To dipsey or not dipsey

[hoping to catch]

Hello. Just a couple questions. When trying to pattern walleye on erie, do the fish ever suspend? Should I always always try to be within X fet of the bottom? I've upgraded to a lpg2000 fishfinder, and suddenly I can find perch on the bottom,(humminbird=junk). Haven't been beyond 50' yet, can I expect to see fish in the same way? Always on the bottom? Is there a way to tell steelhead from walleye? thanks in advance.......:)

[FreeByrd]

The fish on Erie MOST DEFINITELY suspend. Sometimes we catch them in the TOP 5 feet of water. Now that you have a better quality sonar you can use a variety of tools to put your lures where the fish are. Dipseys, Crankbaits, Jet Divers, Snap Weights, Bottom Bouncers, etc. There is no hard and fast rule about the fish ALWAYS being at a certain depth below the surface or off the bottom - or at least no one bothered to tell the fish what the rule is. Their location in the water column on Erie (especially in the open water area - most of the lake...) is largely based on where the FOOD/BAITFISH are located, as well as water temperature, and possibly current. Barometric pressure will also influence them. Now that you have the better sonar - the very next $25 you spend on fishing should be to get a copy of "Precision Trolling" - available in most good Erie tackle shops or by clicking on "Products" at the top of this page. Great discusson of trolling concepts as well as "dive curves" that will show you how deep a given crankbait, or jet diver, or dipsey will be based on the amount of line out. Keep in mind these charts are approximations and it it better to error by being too shallow than too deep. The fish will come up to take a lure. Only way I've really found to tell whether you are marking a steelhead or a walleye is to actually hook one! Actually if you see "streaks" on your sonar it may be steelhead where walleye will generally show as a "hook"
Good Luck,
Steve

[sloopjb]

I'll second that motion...Humminbird=CRAP! Been burned twice...never again!

[Shellback]

Just curious, do you realize that the LPG-2000 is made by the same company that builds Humminbirds, Techsonics? Haven't been impressed with Humminbirds, but the LPG's look pretty neat. How's yours working out?

[hoping to catch]

thanks for the replies....

There is a learning curve involved here, as with anything else in life. I like the unit so far. Been playing around a little bit with the grayline feature. I like that too. I didn't realize they were both made by the same company until I was in the final stages of my decision to buy. looked at the pinpoint, lowrance, etc., etc. My decision on the Zercom was based on my technical limitations. I have a vcr that has about 25 buttons, I use 3 of them. I have a computer that can run most second world countries, I surf the net, e-mail, and do my taxes. I have a digital camera that can...., well you get the picture(no pun intended). In the automatic mode, it gave me more info than I ever saw before, except when I was on a charter boat. I fish erie mostly, (central basin) so understanding structure, as displayed by the unit isn't something I'll need anytime soon. Figured out the gain, back lighting, and scroll speed. Don't know how to process anything else the unit can give me at this point.

Again, thanks for the replies.

[hoping to catch]

p.s.
bought precision trolling last year. AWESOME!