Do flashers show structure?

[masoct3]

Hi,

I own the FL-8SE Genz. Great unit. On the HSOforum, they talk about using the unit and it will pick up structure in addition to fish. Can someone guide me to what this would look like on the flasher, as I am always seeing the two red top and bottom points.

Thanks

[Crm7290]

Yes they do, but I havent learned what that looks like yet. I just got mine and Im interested to see what people say.

[L_Cappo]

it tells you in the book whatwhat the bottom looks like if there are structure,weeds,ect,ect,ect

[slipperybob]

On my Marcum it's just a red bottom of dead zone and my jig will go below that and hide in there.

[Jim Uran]

It will show you all sorts of stuff, but it takes time and experience with the unit to learn what you are looking at. It's tough to say it will show you structure, but it will show you whether you are on a hard bottom, soft bottom, weeds, etc.

I test the bottom content by turning the gain up a little higher, and switching it to a deeper mode so it will show the "second echo". If it shows a precise second echo you know you are over a hard bottom, no echo and you are over muck or a softer bottom.

Weeds will be easy to distinguish, they show up as clutter on top of the true bottom, which will show up as a solid red line.

Get out there and mess around with it, learn some new tricks and share what you learn!!

[Crm7290]

I have a hummingbird, but when its just disappearing like that, I use my zoom and hope that it helps. When it does I can tell a sudden change and thats the fish. Above that I have not really seen too much cover with it.

We need someone who knows what is up with these flashers to help out

[herefish101]

If your fishing over rocks or a very mucky/weedy bottom almost every flasher has that dead zone at the bottom. Gravel or sand or even hard packed muck the better the bottom six inches will show up. On my LX5, if the bottom red mark shows up as a smallish say about a half inch of red then the bottom is pretty firm, if the red on the bottom is say an inch or even two inches long then the bottom is pretty mucky. Rocks will sometimes be hard to read a bottom because of all the deflection, even on narrow beam. Play with your gain as your checking for bottom content it can tell you alot.

[Surface Tension]

Takes Time on the water getting to know how to use a flasher but here is the short version.

First off you'll need LP Mode or a suppression cable if your using a Vex.

Turn the gain/sensitivity down as low as you can.

Depending on what flasher you have you'll mark bottom or you won't mark any bottom.

If you aren't marking bottom turn the gain till you can just see it.

That is bottom your looking at and the color and thickness of that color marked is an indication on the hardness of bottom.

Slowly increase the gain. Do you see the bottom coming up and the color turning hot? More then likely your in soft bottom.

(Later you'll check that for what could be dead zone.)

If the bottom does not come up your in a harder bottom.

If you start to see stationary suspended targets your seeing weeds.

Increase the gain more, If the bottom starts to coming up a lot then your seeing the tops of weeds.

Decrease the gain till your not seeing the weeds.

If your on a steep brake and your lure disappears below what is marked as bottom that is dead zone.

If you have a small ducer angle to switch to do it.

You should have noticed the bottom drop some.

Still have a little dead zone, try decreaseing the gain, what looks like a hard bottom should go down a little more.

ALWAYS adjust your gain so your marking your lure as its weakest color.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Great advice frank... your flasher is often telling you far more than what people are reading. The more you use it the more you will learn about what kind of structure your on, how sharp the drop off is, the activity of the fish.

[mww24]

Wow. I have a lot to learn apparently. Great info. Thanks

[52#FLATHEAD]

Here's one thing I've learned. Use a camera during the day & a flasher at night. A camera will show you everything you could ever want to know including multiple fish at the same exact depth. I did a camera vs flasher comparison many times. The camera showed 6 fish, the flasher showed 3 red lines (fish).