Does high tech = enjoyment

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Do you find with all the high tech expensive fishing tools out there that you are enjoying the sport more? Sure it's fun staring at the screen and visualizing what the heck you're looking at down there.

I have a lot tied up in my rig, yet sometimes wish I were content just floating a river in a canoe, or shore fishing because of the simplicity. It seams like it is easier to kick back and relax when there is less stuff to fuss with.

[prov1900]

+1. I also notice my favorite thing in the world is to watch a bobber, whether I am camped out in the Lund, or on shore. Doesn't get much simpler than that.

[Esox_Magnum]

I enjoy putting on the waders and spending the night catching eyes as much as standing in the boat looking at the expensive elsectronics....

[JeffS]

I agree with the low-tech angle. The most enjoyable fishing I've had in recent years was up on Rainy lake on a house boating trip. We had an expensive fishing boat along with us, but ended up slip-bobbing with leaches off the end of the houseboat when we were tied up to shore. Between 8 of us we caught 14 walleyes and 10 smallies, and that was with only 5 lines in the water.

[Jmeyers]

This is why I want to get more into fly-fishing. Done it a few times and there just isnt anything more peacful than listening to the stream and the wilderness around you.

[Big Tom]

Electronics have helped me learn the weedline/flat I need to drift and the reefs I need to anchor on many waters I have fished. My favorite fishing is still bobbering crappies out of lawn chairs on the shore in May or pulling floating raps full moons in the fall. One I have no need for electronics and the other they are indispensible.

[ted4887]

This is why I want to get more into fly-fishing. Done it a few times and there just isnt anything more peacful than listening to the stream and the wilderness around you.

Agreed. Fly-fishing is about as peaceful as it gets. The other type of fishing that is peaceful is anything out of a canoe & kayak. It offers you a chance to avoid other boaters, and has it's moments where it's just as relaxing. However, you can throw a few more electronics onto a kayak than you could ever use while fly fishing.

[bobbymalone]

I am a lot more into the electronics during the winter and that's because there isn't much to see other than the inside of a portable unless the weather's nice that day.

I got a boat last year and do check the 'bird but I'm not staring it down like I do the vex. Even with a boat, I do most of my open water fishing from shore or with a fly rod and the only electronic thing I bring is a camera.

[fishinfey8]

My favorite fishing memories are ones that involve canoes (BWCA), or 14-16 ft. alum. boats with maybe a real anchor. That said, my favorite trips that I annually take are 50/50. For some reason I love canoes, small jon or aluminum boats and shallow water fishing. But, on the other hand its hard to beat fishing the great lakes and Nipigon with all the fancy gadgets.

[slipperybob]

If only I can afford the DC reels to help me casts better.

I still have to put the hookset onto the fish and reel it in. That's what I'm after, a topwater blowup.

[BobT]

Do you find with all the high tech expensive fishing tools out there that you are enjoying the sport more? Sure it's fun staring at the screen and visualizing what the heck you're looking at down there.

I have a lot tied up in my rig, yet sometimes wish I were content just floating a river in a canoe, or shore fishing because of the simplicity. It seams like it is easier to kick back and relax when there is less stuff to fuss with.

Having all the electronics on board doesn't require that you turn them on.

[Ed Carlson]

Balance the tech needed to the application.

Low and No tech boots and bucket fishing is just as enjoyable as a tech heavy fully rigged boat, if that is the experience you wish for yourself.

My favorite fishing is very low-Tech, and low burden. Even then basic tech like a hand held GPS is now a staple for me. I think of it more as low burden and minimal tech fishing, light loads and gear up for the occasion. Same in boating as I may wish the experience of a simple canoe over a power boat.

Each situation has its unique fit for the angler. Each angler will find the fit and the tech levels they are most comfortable with.

There is no mandatory tech level to be a fisherman, just the desire to fish.

[PurpleFloyd]

If you can't get happy with a fishing pole and a bobber you are going to have a hard time getting happy with anything IMHO.

[DTro]

It's one of the big reasons I continue to be a Catfisherman.

Muddy landings, mosquitos, snag infested waters, yet the simplicty of a Rod, reel, hook, sinker and bait and a guy can battle big fish all year long.

I have a simple $1500 14ft boat with a 25hp tiller and a cheap $100 depth finder (to aid in not beaching the boat ).

That's all I need to enjoy myself.

[desert_bulls]

I love hopping in the 14', floating down the Mississippi catching smallies and walleyes, no electronics. Get to enjoy the sights around you instead of staring at the electronics.

[DooWap]

I think I get the most enjoyment out of low tech wilderness fishing in the BWCA. Something about the simpleness of just sitting in a canoe, staring at a bobber and taking in the surroundings. Come to think of it, I've probably had my most successful days doing this as well!!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Hey, if you got that itch.. scratch it.. I do.. I have the boat will all the bells and whistles.. I also have an inflatable pontoon "Belly boat"... and I also have a canoe.. when I have the itch for peace and quiet of river fishing or a lake with no boat access.. then I do it.. But I still enjoy all the bells and fun stuff of my sparkle boat too.

[jwmiller33]

My favorite way to fish is when I go up to Alaska each spring, throw the waders on and walk a mile down river to get completely by myself and cast for monster wall hanger king and red salmon. When the scenery is that beautiful and there is nothing around you but bald eagles, salmon, moose and bears, I am completely at peace. I'd rather fish like that than with all the high tech gadgets and big expensive boats you could buy anyday.

For those of you who have seen D ick Proenneke's documentary "Alone in the Wilderness", THAT is what the outdoors is all about [for me at least] and I can only wish I could do the same thing as D ick someday. No fancy GPS's, big expensive boats, loud motors, high tech down imaging and big color screen depth finders, power augers, snowmobiles, etc. If you are unfamiliar with Alone in the Wilderness, D ick went and built a cabin by hand in Alaska at Twin Lakes and lived there for 30 years, living off the land. It's a great show and I recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors. His cabin is still standing and when he left it, he donated it to the Alaskan National Park service and you can go visit it to this day. I hope to make it up there someday

[Corey20]

I used to have a blast when I was 12-16yrs old fishing in the 16' crestliner with a graph that barely worked and no gps, catching more fish then the guy next to me with everything. I also really enjoy wader fishing.

Now I am one of those guys with all the gadgets. Being a tournament angler I am always looking for things to separate me from the next guy. Knowing your electronics and how to use them to their full potential will put more fish in the boat. I'll be honest with ya its not always about catching fish but it sure puts the icing on the cake.

[Chode2235]

The technology is a slippery slope. Most of the time the tech toys are there because they fill a need (real or perceived).

For instance, I just put a terrova with an ipilot on because I want to simplify my boat control (remember the tracks I do over and over), as well as hold me on wingdams without having to throw out my anchor.

Its a high tech fix (i hope...) for the frustrations of boat control. The way I look at it, if it stops me from having to drop the anchor all the time, or allows me to hook those fish that bite when I would have been worried about keeping my boat on the weedline it will increase my enjoyment.

The same thing with good electronics too. The more effective you can be on the water, hopefully the more you enjoy it.

For good and bad, the high technology (ice flashers, and lake chips are the best example) really lower the barriers to becoming an effective fisherman. The high tech stuff really helps you get on spots where you are confident there are some fish, which is a big part (but not the only part) of the equation. Confidence increases enjoyment too.

Presentation is the other, and that still requires you to attach a hook to a line and to a rod. That part is still basic.

So in summary, the tech toys can increase your enjoyment by making a lot of things more simple which allows you to spend more time and energy on fishing.

[BartmanMN]

I love hopping in the 14', floating down the Mississippi catching smallies and walleyes, no electronics. Get to enjoy the sights around you instead of staring at the electronics.

+1 to that

[mainbutter]

Well since the highest tech stuff I have is either my reel or my yakima canoe rack, I don't have a good answer for this.

However, when I'm in my buddy's boat and we're trolling, I'm glad to have his fish finder in eyesight. While waiting and doing relatively nothing, it sure is nice to be able to look up and thing "ooh, a bait ball" or "ooh, there's SOMETHING suspended 20 feet down while we're in 80 FOW, maybe it's hungry?".

I'll let you know at the end of this upcoming open water season if my soon-to-be-acquired portable fish finder makes this season more fun. If it helps me find ice-out crappies before they come in shallow, then I will probably at least be having more early season fun than I did last year.

[dan z]

there is a time and place for all things. I fish outta a boat that is bare bones Catfishing. and I also fish outta a boat that is loaded for panfish- muskies. it is nice to have a temp gauge. I find myself reading temp when I catch a fish rather than depth.

[BassNut33]

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the technology. I am getting into tournament fishing more seriously this year and have a fairly small budget. I can't afford a new side imaging unit, or stuff like that. I love to fish and I love to compete, but not having all the bells and whistles makes me think I am behind the eight ball. So i do like the simple fishing, but I also love being in the boat. The best days of fishing for me are the days that I know the fish are shallow, maybe holding on docks. I put the trolling motor on low and turn off the electronics and just start flipping. That brings me back to when I was a kid in the old Lund fishing with Dad. We didn't even have a finder that was worth using so that was how we fished. I find that I am a sucker for marketing and always feel I need to have what the pros have, yet I still I am happiest when I fish like we did 20 years ago.

[itchmesir]

All i need or want is something that can float on the water.. canoe.. personal pontoon.. boat.. i don't need no bells and whistles.. just something that can get me on the water and i'll be happy...

on a second note.. im at my happiest when im tucked in the bluffs with hearing nothing more than the crows, sparrows, and hawks fight over territory and the stream flowing.. and absolutely no one in sight.. only thing watching me are the eagles soaring high.. and the highest tech thing i have is my fly rod