Took a photo of my fish finder when I saw this. The fish to the left are salmon probably, but what is the big blob on the right? My first thought was a bait ball, but it’s massive, its shape is off, and it’s all the way to the bottom of 160ft.
Posted by Beerandababy
13 Comments
Weeds?
I agree that is probably not bait (though I would not 100% rule it out). It seems like something originating from the bottom. The blue “fuzziness” surrounding it indicates that is is not solid, or there is a lot of marine growth on it, or there is “disturbance” in the water surrounding it (i.e. air bubbles, turbulence, suspended particles).
I don’t know what it could be. Did you see any others like it? I’m quite familiar with interpreting sonar, but not familiar with what lies beneath the Great Lakes… just spitballing some ideas that come to mind – shipwreck, offshore discharge from wastewater or other industrial plant, groundwater seep, boulder that a glacier dropped there, ballast pile from a ship,
Edit: I looked at Navionics for this location, it shows a little protrusion of shallower water (circled in red) in the vicinity of your boat. It’s possible that the very edge of your sonar cone was clipping that protrusion of shallower bottom and resulted in the faint return you saw. It looks like you were considerably further offshore than this though
Edit 2: I also don’t see any wastewater plants or industrial areas nearby, so that makes an offshore discharge unlikely (it’s also further offshore than I’d expect a discharge to be built and navionics does not show any pipeline area here). Groundwater seep is still a viable possibility I think
https://preview.redd.it/wa97kad4vujd1.png?width=1026&format=png&auto=webp&s=9fe35e57f6364478f357a1cca60a7e60b0cf91e3
sleeping godzilla maybe
Doubt its a solid object. Christmas tree or something similar texture possibly, weeds…
No clue but clearly some sort of structure that fish are suspending off.
Maybe part of a wreck?
My opinion. It’s a bait stack and there’s fish feeding on it. It’s 100ft+ high, and the density does not match the bottom, which is red. That means it’s not solid. The fish all have yellow density also. Depending on time of year various bait go through mating etc and group up.
I hear Wicked Pissah crew in the background and a reel slowly starting to tick…
You found the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald!
Bug hatch? Not sure if that happens at 100+ft
Thats what mayfly hatches look like, but that’s way too deep for them. Shrimp will look like that too, but no shrimp here. I’d guess bait ball.
Is this an actual Great Lake or the Great Lakes area? It’s possible this is a deep water spring and you are seeing the temperature change in the water column. Much like you can see the thermocline when your on the big lake.
Did you set a way point for that spot?? If so go back there another time and see if you mark it again. If you can’t find it again then it was def a massive bait ball.