FISHFINDER QUESTION??????(STUMPED)

[sieglefish69]

I AM CURRENTLY USING A STANDARD HUMMINGBIRD PORTABLE FISH FINDER THAT WORKS JUST FINE,BUT I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY DOES IT SEEM WHENEVER THERE APPEARS TO A LARGE AMOUNT OF FISH SHOWING ON THE SCREEN,WE CANT SEEM TO BUY A BITE.NOW I KNOW YOUR ALL SAYING TO YOURSELF YOU MUST BE FISHING WRONG OR NOT USING  THE RIGHT BAIT AND EVERYTHING ELSE,BUT I AM DOING EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING AND BELIEVE TO BE DOING IT RIGHT.SO HOW COME THESE FISH JUST WONT TOUCH ANYTHING WE THROW AT THEM.OR IS IT US AND WE JUST DONT WANT TO ADMIT IT.ANY INSITE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.CONSTRUCTI VE CRITISISM WILL BE EXPECTED.

[Cook078]

Thats why they call it fishing!!!!  We were marking and catching fish for 4 hours the other day, and then we were just marking fish....As if it were time to stop eating!!!  Its just the way it goes...I would just keep going back to that spot and try again....you will be surprised!!

Mike

[ice fishNH]

Had the same problem this weekend with one of the cameras we were fishing with.  5 guys with 2 lines apiece, and only 1 fish all day.  Had several lakers swim by within in iches of the line on the camera, circle a couple of times and swim on.  This went on most of the day.  We even moved to a couple of different locations.  Tried several different baits and lures with no luck.  Nice to know the fish are there, but it is tough to deal with when you can't get them to bite. That's fishing for ya!!

[PIKEGUY]

There's a good chance you were marking groups of large baitfish.

[sieglefish69]

I DONT THINK THEY WERE BAITFISH CUZ THE FINDER HAS DIFFERENT SIZES FOR LARGER FISH,PLUS MOST PLACES I FISH ARE USUALLY SMALL OUT OF THE WAY SMALL LAKES AND SMALL RESERVOIRS,WHICH I KNOW ARE LOADED WITH PANFISH AND PERCH CUZ I CATCH THEM IN THE OPEN WATER ALL YEAR LONG.SO THIS IS THE AGGREVATING PART ABOUT THRU THE ICE KNOWING THEY ARE GILLS,CRAPPIE,PERCH AND BASS BUT NOTHING WILL GET THEIR ATTENTION.OH WELL WERE GONNA JUST KEEP CHUGGING ALONG AT IT.DID HOOK A NICE ONE YESTERDAY THO ON A MINNOW ON A TIP UP ABOUT A 10"PERCH.

[PIKEGUY]

Yeah, just go out and throw everything in the tackle box at them at all different times of the day and you're bound to hook up with em if they're there. They've got to eat sometime

[missfishylicious]

it's not you it's the fish there doing that all over this time of year they seem to clamp there jaws shut at least thats what I'm blaming it on. 

[Iron Chef]

Make sure you have the fish symbol feature turned off, if not, the unit will interperate the sonal signals and just show a fish symbol because it dosen't know what else to do, if you have it off, you might see alot fewer fewer blips that the sonar would have shown as a fish and you can get a clearer picture of what is happening down there, you could be getting some interferance being too close to someone elses sonar, or too much sensitivity too, the only thing I use the fish symbol feature for is open water trolling since it will show depth at the fish symbol

[Poorboy]

Iron Chef, you took the words right out of my mouth.  I don't use my eagle in the winter, but in the open water I almost never use the "automatic" mode which shows the fish icons.  It shows them everywhere.  On "manual" I can see the arches and ignore the clutter.

[LoneWolf]

Have you been fishing with Gator Bait ? 

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=20349.0

[BASSandICE65]

I,ve been there with the Humminbird. I couldn't see any fish until I set the transducer all the way past the ice into the hole. By keeping the transducer at the top I made the sonar cone too narrow and couldn't mark the fish. Even now though they get lockjaw so I throw the Aqua-Vu camera down the hole and have a peek. Sometimes they just won't hit anything. 

[missfishylicious]

thats been the story for us on oneida lake in ny.

[billybono]

thats been the story for us on Oneida lake in ny.

tell me about it! we were seeing walleye on the vu ALL DAY off of dunham island and couldn't get them to bite. we used every trick in our arsenal. its a good thing I'm an ethical sportsman, or we would have resorted to the oswego river salmon lure(big treble hook with a molded sinker on the bottom)

                          billybono

[IceBalls]

I've been using a fishfinder on my boat in the ocean for 35 years or more.  It's absolutely maddening to troll over schools of Striped Bass, or Blues and not get a hit all day!!!

Then I bought exactly what you have.... a Humminbird portable.  Now I can see the fish under the ice and watch them NOT HIT!!!

Then I bought the ALLMIGHTY VEX!!!   Now I can see the fish on the bottom ---  watch them come up off the bottom 2-3 feet, right up to my jig --- and then ---- NOTHING!!!!

             AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH HH!!!!!!!

[cold_feet]

I use a humingbird 565 on the ice the first time out with it I found it was ok but it needed fine tuneing. Turn it on and scroll thru the fine tuning modes that are in it set you sensitivity to the size fish you are fishing for Say if it is Perch turn your sensitivety high if bigger fish is what your looking for set it low.Turn up the speed of the screen too this might make the unit Real time it does mine. Now after you drill your holes send down a jig. play with the transducer till you find the jig on the screen angle the transducer every way till you see them if you don't see it turn up the sensitivity till you do. As I jig my jig on the screen moves the same speed as I am jigging Same as a Vex does. As far as catching fish watch the screen and jig if fish come into the screen most will come in as lines not a picture of fish because you are not moveing and the fish are moveing to slow the ones that come into the cone area fast will show up as a fish signal. Now raise your jig up slowly if the line moves with the jig or the jig line get fatter you have a fish looking if the fish line moves back to the bottom the fish lost intrest. Drop the jig back to bottom and raise again not quiet as high and hold it still at that point the fish should hit. Its kind of fun watching the fish rise to the jig and within a second you get hammerd. This method gets the active fish to eat while if you keep it low and in front of the fishes nose they will lose intrest and swim off. I leave the fish ID on as this will tell me if I have bigger fish in the school under me then I try to target the bigger fish keeping the jig away from the smaller ones. The signal tones I get are very diffrent small fish to large fish. Some of what you see to are either baitfish or very inactive fish I am sure that everyone here would limmit out if they caught every fish they see on there units. It can drive you nuts at times seeing all the fish but thats whats fun about fishing. Try this with your unit and see if it doesnt help and Post back your results.
Cold Feet

[ice-chaser]

thats been the story for us on oneida lake in ny.

not only oneida but also long pond on ny they blip beep and smile for the scout but will not hit the bait