Depth wrong on flasher

[mvanotterloo]

I am having issues with my flasher. I have a guide series GS-X and was out dock fishing the past couple weeks with it and worked great. I went out this morning and it was the bottom was 6-7 feet off. I let it run for a while and just trying jigging a couple feet of the bottom and then went to another spot that normally works pretty well and when I came back my flasher looked normal and could see a few fish hovering around 12 FOW and then a few minutes later it went back to what it was doing before. Anybody have any ideas on what is going on and what I could possibly due? I know I could sent it in to Marcum but would rather see if anyone has any ideas and a easier way to figure this out and for all those vexilar loves out there the fix isn't to get one I love this thing!

Otter

[Sprinter]

I dont know the whole story here but here is my .02.

Unless you are on a floating dock you may be bicking up a signal off of one of the struts or pilon. Expecially if the water is as deep as you are stating. The deeper the water is the larger zone you are viewing, thus the further you need to be away from any false structure. I believe this holds true to any flasher. They will read a bottom wherever the closest returning signal is coming from (pole, ridge, rock, etc...) This false bottom blocks out the true bottom.

I had a problem very similar to this on LOTW on the rock reefs. We happened to park very close to a huge rock that must have been 5 feet tall. (very good for fishing structure---very bad for flasher fishing) I was reading the top of the rock as the bottom of the lake even though I was fishing the true bottom so I was basically fishing blind. It was so frustrating we moved the house 20 yards and everything worked fine. I dont know if my explanation made any sense to anyone but I hope it helps.

I use a vex FL-18 but that shouldn't make any difference. They both use the EXACT SAME PRINCIPLE.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I agree with Sprinter. You may be reading a dock leg or support if you are to close to the dock. You may also be on a very steep slope which will give you a different bottom depth reading depending upon which side of the hole your transducer is sitting on.

Cliff

[mvanotterloo]

Everything that both of you have stated makes a lot of sense. The only thing is that I fished the same spot last weekend and it was 17 FOW now it is 10 FOW, that is what confuses me. There are no other electronics around and so I really don't know. Could something change on a dock from week to week? Or could there just be that many fish underneath there? i moved farther down and had the same problem.

Otter

[mike morris]

You're probably picking up a false-read... Maybe weeds, or as said before, part of the dock footing.

[Juneau4]

drop a line with a sinker. See how deep it is and go from there.

[mvanotterloo]

Yup, put the aligator clip on and dropped her down and went 7 feet people where the bottom was suppose to be. It was much fun seeing my line keep moving after it was all the way to the bottom. I know where I was fishing in the marina the water level has rose about two feet so I am wondering if they closed the dam for a little while and maybe with the dam being closed it brought in some weeds like mentioned before to cause this issue. Anyone agree with that?