes sense that a cloud of micro-organism's could that to a fish finder. Couldn't even see your jig on the screen.
Went to a different lake later that night, and not a thing on the screen, not even a fish. LOL
And to answer the question, no I have no camera shots of this happening.

[desmobob]

I sent the question to the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation fisheries department to see what they say.  I also asked for a recommendation on a small sampling net I could use through a 6" hole in the ice.

The folks at NY DEC have always taken the time to send a thoughtful response to my questions.  I'll post any information I get from them.

I had the feeling that it was probably some kind of small invertebrates, like Kevin23 said he saw.  I'll find out!

[hardwater diehard]

Plankton moving up or down the water column..or a hatch .was the transducer wet/frozen..that can cause some wacky readings  ? Positive it wasnt line noise?



 

[desmobob]

Plankton moving up or down the water column..or a hatch .was the transducer wet/frozen..that can cause some wacky readings  ? Positive it wasnt line noise?

I didn't have a line down yet and I actually pulled the transducer back up and wiped off the bottom.  I was starting to think something was wrong until I dropped the Marcum VX-1P in and saw the same response.  The cloud passed by and returned two more times, not quite as thick.  After that, it was "normal" the rest of the day.