Flasher just to clarifiy

[eriksat1]

I see and hear all the time people with flashers saying they see the fish come up off the bottom to hit there bait. Well that is not usually the case, the fish is coming in from the side, the outside edge of the transducer beam and swimming towards the bait, because your jig is in the center of the cone so it is showing up at its true depth, the fish coming in from the side appear as if they are coming up off the bottom because they are farther away from the center coming in from the side. You notice the fishes signal get stronger the closer they get to the center of the transducer cone.

[Swampdonkey]

A fish coming from the side is just a weaker signal from whatever depth the fish is in. The flasher will read the depth the fish is coming from. Wether it be from the side or directly below.

[eriksat1]

Not true, a signal coming in from the side is farther away, then appears to rise as it gets closer to the center of the beam.

[SISIF]

If the flasher shows them coming from the bottom, they're still coming from the bottom. Unless what you mean is that when your jig is so close to the bottom that when the fish comes you see some green on the bottom and it appears to come up a bit by the time it's red, then yes it could be a fish staying at the same level, only its marker is getting bigger until it overlaps your jig. But I can tell when a fish is actually elevating.

The signal strength is something to keep in mind though. I was marking something that was 1 or 2 green lines meanwhile it appeared a perch was nibbling at my dead stick. Must be some perch around right? I hooked that fish with the dead stick and it was a 26" walleye. It was it's tail or back end that was showing up on the flasher. One reason why I like my gain pretty high.

[Swampdonkey]

I suppose a guy from Wisconsin could be right. I doubt it. But possible

[3beagles]

As long as I know it's a fish, I don't much care.
Mike

[eriksat1]

I shouldn't say off the bottom but always appear to come from lower underneath other wise as soon as a fish came in the edge of the cone at the same depth as your jig, your jig would just disappear because the fish signal is stronger.

[SEF830]

Then where do the fish come from when the signal just appears above my jig?  Happens all the time when I'm crappie fishing.

[mr_mojo]

I suppose a guy from Wisconsin could be right. I doubt it. But possible

[eriksat1]

Any signal above your jig is higher up, but even if you raise your jig up to the same level but the fish is on the outside edge of the cone you still could be above the fish. It also will be exaggerated even more the deeper you are fishing.

[eriksat1]

Try it once in open water with your flasher, take a small jig and swim in a bigger lure toward your jig from the side at the exact same depth, and watch the flasher.

[SEF830]

But you just said that if the fish is on the outside edge of the cone that it would appear to be coming off the bottom on my flasher.

[silvah]

a pic of what he is referring to...
I never thought of it before but it makes sense!
Even though the fish are the same distance off the bottom, the fish further away from the flasher look like they are further away.

not saying it is right or not but it makes sense.

[wallydiven]

But you just said that if the fish is on the outside edge of the cone that it would appear to be coming off the bottom on my flasher.

 No. It appears at whatever depth they are comming in at.

[elkguide1107]

I dont really care if "technically speaking" the fish is coming from the side bottom top or from a parrallel universe as long as it end up on the end of my line

BUT, while your math and assumption may be correct in some cases, for the most part, yes the fish are coming off the bottom.  What you are saying about fish coming in from the side and how they show up onthe graph is true, but most fish that appear to be coming off the bottom are indeed coming off the bottom.  Fish that appear just below your jig are obviously coming in from the side.

[eriksat1]

I didn't mean bottom but from underneath, if you are fishing a couple feet off bottom it will look like they are coming off the bottom, it depends how deep you are fishing, they almost always appear to be rising up to your jig when really they are just swimming towards it from the side.

[eriksat1]

That picture is exactly whats happening the jig and fish are at the same depth but the fish shows up as deeper, measure the 2 lines. As the fish gets closer to the jig it appears to be rising up to the jig.

[Tainterslayer]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but have you spoken with Vexilar about this issue? I can understand exactly what you mean. A fish 5 feet off to the side is further from the transducer than one that is right below. But flashers have computers in them and are you sure there isn't some sort of calculation that the unit does to compensate?
Maybe someone needs to do an experiment and see if the reported depth of your jig changes as you move further from the transducer.

[SISIF]

Okay now I see. Great picture Silvah that must be a perch a d a blue gill.

I too wonder if the flasher doesn't compensate for that though. But it is actually a nice way to see it that way you can put your jig just above the fish and when he's really coming for it you can see it close in.

[eriksat1]

It is hardly an issue, it is just way it has always been.

[eriksat1]

Okay now I see. Great picture Silvah that must be a perch a d a blue gill.

I too wonder if the flasher doesn't compensate for that though. But it is actually a nice way to see it that way you can put your jig just above the fish and when he's really coming for it you can see it close in.

That is why you can see the fish close in on it (appear to come UP on it) Like I said the unit can not show a small jig and a bigger fish at the exact same depth or all you would see is the stronger signal of the 2, the fish, and your jig would just disappear. if the fish coming in from the side at the same depth and your jig both showed up at the exact same depth you would never see a fish closing in on your bait.

[icemantwo]

eriksat1, just wondering, but what makes you the expert?  I see fish come in at the exact same height as my jig, staying at that same depth according to the Marcum, and bite.  I think the signal is just weaker when farther from the center of the transducer.  I think fish really are coming off the bottom when it appears so. 

[jigginPig]

HERE BOYS QUIT FIGHTING haha

[jigginPig]

I would say fish coming straight off the bottom are a constant color as they rise(usually red). If they are approaching from the side they will be green, then yellow then red and it will look like they are rising on your screen. If I see a week green signal I always have my jig show higher on the screen. Just my understanding and it works for ME.
Pig
P.S. i have a vex, other manufacturers use different colors in different orders to mark signal strength, obviously

[jiggin365]

thats what i got out of it. 

[Uplandhuntr]

That is why you can see the fish close in on it (appear to come UP on it) Like I said the unit can not show a small jig and a bigger fish at the exact same depth or all you would see is the stronger signal of the 2, the fish, and your jig would just disappear. if the fish coming in from the side at the same depth and your jig both showed up at the exact same depth you would never see a fish closing in on your bait.

Please relate your hypothesis to a flasher in a boat running 20 mph down the lake.....what does it show as the bottom moves from the very front edge of the cone, through the middle of the cone, and out the back edge of the cone?

[silvah]

Please relate your hypothesis to a flasher in a boat running 20 mph down the lake.....what does it show as the bottom moves from the very front edge of the cone, through the middle of the cone, and out the back edge of the cone?

if you are looking at the raw data, this might explain why the fish on a fishfinder shows up as an arc when moving.



the fish are shown as an arc as they pass through the cone.

[silvah]

A humminbird example as well (note the arcs beneath the "fish ID")




The more i look into this the more i am convinced that the dude is right about this.

Unless of course every fish in both these pictures came "up" to get a better look at the ducer as the boat drove by....

[Uplandhuntr]

if you are looking at the raw data, this might explain why the fish on a fishfinder shows up as an arc when moving.

(Image removed from quote.)

the fish are shown as an arc as they pass through the cone.

Very interesting.....but when cruising with a Vex, the fish shows at depth changing from green, to orange, to red, back to orange, and green.....at the same depth.....the band of course gets wider on the display, but the depth doesn't change....

[silvah]

Very interesting.....but when cruising with a Vex, the fish shows at depth changing from green, to orange, to red, back to orange, and green.....at the same depth.....the band of course gets wider on the display, but the depth doesn't change....

Well for one, the vex is going to have a narrower angle beam than a fishfinder, so the effect wouldnt be as apparent.

Also, the subtle change in depth might not be as easy to notice without the graphing feature that a finder provides.