Fish Finder, Bait Ball or Algae Bloom?

I hoping for some tips on identifying what I see on my fish finder. In the delta I tend to assume a submerged mass is some kind of plant. There is less of that in the lake, but that seems to still be something to watch out for. I think I was dragging through an algae bloom today. I don't want to troll through a bunch of gunk and get snagged up. Anyone have any tips or photos to help me know a bait ball when I see it?

I don't think these were bait balls.

not sure! I am still figuring out my elite 4x hdi, but trial and error is how I have been learning so far so good! my guess is bait I  dont know alot about algae but I guess berryessa water temp must still be cooler and I dont think that would promote large amounts of algae growth. I hope someone with more knowledge post I would like to know also

Looks like a shad ball.

I think thats a cluster of weeds

Based on the density & size, I'm onboard with bait.

I would say bait, but I don't use a color FF so mine would look a little different.

I also have seen this a few times in shapes that look vegetable and not animal...where there should only be fish or bait balls....I think it is bait fish on your pic...take a sabiki and find out what it is next time


when I kept getting short strikes a bunch last year in one same spot trolling big swimbaits off the bottom in deep water for ling...I finally  put a sabiki down in that same area one day when I was having short hits again...up came a full rig of nice size sand dabs.....they were hitting a 9" sledgehammer....

so - also now-any time those shapes are on my FF I can drop a sabiki and up comes the culprits for i.d and bait

worked twice so far

Sounds like vegetation and bait balls look similar. I trolled thru it and came up with algae on my shuttlehawk.

I wouldn't think there would be that much algae at Berry right now. Seems a little early for the big bait balls too.

Sounds like vegetation and bait balls look similar. I trolled thru it and came up with algae on my shuttlehawk.

maybe it is some bloom..that was a sheet of growth on the bottom and changes came along and bubbled it off its bottom layer to balloon  there slime lined to the bottom before breaking away or dissolving ...still looks like bait groupings more though

aint no bloom  forty feet long I dont think lol

I had worked my way in to a cove, so it was a lot smaller water, even though not yet shallow.

Giant squid perhaps? 

I have a Humminbird 160, and frankly it takes time OTW to figure out what you're marking.  Every now and then I still get tricked into thinking I'm over a school of bait, only for it to be vegetation or a plankton bloom instead.  If you have the opportunity, try to get over something that you know (such as weeds) or find an obvious school of baitfish and see how they register on your depthfinder.  Then you'll have a better idea of what's showing up on your screen.

This is a great example to use the downscan imaging.  You have the technology.