Finding beds and catching bream... lots of pics

[RamblinWreck]

I am mostly a pan-fisherman, and UL angler. During the times when wind is a problem or fish are just not biting, I spend a lot of time cruising shallows with side imaging looking for bream beds. This lake does not have a lot of motor boat traffic, and the level stays pretty much constant, so the beds don't get smoothed out, and when I find them I set GPS waypoints. On another lake, Jackson, the beds disappear after the spawn due to all the wave action, but they generally show up in the same places, so when you mark one, it will usually be there next spring. Most folks know there is a certain odor when a bed is really full of fish, to me it smells like "fishy strawberries". This particular lake is still pretty cool (68F), so I only just started seeing some fish on the beds this full moon. Most are empty now, so I think the May full moon will see them packed. Here are some screen shots of beds from side imaging and Livescope in perspective mode. PS perspective mode is only good in shallow water ( < 15 feet), but it's good for seeing them at casting range when you anchor.


You certainly do not need electronics at all to find bream - just fish the shallows with crickets or wigglers, and you will find them. It sure is fun to have a bunch of places marked, and go "bed pickin'" from spot to spot, though.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Yesterday I went "bed picking", fishing a wiggler on a 1/32 oz jighead, and also using "root beer float" color trout magnets tipped with a small piece of Berkley power wiggler when I ran out of worms. I caught a lot of big shellcracker, bluegill, and one fine redbreast - the first time I've ever caught one in this lake, I didn't know any were in there:

 

[trad bow]

Great screen shots? Those are some real nice bream.

 

[weagle]

Great fish.

 

[NCHillbilly]

Nice fish! Sonar is amazing nowadays. We don't have hardly any shellcrackers up here. We have plenty of redbreasts, but they're usually in the rivers and creeks, not in lakes.

 

[JROESEL]

You’ve got it dialed in, and that’s why I run GARMIN!!!! Nice catches

 

[Dbender]

What would you say is the average or preferred depth for them to bed?

 

[hopper]

I am mostly a pan-fisherman, and UL angler. During the times when wind is a problem or fish are just not biting, I spend a lot of time cruising shallows with side imaging looking for bream beds. This lake does not have a lot of motor boat traffic, and the level stays pretty much constant, so the beds don't get smoothed out, and when I find them I set GPS waypoints. On another lake, Jackson, the beds disappear after the spawn due to all the wave action, but they generally show up in the same places, so when you mark one, it will usually be there next spring. Most folks know there is a certain odor when a bed is really full of fish, to me it smells like "fishy strawberries". This particular lake is still pretty cool (68F), so I only just started seeing some fish on the beds this full moon. Most are empty now, so I think the May full moon will see them packed. Here are some screen shots of beds from side imaging and Livescope in perspective mode. PS perspective mode is only good in shallow water ( < 15 feet), but it's good for seeing them at casting range when you anchor.
View attachment 1079040View attachment 1079041View attachment 1079042View attachment 1079043

You certainly do not need electronics at all to find bream - just fish the shallows with crickets or wigglers, and you will find them. It sure is fun to have a bunch of places marked, and go "bed pickin'" from spot to spot, though.

Nice side image on that Garmin. I haven't been able to dial mine in. Gotta get back out soon and play around with it.
Really would like to add panoptix

 

[RamblinWreck]

Around 6 feet, it seems. Shellcrackers seem to like it deeper, around 8-10 feet. This is in this lake - others may vary. The redbreast, according to my good friend Scott on Lake Jackson, make beds which are a little bigger and more circular, usually very near bluegill beds, but separate. I'm sure this varies a lot depending on water, clarity, and current. I'm not an authority - just an angler and fan.
I suspect this is redbreast near bluegills, because I caught the rooster here:


Scott sent me these screenshots to illustrate the diff between redbreast and bluegill beds. first one is redbreast. Him and a buddy caught over 100 on Jackson earlier in the week:

 

[RamblinWreck]

Nice side image on that Garmin. I haven't been able to dial mine in. Gotta get back out soon and play around with it.
Really would like to add panoptix

What transducer and head you use? Those pics are from the 93sv UHD with the GT54 transducer I have on the electric-only jon rig. I use a 102sv Ultra head on my bigger boat, but that is only for Livescope because I have a Humminbird G3 Mega+ SI unit on there for SI. I find that the Garmin 455 kHz frequency works fine, especially right now when the water is full of pollen. Scott's pics are from a Humminbird Mega SI unit.

 

[Dbender]

Thank you for the information.

 

[hopper]

What transducer and head you use? Those pics are from the 93sv UHD with the GT54 transducer I have on the electric-only jon rig. I use a 102sv Ultra head on my bigger boat, but that is only for Livescope because I have a Humminbird G3 Mega+ SI unit on there for SI. I find that the Garmin 455 kHz frequency works fine, especially right now when the water is full of pollen. Scott's pics are from a Humminbird Mega SI unit.

I have the same Garmin and the 54 transducer. Last year was my first yr really trying to learn electronics for reading the bottom. I never really was able to get good readings with the SV. My biggest issue is not being able to get on the water as often as I would like. I am constantly needing to remember what settings work best. Thanks for the info.

 

[ringorock]

Nice catch OP! Not to mean to one up you, but check out this donkey my wife hauled in a few days ago. Everyone tells me it's a shell cracker, but it isn't red behind the ear.

 

[trad bow]

Looks a lot like a shellcracker. Bet it was fun watching her reel that one in.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Here's a typical shot where I am riding around about 2-3 mph with Side Vu on looking for beds. I keep the range as short as I can and still see the bank. Still waiting for fish to show up on this one. Honestly, I am pretty much using the default settings, except I adjust the gain and contrast some to get a sharper picture. Brightness is always all the way up.

 

[Batjack]

I found these the old fashion way... walking and look'n.







Bunch of male shell crackers more worried about fight'n each other over territory than eat'n a cricket. Even laid a cricket on one's back and he never paid one bit of attention.
I'll be waiting for the big females to show up.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Nothing is more frustrating than seeing fish that will not bite - with eyes, or electronics!

 

[pjciii]

Back before electronics there was nothing better than smelling up a bream bed and marine exhaust. You knew you were going to eat good that night.

I must say that those are some amazing screen captures of the bottom beds and some really nice fish.

 

[Danuwoa]

Looks like fun.

 

[ringorock]

Looks a lot like a shellcracker. Bet it was fun watching her reel that one in.

Yea, it really was. We'd never seen one that large on Allatoona. We didn't even have real bait that day. She found this like rubber band looking worm in the tackle box the Berkley makes. They're almost completely useless, but it caught this one. It was also the only one we caught for the day minus two spotted bass. Ha