Old School Fish Finding.....Add Yours

[FM_Mike]

Seems with all the fancy electronics out there, the only true fish finders for some are other fishermen.

I stopped using a net (Another form of a fish finder to some) to avoid the onset of boats to where I'm fishing.

Also, when I am catching fish on my favorite lake, I always try to land the fish on the opposite side of the boat from where the other boats are.

Another thing seems to be that if you are trolling an area and you stop your boat, that again seems to be another form of fish finding for others.

Or if your trolling a line and make more than One pass on the same line, it can also be seen by some as another form of fish finding.

The classic is the colored marker . Just throw one out anywhere, a classic old school fish locator for some.

Please feel free to add your favorites.

Mike

[Jim Uran]

The anchor.... and screaming kids always work too

[JohnMickish]

The biggest fisherman attractor I have seen is to be in a big fancy boat with a big graph for all to see. Put your name on the motor and it gets worse. Do this while wearing a sponsors jersey and it ramps it up even more. Fish out of a sponsor wrappd boat and it attracts everyone. On top of all of that, try to fish with a guy holding a TV camera and I swear people start calling in their friends!

I know a guy that was fishing out of the Castrol wrapped boat and he needed to use the 5 gallon bucket if you know what I mean, and he couldn't get away from people. He eventually went out to deep nothing and barely had enough time to finish before someone started to fish by him.

It is my observation that the more you try to hide that you have a fish, the more obvious it becomes. You may get away with it once or twice, but when they see it they really think you have something special going on and will really get close. Unfortunatly its just the way people are today, they want it all and they want it as easy and fast as they can get it.

[RebelSS]

I like to stop the boat quick where the locator shows no fish/structure, throw out a colored marker, then slowly putt to a spot where there ARE fish....

[Big Bobber]

One of my favorites is to toss out a couple of brightly painted 1/2 gallon jugs about 2oo yards apart with about 2 feet of line weighted enough for them to be high visibilty on a structureless portion of the lake away from any good fishing spot.

[amateurfishing]

Seems with all the fancy electronics out there, the only true fish finders for some are other fishermen.

I stopped using a net (Another form of a fish finder to some) to avoid the onset of boats to where I'm fishing.

Also, when I am catching fish on my favorite lake, I always try to land the fish on the opposite side of the boat from where the other boats are.

Another thing seems to be that if you are trolling an area and you stop your boat, that again seems to be another form of fish finding for others.

Or if your trolling a line and make more than One pass on the same line, it can also be seen by some as another form of fish finding.

The classic is the colored marker . Just throw one out anywhere, a classic old school fish locator for some.

Please feel free to add your favorites.

Mike

try enjoying it more and worring less

[Guest yjackfl]

Mostly trolling is used to catch pelagic fish such as salmon, mackerel and kingfish.

Secondly, trolling is used both for recreational and commercial fishing whereas trawling is used mainly for commercial fishing.

Multiple lines are often used, and outriggers can be used to spread the lines more widely and reduce their chances of tangling.

...........................................................

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

Huh?

[paceman]

I still use a marker and yes it does attract other boats but I will toss the marker out 50-75 yards from where I want to fish. I simply use it to keep my bearings straight while trolling back and forth. My depth finder is the real key. For instance on a lake this summer. The eyes were in 24-26'. I tossed the marker in about 17'. 30 minutes later there 6 boats working the 17' break cathing rockbass. I was 75 yards away limiting out on walleyes.

[pikerliker]

Huh?

LOL! +1

[TigerBlood]

LOL - all good (and true) scenerios. I have a bad habit of yelling "OH!" when I get bit. That also works as an "old school fish finder" for others although I have only myself to blame.

I have a buddy that keeps binoculars in his boat to spy on others. I don't get it myself. If I see someone else catch a fish I think "good - they are biting today" vs. "let's move over there to copy that guy". Unfortunatly, I don't think you can do much about people moving in when you start catching. Everyone wants to catch fish. Some people are better at it than others. Chances are even if other move in, they won't have the success you do/did otherwise they would find their own fish :-).

[lutzy]

The biggest fisherman attractor I have seen is to be in a big fancy boat with a big graph for all to see. Put your name on the motor and it gets worse. Do this while wearing a sponsors jersey and it ramps it up even more. Fish out of a sponsor wrappd boat and it attracts everyone. On top of all of that, try to fish with a guy holding a TV camera and I swear people start calling in their friends!

I know a guy that was fishing out of the Castrol wrapped boat and he needed to use the 5 gallon bucket if you know what I mean, and he couldn't get away from people. He eventually went out to deep nothing and barely had enough time to finish before someone started to fish by him.

It is my observation that the more you try to hide that you have a fish, the more obvious it becomes. You may get away with it once or twice, but when they see it they really think you have something special going on and will really get close. Unfortunatly its just the way people are today, they want it all and they want it as easy and fast as they can get it.

But I have also had those rapped boats come flying in and stop almost on top of us because THEY saw US catching fish. One time we had one stop on us because they saw myself and my three brothers (who don’t have a clue how to lyndy rig) catching walleye one after another. It was like a three stooges movie, again my bros don’t have a clue what they are doing. We were falling all over each other trying to land these fish. Well apparently the other boat didn’t see the little bit of structure I saw. We were catching 2 or 3 every time over it. They spent about 10 minutes watching us catch fish and when they didn’t get anything they literally threw their rods down, and I do mean threw, put their life jackets back on and took off as fast as their 300 hp would take them. Made me laugh.

[Moose-Hunter]

For me... I was the fish finder and my down riggers were the give-away!

For quite a few years, my home away from home, was a lodge in northwest Ontario. Seems one year I did a little TOO good on the chain of lakes and kind of made a name for myself. The next year, I had a couple boats "shadowing" me around on one part of the lake. I thought nothing of it. By the third day, I literally had a small flotilla waiting for me at sun up. I'd make the 10 mile trek up the lake and the minute I came through a reed covered narrows... My "fans" were there waiting. From then on, I was like a guide with 8 to 10 tag boats.

The next day, armed with this knowledge, I picked up my two eaters for dinner and decided to have a little fun. Around 11:00am, I motored out to the middle of the lake (Think Dead Sea, 100'+) and pitched out a slip bobber rig (baitless I must add) while I had a sandwich and cup of coffee. I could barely keep my food down laughing so hard!! Imagine the site of half a dozen boats close enough to hear their grumbling... All pinging, jigging and bobbing away in a place where the odds of catching anything are 1:1000000!! All trying desperately to see why I'm there and what I'm catching!

I found out later that a different camp owner, who was very unpopular (I'm trying to be nice here!), was "black listed" by the local guides. He was telling his guests to look for the blue boat with downriggers. ME!!

[varmithtr]

The biggest fisherman attractor I have seen is to be in a big fancy boat with a big graph for all to see. Put your name on the motor and it gets worse. Do this while wearing a sponsors jersey and it ramps it up even more. Fish out of a sponsor wrappd boat and it attracts everyone. On top of all of that, try to fish with a guy holding a TV camera and I swear people start calling in their friends!

I know a guy that was fishing out of the Castrol wrapped boat and he needed to use the 5 gallon bucket if you know what I mean, and he couldn't get away from people. He eventually went out to deep nothing and barely had enough time to finish before someone started to fish by him.

It is my observation that the more you try to hide that you have a fish, the more obvious it becomes. You may get away with it once or twice, but when they see it they really think you have something special going on and will really get close. Unfortunatly its just the way people are today, they want it all and they want it as easy and fast as they can get it.

Kind of like a girl with a low cut shirt getting offended if somone takes a second peek. If you purposely draw attention to yourself, you can expect to receive it.

[Hoey]

Before sonar equipment and GPS, we used to measure out anchor rope i.e. 20ft, drop the anchor over the side to this mark and start driving slowly until we hit bottom. Bingo, that is the edge of the reef. Mark it. Then find the other side or another desireable spot. Mark it. Bingo - We had usable reference points for drifting or trolling.

[UKCM]

If you are talking pannies, my brother and I do not look for the fancy boats. We look for the 25 plus year old boats that have a 40 horse or less motor that is not a resort boat.

A lot of these boats are locals that have been fishing the lake for years and put more pannies in the boat than the bright shiny boats.

Now we do not crowd them, but we do notice where they go and often go back and fish that spot another day.

[TigerBlood]

If you are talking pannies, my brother and I do not look for the fancy boats. We look for the 25 plus year old boats that have a 40 horse or less motor that is not a resort boat.

A lot of these boats are locals that have been fishing the lake for years and put more pannies in the boat than the bright shiny boats.

Now we do not crowd them, but we do notice where they go and often go back and fish that spot another day.

That's a good one. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't admit to also making mental notes of people who live on the lake and where they go for the evening bite. Like you - I don't follow them, but file it in my brain to check that spot out sometime or look it up on the map when I get home. Hopefully people wouldn't get mad at that. I think it's the zooming over after you see someone catch a fish that bugs people.

[Stick in Mud]

At least on Mille Lacs, the best "fish finder" is definitely a launch. Even the fancy boats will follow them around. As others have said, though, I can't really blame someone (especially if he's not all that experienced on the lake) for seeing what the launch is fishing....people who fish every day usually DO know a bit about how to find them.

[JohnMickish]

Kind of like a girl with a low cut shirt getting offended if somone takes a second peek. If you purposely draw attention to yourself, you can expect to receive it.

I hear what you are saying, but there is a huge difference between a peek and following her for a couple hours.

[TruthWalleyes]

I hear what you are saying, but there is a huge difference between a peek and following her for a couple hours.

LOL

[bobbymalone]

I saw a guy pull up some nice crappie, trying to hide that he was catching fish. left him alone, because I'd rather get skunked in solitude than play bumper boats in a crappie hole.

next day though, I went to the same spot, nobody there... I start catching crappie. About an hour in the same guy comes up huffing and puffing that I was crowding him and his spot.

[mainbutter]

The lure on the end of my line is generally the only fish finder I use!

Exceptions being for ice fishing. But in reality, I tend to leave the electronics at home 9/10 times when I'm in my canoe.

[Comit 2]

Where do you start?

I have boats shadow me quit often. One day I was trolling and had a pontoon moving along with me but out in deeper water someone in the boat got a walleye on there line and by the time we had the fish off the line the pontoon was anchored on the spot that the fish was hooked.

I was on a lake early one day and had to make a run back to the car for something, on the way I saw something light up my flasher. So I throw a marker. When we got to the car we saw that a Crappie tournament had started at one of the resorts. When I got back to the marker there were 6 boat around my marker! I had a hard time getting to it because the other boat kept cutting off my path to the marker. It was just a point in the weed line.

I troll a lot in the early season but every year it gets harder to do. I have had TIMES when I make a trolling run along a breakline picking up fish just to turn around to see so many boat along the breakline that trolling it effectively would be imposable. Luckily most of the time if you leave for awhile they leave.

Like ice fishing, go where all the other houses are.

Oh, let's not forget the the ones that stay off in the distance and triangulate your position.