Matthew Bates believes an angler must be very proficient with one of the new generation of electronic graphs to consistently find underwater ledges and structure areas holding shad and bass — whether largemouth or white bass.
Bates uses a Hummingbird side scan unit. He uses the structure scan option to locate the structure and ledges, as well as the sonar function to locate the shad and bass on the structure.
“I’ll pull up on one of the ledges and turn on the graph and sonar, and there will be nothing on the bottom but a sandy flat, and you can just about tell what type of fish are on the bottom,” he said.
“By using the sonar, the shad will look like little balls, and the white bass will be stacked in there. If they’re on the bottom, they’ll look like layers of lasagna.
“Sometimes they’ll be suspended just above the bottom or structure, and you can actually watch them break out of the school and come up and feed.”
Although it takes some time to learn, Bates said it’s worth the effort.
“I’ve learned how to use it by pulling up on a ledge and catching some fish, and then running my graph over them,” he said. “That’s how I learned to use it, and it can really save you some time by locating the fish before stopping to fish for them.”
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