Wouldja,,,,,,,,,

[ditchpickle6996]

...... if you had the chance, go back to a simpler time when everyone was fishing the old fashioned way (hand over hand depth check instead of sonar, storing hot spots in your brain instead of the handheld, ect) or do you prefer the convenience and technology of the fishing world today, even though the hot spots may be more crowded?

[toughguy]

I'd never go back. The good thing is you can go back if you want to. Leave the flasher, GPS, power auger, heater and portable at home. Bring a pry bar, 5 gal bucket to sit on, a lead weight to check for depth, and an old stick style rod without a reel. Not much fun when it's below 25 degrees out. There were fewer people ice fishing back in the day and there is a reason for that. It's was tough and cold.

[pureinsanity]

I like old school. but technology has its good perks too. Heck if it wasn't for technology I wouldn't know the people I know from here or what they taught me...

[Deitz Dittrich]

I'm with PI on this one.. I cant tell you how many great friends I have met from here on HSO/FM.. lifetime friends.. As for the other on the lake technology.. I am suckerd in.. cant live without it. I'm not sure I would find fishing as fun without all the gadgets.. Part of my fun fishing is using the gadgets!

[bobbymalone]

Oh, usually when I play the "wouldja?" game it's about something different.

[Tom Buckles]

I dont miss spudding through 2' of ice to sit in the cold on a bucket fishing with a jiggle stick. I love the new technologies we have been experiencing in ice fishing.

[Ed Carlson]

Nope...I'm good.

That said, it is wise to build and maintain the basic angling skills that got us to where we are today. They work hand in hand.

[pureinsanity]

I'm with PI on this one.. I cant tell you how many great friends I have met from here on HSO/FM.. lifetime friends.. As for the other on the lake technology.. I am suckerd in.. cant live without it. I'm not sure I would find fishing as fun without all the gadgets.. Part of my fun fishing is using the gadgets!

only down fault of technology these days is you cant tell fish stories. Because these days EVERYONE has a phone or something with them.

So the next time you hear a fish story about a fish being this big, ask for a picture! The I didn't have a camera only worked in the old days

[ditchpickle6996]

Oh, usually when I play the "wouldja?" game it's about something different.

aaahhhh, yeah me too, didn't think of that

[Rick G]

I would miss all my new toys thats for sure. The only thing I miss about the olden days is that before ice fishing became so popular I used to know everyone by name on the lake I frequent.

[PurpleFloyd]

I would be fine either way. It's nice having the toys but guys were catching fish for a long time before that.

Heck, when I was a kid we would go down to the river and catch crayfish with nothing more than a 5 foot piece of line, a small hook, and a piece of worm we would find by turning over rocks and logs and we had a blast. Some of my favorite fishing is sitting in a row boat on a small teardrop lake in northern Wisconsin sight fishing for sunnies. Nothing more fun than watching them swimming around the hook and wondering which one is going to bite first.

[harvey lee]

I am good with technology.

[Hardyboy]

the old school is the reason we have the new school. ill collect the old stuff and ill use the new stuff. Back in the day ice fishing was done more often as a way to feed your family. today you still do it to feed your family but also because you enjoy it.i enjoy it partly because i can be comfortable and spend long periods of time doing what i enjoy.

[PEATMOSS]

I'd hate to give up my Otter/Lazer/Vexi

The downside I see to the new technology is that it has changed the mentality of the angling community in ways that I find a little troubling. It seems to me that many have lost respect for fish as a quary. All too many regard fish as playthings for their personal amusement and an unhealthy attitude towards even responsible harvest has emerged.

Personally, I'm glad that I live far enough from the concrete jungle that I can go out harvest my 10 crappies without worrying about being accosted at the landing by some CPR high horse halfwit.

[Gordie]

I learned the old fashion way and I was a good fisherman then and now with techno stuff I'm that much better

I still can pick a spot on a lake pretty good by looking at the simple structure( shore line) and I do pretty well. but when I go out with out my electronics it does kinda make me feel blind..

I guess It would be really hard to give up all the techno stuff but if it meant that I couldnt fish if I had the stuff I would get rid of it in a heart beat..

[headcheese]

quote=PEATMOSS]I'd hate to give up my Otter/Lazer/Vexi

The downside I see to the new technology is that it has changed the mentality of the angling community in ways that I find a little troubling. It seems to me that many have lost respect for fish as a quary. All too many regard fish as playthings for their personal amusement and an unhealthy attitude towards even responsible harvest has emerged.

Personally, I'm glad that I live far enough from the concrete jungle that I can go out harvest my 10 crappies without worrying about being accosted at the landing by some CPR high horse halfwit.

[half-dutch]

...... if you had the chance, go back to a simpler time when everyone was fishing the old fashioned way (hand over hand depth check instead of sonar, storing hot spots in your brain instead of the handheld, ect) or do you prefer the convenience and technology of the fishing world today, even though the hot spots may be more crowded?

There aint no going back in the first place.

Secondly, there are plenty of hot spots not crowded. You don't have to be crowded, unless you want to be, or can't fish any other way than following the crowds. In that case there shouldn't be any complaint about them.

Thirdly without modern technology my fishing would be limited to summer, since then I fish shorelines almost exclusively and don't need most of it then. But in the winter without modern clothing and shelter I wouldn't be on the ice.

Fourth modern technology has produced a far better understanding of the resource resulting in a much better management of the sport fishery. The "good old days" almost strained our waters dry of quality fishing, and with far fewer fishermen participating. Thanks to technology our fish stocks are actually recovering in most cases.

IMO these are the good old days for sport fishing and it is actually getting better all the time.

[half-dutch]

Personally I practice catch and release almost exclusively, but have no problem with selective and responsible harvest.

I personally fish mostly for the sport and make a concerted effort to fish in such a way that what I catch has the best chance I can provide to recover. There certainly is a component of not wanting the mess of cleaning fish hanging over my head once I finish on the water, too. I also fish artificials for the most part so that I do not have to mess with live bait, generally, and have found that is very productive once one learns the techniques, generally better in fact than live bait for many species. It, also, allows a better chance of recovery for the fish when released.

So I fish catch and release mainly both for recycling the resource and for my own convenience. No problem though with anybody practicing responsible harvest, though I have a big problem with meat hogs. I fish almost exclusively in "the concrete jungle", I dislike shoulder to shoulder fishing but find I can avoid it, and I will say this that the Twin Cities metro has just about the best urban fishery one could imagine, but it can sometimes be a tough bite to work out.

[ditchpickle6996]

[Slabasaurus]

I started out this ice season relatively old school. Sure, I had a pop up hub and my buddy had a heater, but that's pretty much it when it comes to "technology"

That first fish I caught felt better than any other fish I've caught this winter, as I had no clue where they were, if they were near us, and how deep they were. Dropped jig to the bottom, raised it 6" and jigged it, repeated until i found em suspended halfway up the water column.

Next trip I had invested in a flasher and power auger. To illustrate how effective flashers are... this weekend at I was trying to entice a bite in 16 fow, with fish hangin a few feet off the bottom. My buddy wanted to borrow my Ice35 for a few minutes to check his depth and for weeds he was over... that was the toughest 2 minutes I've had sitting on the ice... I knew where the fish were, but had no idea if they were reacting to my presentation or not!

"I love technology... but not as much as you you see, but still, I love technology..." -Kip

The only "technologically advanced" item I would not leave home without is my power auger. Cranking through 18-24" of ice is possible, but is not very much fun.

[BobT]

Quote:

...... if you had the chance, go back to a simpler time when everyone was fishing the old fashioned way (hand over hand depth check instead of sonar, storing hot spots in your brain instead of the handheld, ect) or do you prefer the convenience and technology of the fishing world today, even though the hot spots may be more crowded?

I guess there's nothing stopping anyone from doing it that way if they preferred to so that said, I guess the answer is no otherwise, I wouldn't have the sonar, GPS, and other technology.

[ditchpickle6996]

This question could be asked about soft water fishing also. Anybody want to go back to the 12 ft Lund with the bench seats and the 9.9 hp Johnson with the minnow pail hanging over the edge? Works good on Basswood!

[toughguy]

This got me thinking last night. They have vintage snowmobile ride right. Why not a have a vintage ice fishing get together? I have a bunch of the old stuff sitting around the basement and garage. I'm sure a lot of others do to. It might be kind of fun. It should be done in mid December to avoid 2-3 ft ice. For your average day out I wouldn't go back for for a group outing once a year it might be fun.

[Slabasaurus]

This question could be asked about soft water fishing also. Anybody want to go back to the 12 ft Lund with the bench seats and the 9.9 hp Johnson with the minnow pail hanging over the edge? Works good on Basswood!

Go back to? Heck, this is what I am upgrading to this summer!

[BobT]