Combating the marker buoy pattern fisherman

[RumRiverRat]

As most of us know as soon as you throw out a marker buoy you are almost guaranteed to have company.

GPS has reduced the amout of people that use buoys.

I fished a lake today that is small and an orange bouy acts like a magnet.

So I decided to use a Teal decoy as my marker buoy.

I use the buoy when I am fishing scattered weed clumps on a large flat with crankbaits. When I catch a fish I throw the bouy out just to give me a reference point.

The teal decoy did the trick, it went un noticed by the other 4 boats on the lake.

[crappiegetter]

That is a great idea, sorry now I am going to steal that idea but I will use mallards to be different!

[PurpleFloyd]

Do the reverse Jedi on them and throw out bright, shiny orange decoys where you have never ever caught a fish and let them pound that area to oblivion while you hit the good spots you marked on the GPS

[herefish101]

Yup, never through a buoy where you actually plan to fish. Toss it out a few hundred yards from your hot spot. The worst thing is when someone sees you catch a fish, they will always come over and check it out.

[Savage Brewer]

Do the reverse Jedi on them and throw out bright, shiny orange decoys where you have never ever caught a fish and let them pound that area to oblivion while you hit the good spots you marked on the GPS

Was gonna ask how many others do exactly just that.

I once put a marker on rocks that I found only about a foot deep. Used it as a reference to stay away while I worked a steep dropoff only about 15 feet away. Later that day I saw a guy bump his boat into the rocks trying to troll my bouy.

I tried to yell at him but it did no good.

[pikerliker]

Do the reverse Jedi on them and throw out bright, shiny orange decoys where you have never ever caught a fish and let them pound that area to oblivion while you hit the good spots you marked on the GPS

+1 Purple and Savage that made me laugh out loud!!

[leechlake]

I'm kidding when I type what I'm going to but here's a response you're going to eventually get:

"you could be cited for placing decoys out of legal shooting time or from hunting from open water not concealed by vegetation. My Uncle used to do this and one time the Conservation Officer gave him a warning. May sound far fetched but you'll be breaking the law because you can't place decoys until 1 hour before sunup on Opening Day."

I'm going to use a gull decoy for your great idea. I used markers a lot to compliment the GPS, I may be old fashioned but it helps me get the right drift through the right spot. I've had buys drift by and take by marker and drive away, I hope the don't take my decoy. Great idea.

[Cicada]

I used to do this all the time. Drift about a hundred yards from my fish and throw a marker. Then, go back to where I was catching fish with three or four less boats. The funniest time I had with this technique was when the line on the marker didn't come off enough to hit the bottom. Three boats followed the drifting marker from 16 to well over 35 feet deep water. I'm guessing they thought it was one of them newfangled markers that follow the fish...

[pikerliker]

You guys are cracking me up!! Maybe we could set out one with a remote control motor and see where we could lead them!

[sunniewally]

Now that would be cool lol!!

[dan z]

I use markers all the time. I have had issues with guys taking them but not using them as trolling lines or jig spots. On really tough weed Lines they help me

[B17]

Ive never been opposed to letting people know where I catch fish. I may not tell them how. That is up to them.

Sure, Ive got some spots that I keep. But why not let people fish it. A spot rarely stays a spot that long. Someone else knew about it long before you did anyway, most likely.

[paceman]

I toss markers out all the time as well. I will throw them out to mark a weedline, dropoff... I painted mine black. It seems to be much less noticable.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Same problem here!

I call marker buoys "Aluminum Magnets" because of all the boats that they attract!

Cliff

[BLACKJACK]

Three boats followed the drifting marker from 16 to well over 35 feet deep water. I'm guessing they thought it was one of them newfangled markers that follow the fish...

One time I was slip bobber fishing for crappies and snapped the line when I set the hook, snapped it above the slip bobber, then proceeded to watch the bobber swim around attached to the fish!!! Thats my kind of marker buoy!!! The fish stopped biting so eventually went and retrieved my bobber with the fish on it.

[leech~~]

RRR, darn good idea. I would take Leechlake's gull idea and run for the patten office fast! I have a marker sitting below my seat in the boat and have not thrown it out in maybe the last two seasons because of the dam "leech's" no pun intended! I only use my GPS marks now but do miss it some days.

[BobT]

I don't usually use them to mark where I catch fish but to mark a structure element. It's a lot easier to work an area with a visual on a buoy than trying to watch my GPS.

I personally have not had issues with others working my buoys and I won't work someone else's out of respect for their space.

[NEANGLER]

You could use a coot decoy and not have to worry about the deploying decoys before the hunting season issue. Plus being black wouldnt show up near as much as a gull decoy.