Deep Structure Fishing 2025

Glenn reply :

Learn critical tips for success from the master - Hank Parker!

GoneFishingLTN reply :

So he says he doesn’t ping them, does that mean he only uses mapping at the trolling motor or turns off both units completely?

Team9nine reply :

I took it as he simply won't drive over the spot/area first, instead preferring to use his mapping to pull up short of the structure and just start fishing.

J Francho reply :

That's pretty much what he said: "I rely on that LakeMaster chip..."

scaleface reply :

I've heard a number of pros state that bass "can" be spooked by a depth finder and a number of amateurs who say it "never" happens . Whom should I believe ?

J Francho reply :

I've caught so many fish while "fishing the cone," I'm in the doesn't matter camp. I'm fishing at least 12' deep though, so maybe that's the difference. That said, I don't skip spots just because I didn't mark fish. Often, I see them rise from the bottom, to a drop shot plastic, and then you feel the bite.

A-Jay reply :

After having so many fish come close to the boat recently (in some very clear water) I'm starting to feel like my 360 imaging actually attracts fish !

#hydrowave

A-Jay

J Francho reply :

Dangle some senkos from the 360

Team9nine reply :

On 10/9/2018 at 9:50 PM, scaleface said:

I've heard a number of pros state that bass "can" be spooked by a depth finder and a number of amateurs who say it "never" happens . Whom should I believe ?

That's the great thing about fishing - doesn't matter who you believe. If it works for you, then keep doing it, whatever "it" is...

Todd2 reply :

John Hope's tracking proved that big bass are affected by the ping. I'd have to go back and read for the details, but if he had on the sonar, the big fish would take off. If I'm beating the bank, I turn my off. For off shore, I leave it on. But yeah, it's a preference thing.

J Francho reply :

The ping didn't bother this one, or many others that day. Was fishing in 38' water.

roadwarrior reply :

Nice fish!

jbmaine reply :

On 10/9/2018 at 9:50 PM, scaleface said:

I've heard a number of pros state that bass "can" be spooked by a depth finder and a number of amateurs who say it "never" happens . Whom should I believe ?

I'm firmly in the "like many things in fishing , sometimes it matters and sometimes it doesn't" camp. That being said I usually don't turn my sonar off. I caught my biggest fish of the year five feet from the boat in five feet of water with both sonar's and the TM going.

Also, because of Glenn's video, I will be spending more time on so called " barren" structure.

Thanks Glenn

scaleface reply :

On 10/10/2018 at 2:50 AM, jbmaine said:

I'm firmly in the "like many things in fishing , sometimes it matters and sometimes it doesn't" camp. That being said I usually don't turn my sonar off. I caught my biggest fish of the year five feet from the boat in five feet of water with both sonar's and the TM going.

Also, because of Glenn's video, I will be spending more time on so called " barren" structure.

Thanks Glenn

Nobody says pings disturb 100 per cent of fish . I have heard many pros state that it happens at times . We have all caught deep fish with the sonar turned on . I have caught thousands of fish directly under the boat . That does not prove that at times sonar does not alert fish . I have caught many fish after my cousin slams his tackle box against the floor of an aluminum boat . Does that prove tackle boxes slammed against the floor does not , at times , alert fish ?

lo n slo reply :

i know one guide who thumps on the side of his boat to draw the stripers in. he swore that it worked for spots too! go figure

WRB reply :

I have stated multiple times bass get conditioned to boats and anglers approaching their location and metering the bass can shut down a bit. For these reasons approaching a point from a different angle like close to the shore line in lieu of from outside deep water can make a difference. Metering a known fish holding area after you fish is sometime better then driving over the bass before you fish it.

Nothing is absolute and sometimes being on top of bass with the sonar running has no affect.

Tom

12poundbass reply :

On 10/10/2018 at 5:29 AM, lo n slo said:

i know one guide who thumps on the side of his boat to draw the stripers in. he swore that it worked for spots too! go figure

Check this out.

lo n slo reply :

yep

Tennessee Boy reply :

On 10/9/2018 at 11:00 PM, Todd2 said:

John Hope's tracking proved that big bass are affected by the ping. I'd have to go back and read for the details, but if he had on the sonar, the big fish would take off.

What you need to keep in mind is that all animals hear within a certain frequency range. Can you hear a whistle? What about a dog whistle? John Hope did see bass that he was tracking clearly flee when he turned on his sonar. I don't remember exactly when he made this observation but it was a decades ago. Modern high definition sonars work at much higher frequencies than the old flasher sonars. I had a unit many years ago that I could hear when I turned it on in the garage and it would read depth off of the garage floor. You can hear up to about 20kHz depending on your age and how many Rock concerts you've been to. My Humminbirds generate a wide range of frequencies from 83kHz at the low end to 800khz at the high end. I haven't seen any info on a bass' hearing range. Catfish can only hear up to about 4kHz. Dolphins are known for their ability to hear very high frequencies up to 150kHz. I would expect bass to be some where in between, probably much closer to the catfish. So when @A-Jay is running his 360 imaging at 455kHz I don't think he has anything to worry about. Personally, I avoid the 83kHz frequency setting on my 2D imaging when I'm fishing and used 200 kHz instead. I should be safe with that setting even if some dolphins swim up in the Tennessee river.

WRB reply :

It's not about the bass hearing they also have lateral line to feel the sonar pulse, your trolling motor and big OB engine pushing water at long distances. If they wary it affects them, if not it doesn't, why take the chance unless you need sonar to stay on top of the bass?

Before GPS way point markers we used bouys to mark deep structure so we could fish the area.

Tom

Harold Scoggins reply :

Hankamania! Big Hank fan here!

Tennessee Boy reply :

On 10/10/2018 at 6:35 AM, WRB said:

It's not about the bass hearing they also have lateral line to feel the sonar pulse, your trolling motor and big OB engine pushing water at long distances. If they wary it affects them, if not it doesn't, why take the chance?

Tom

Bass sense low frequency vibrations with their lateral line like the ones you mentioned. There is no way they pick up sonar with their lateral line. I had a graph in the 90s that ran at 55 kHz but it made a clicking sound that I could hear. I was clearly not hearing the 55 kHz pulse. I'm not sure what caused the clicking but I'm sure the bass could also hear it. I try to be as quite as possible but I don't worry about bass sensing my high frequency sonar any more than I worry about them sensing my cell phone pinging the cell tower.

WRB reply :

Have ever put your hand on a running transducer? The clicking you hear is the transducer pulsing, not the frequency of the pulse. Bass have ears to located close low frequency sound like crawdads moving and some bait fish sounds. Lateral line nerves pickup longer distance water sounds.

I have watch several times big bass panic and leave an area they are uncomfortable being in at several hundred distance before they could possibly see me, they apparently detected my boat sounds. You see a pressure wave and don't know if it's a bass or other type of fish until you see them swim past you.

Tom

roadwarrior reply :

Back to the question...

Do you fish structure where bait or bass are not seen on your electronics?

NHBull reply :

On 10/10/2018 at 8:52 PM, roadwarrior said:

Back to the question...

Do you fish structure where bait or bass are not seen on your electronics?

Absolutely, as electronics can't see under or between rock pile or downed trees

J Francho reply :

Down scan can see under downed trees.

lo n slo reply :

On 10/10/2018 at 8:52 PM, roadwarrior said:

Back to the question...

Do you fish structure where bait or bass are not seen on your electronics?

most certainly

WRB reply :

If talking about fishing deep structure laydowns aren't normally something you find, stumps and some standing timber yes depending on the type wood, IMO.

To me it's very important to know the structure and to meter it to determine what is there. The question was do you meter it while you fishing it? My answer is only if you need to to stay on top of a group of deep bass, shallower bass it isn't necessary.

Consider this; I have caught very few giant bass while metering while fishing, but I knew from visual or metered contact those bass were on or used that structure. How is that possible? I often meter the area after fishing it and meter areas to survey the to get an idea what is there, how deep bait may be and if lucky any big bass on or suspended nearby the structure. It's like hunting trophy animals, helps to know where they are located so you can be at the right place at the right time.

I rarely put the trolling motor down, turn on the sonar and start to fish blindly hoping to run across bass, it's not my style. It's better for me to know where they are located before I start fishing, less wasted time on the water. Do I leave the sonar running? Yes, unless I know big bass are in the area, then it goes dark.

Tom

J Francho reply :

On 10/11/2018 at 2:24 AM, WRB said:

If talking about fishing deep structure laydowns aren't normally something you find, stumps and some standing timber yes depending on the type wood, IMO.

We have plenty of glacial lakes where you're 20' from shore, and you might be in 30' water. There's fallen timber, too. You'd probably like it, the water is crystal clear as well.

Choporoz reply :

On 10/11/2018 at 2:55 AM, J Francho said:

We have plenty of glacial lakes where you're 20' from shore, and you might be in 30' water. There's fallen timber, too. You'd probably like it, the water is crystal clear as well.

Here, too. But not clear. I often fish the drops and any adjacent swallower flats, but never the bottom of the channel. Do you fish for LMB at 30'?

Catt reply :

On 10/9/2018 at 11:36 PM, J Francho said:

The ping didn't bother this one, or many others that day. Was fishing in 38' water.

Both fish were caught directly under the boat in 15' of water.

Do I fish structure that shows no bait or bass on the screen?

Absolutely ????

J Francho reply :

On 10/11/2018 at 9:15 AM, Choporoz said:

Do you fish for LMB at 30'?

In these two specific lakes, yes. The weeds extend up to 10-15' from the surface. In one of the lakes, it just keeps dropping to around 90'. If you can get a bait down there in the weeds around 15-20', you'll eventually get bit. It's a deep jungle down there. There's shallow fish, too. They are usually around wood.

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