Sonars takin the fun out the hunt? 2024

brushhoggin reply :

I understand it's hugely convenient to be able to see under the boat and all around you in order to identify an area that could hold bass by observing your underwater surroundings, but the other day i saw a fisherman on tv fishing a drop shot sorta deep, watching his lure and the fish around it. He could even see the fish's approach. I know this isn't cheating, but do any of you think that takes the fun out of a real hunt for bass? yeah yeah, i know, if you could put me on bass all day, catch em all day, because of your high quality electronics, would i not go....yes i would. but i roll without the electronics. (partly cause i cant afford them right now) And if i fish all my points, cuts, and backwaters in search of bass and finally get on em, the excitement (i imagine) is more intense when i get bit because of the element of surprise and rush provided by a successful hunt. is this an eye of the beholder thing? would you deer hunters get more fulfillment out of deer hunting if you knew without a doubt you were taking some meat home because you had a deer-dar?

OHIO reply :

I think it's more of a luxury. You don't need it, but at times it would be nice.

The only times I fish out of a boat (not a lot), I never use electronics. It would be nice, but I agree with you that it's more satisfying to catch fish without them.

Since I fish from the bank most of the time it's not really possible to use electronics, so I don't feel I need them to catch fish even when in a boat.

A lot of boat fisherman beat the bank anyways, so the electronics are not in use all the time.

Like you said, it's in the eye of the beholder though much like everything else in fishing.

SausageFingers23 reply :

Im not a hunter. I LOVE the "surprise" factor when fishing. Though Im always impressed by the pros who find their spots with electronics, use jigs/cranks to refine them, then catch 'em. Read Ike's blog on Bassmaster. Its awesome. Electronics are only part of the fish catching equation.

IlliniMatt21 reply :

I don't think that it takes the fun out of the hunt at all. Anyone can troll around with their side or down imaging and mark fish all day long. It takes a real fishermen to present the correct bait to those fish and get them in the boat. Of course, sometimes you'll stumble on fish that will hit anything you throw at them, but luck is just another part of fishing, with or without electronics.

Look at it this way... Just about every pro that fished last year's Bassmaster Classic had some form of side and down imaging, but there were obviously those that caught a lot of fish and those that caught none. There's a reason that KVD demolished just about everyone else in that tournament, and it's not because he had better electronics. He knew what the fish were doing, what they were biting and what presentation they wanted. My point is, there's a lot more to catching fish than simply knowing where the fish are or might be.

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

I think it's one of the most important things in a fishermans arsenal.Graphs aren't exactly the easiest thing in the world to read.It's a very helpful, great skill to learn and i hope i get really good at it some day. Some people like them some don't. Slight disadvantage for the fish, especially with SI and DI, but i like advantages ;D

ww2farmer reply :

uhhhhhhhh............no, learn to use electronics, or get beat or out fished by those that do. I think catching fish is fun, and any thing that helps me catch more is a welcome addition.

Bass_Fanatic reply :

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uhhhhhhhh............no, learn to use electronics, or get beat or out fished by those that do. I think catching fish is fun, and any thing that helps me catch more is a welcome addition.

uhhhhhhhh.......I dont think the OP is too worried about "getting beat". Sounds like he is out just to have fun. I use sonar (not with SI or DS, because I cant afford em) but if you rather catch fish without em' go right ahead. Who cares what I do or anyone else does, just do what u like to do and have fun doing it.

I would like a deer-dar though if ya got one! ;D

Tuckman reply :

IMO It doesn't take the fun out of the hunt, It is part of the hunt.

Personally, I fish with my eyes glued to a graph all day. I would feel naked without it. It not always about seeing fish as much as it is about staying on structure. It optimizes your time on the water by keeping you in key areas.

jeb2 reply :

I guess we can all pick a spot where technology might take the "fun" out of fishing. Maybe the guys with bamboo poles and cork bobbers really know where it's at, but I'll take my modern rods and reels, thanks just the same. Or maybe a leaky old wooden boat would add that special ambiance some are seeking, the bailing bucket close at hand.

Good electronics are just another step along the path, IMO.

I took one of my nephews out fishing last summer. He was really excited. He was checking out the electronics big time. I'd point out when we had fish below the boat. He was very disappointed that being able to see fish did not automatically equal catching fish. There's a lot more to it than just finding them.

senile1 reply :

Fish a lake of 5,000 to 10,000 acres or more with no electronics and no previous knowledge of the lake and you are going to get skunked a lot. Much of the water won't be holding active fish. You have to be able to locate structures that hold fish and the trial and error of doing it without electronics can lead to many fishless hours in the beginning. On the other hand, if you fish a 200 acre lake you can cover much of it quickly and locate the fish by trial and error without electronics. If you fish a large lake and an old-timer has shown you the migration paths and fish holding structure you may do well without electronics. Otherwise, you will be lost. I would say it's the reverse of the OP's statement. On a huge lake, failing to use electronics takes the fun of catching fish consistently out of the equation.

MFBAB reply :

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It not always about seeing fish as much as it is about staying on structure.

There it is.

brushhoggin reply :

like i said, i am all about identifying structure and developing a deep pattern with electronics, but when they use em to watch a bass watch your lure, seems kinda lame. the area i fish is 33,000 acres and the only reference i have is an old ariel map of the place before it was flooded. there is a little lowrance on the boat that came with it but I still think its decorative, its only good for reading water depth and temp.

Sam reply :

Electronics do a number of things for you.

1. Show you your position on the water.

2. Show you where you have been via tracking.

3. Give you the opportunity to mark a spot for the future.

4. Let you see what is under the boat.

5. Give you an idea if there are fish under the boat.

6. Help you navigate the boat around structure.

It is only as good as you are using it.

WRB reply :

Carl Lowrance made his 1st fish finder back in 1959 and changed bass fishing forever.

I can remember my first trip to Lake of The Woods in Ontario Canada back in 1973. I shipped my tackle to my father in law so he could take it up from Minnesota, we were flying in from California. My father in law called when he opened the box and found my X15 paper graph and told me fish finders are illegal in Canada.

Times change and most anglers accept the fact that fish finders, sonars units, are only an aid to locate under water objects like the bottom contour or structure, cover and fish. Catching bass and reading sonar takes a practiced set of skills, the combination is an advantage when fishing deep structured lakes.

Tom

WRB reply :

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like i said, i am all about identifying structure and developing a deep pattern with electronics, but when they use em to watch a bass watch your lure, seems kinda lame. the area i fish is 33,000 acres and the only reference i have is an old ariel map of the place before it was flooded. there is a little lowrance on the boat that came with it but I still think its decorative, its only good for reading water depth and temp.

I fished with a flasher type fish finder in the front of my boat for 40 years because it gives you real time feed back what is under the transducer cone and you can see fish movements and your lure, if it is within the signal zone. The brightness of the colored lines indicate to strength of the signal and you can tell the bottom materials and size or depth of suspended fish.

The disadvantage is there isn't a recorded history displayed on the screen, it's all real time information that you are missing.

Tom

PS; think of the sonar/flasher display as a narrow beam flash light illuminating a small area in the dark. The light beam is a few inches in diameter at the flashlight and get wider the further it is away from you. Sonar works the same; small diameter at the transducer and gets about 3' larger in diameter for ever 5' away or depth; 20 foot depth; your signal diameter is about 12' diameter. Everything displayed on the sonar screen has already happened, like looking at your side view mirror what you see is behind you. Sonar display is like a flasher; the real time signals are on the right edge of the display. The display doesn't show you a fish moving up to your lure, the fish has already done that.

Hot Rod reply :

I don't believe current technology takes the fun out of searching for/finding fish. It is still a plenty of challenge to locate bass (not just fish) especially on larger deep lakes/reservoirs and then put those fish in the boat.

I do fear the day that technology gets so advanced it does take the fun and skill out of fishing. I don't know if we'll get there in my life time but I could see it happening eventually.

Catt reply :

I see lots of anglers in $50,000 bass boats that have all the bells & whistles and yet they still can't weigh a decent stringer.

#1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.

Fish Chris reply :

I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.

Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

Catt reply :

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Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?
Fish

Nah

SPEEDBEAD. reply :

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I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

How do you find your spots? Map reading, experience, etc?

The reason I ask is....well, look at the fish you have caught. I have a hard time believing you are "lucky" and stumble upon the fish you catch. There is something you see beforehand or while on the water that cues you to the likely presence of big fish.

What is it and how can the rest of us utilize it?

WRB reply :

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I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

Did you dumb arcoss that avatar smallie?

brushhoggin reply :

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I see lots of anglers in $50,000 bass boats that have all the bells & whistles and yet they still can't weigh a decent stringer.
#1 key to consistently catching bass is between your ears not between the folds of your wallet.

sound advice as usual

J Francho reply :

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I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

No, but you might learn something new. You bring to the table a stubborn unwillingness to change or try anything new because what you did worked so well. I think if you add a few things, you'll slowly figure out the why's of your success.

Intrepid reply :

Quote

Quote
I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

How do you find your spots? Map reading, experience, etc?

The reason I ask is....well, look at the fish you have caught. I have a hard time believing you are "lucky" and stumble upon the fish you catch. There is something you see beforehand or while on the water that cues you to the likely presence of big fish.

What is it and how can the rest of us utilize it?

sight fishing

senile1 reply :

Quote

Quote
I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

No, but you might learn something new. You bring to the table a stubborn unwillingness to change or try anything new because what you did worked so well. I think if you add a few things, you'll slowly figure out the why's of your success.

I mean no disrespect to you, Chris, as you have proven you are one hell of a trophy angler and your big fish skills are well beyond mine. I ask this rhetorical question only to make a point about the average angler. Hypothetically, do you think you can stick 14 - 19 lb'ers on a regular basis in a 50,000 acre lake without electronics and without expert knowledge of that lake? I would think you would be very inconsistent under those circumstances. Granted, you could make a number of trips to learn the lake and talk to other anglers to gain knowledge and maybe then you might become consistent. In my experience, it takes a great deal of time and effort to learn a really large lake and electronics allow us to decrease this time by quite a bit. Missouri has Lake of the Ozarks (55,000 acres), Truman Lake (55,000 acres), Table Rock Lake (43,000 acres), Stockton Lake (25,000 acres), Mark Twain Lake (18,000 acres), etc. (And these are nothing compared to some of the huge lakes in other states.) I would not attempt to fish any of these lakes without either electronics, or expert knowledge gained from some source or my own time on the lake. But that's just my opinion.

WRB reply :

I consider sonar units as a critical tool when fishing for trophy bass on deep structured California reservoirs. Even though I have photos of these lakes during construction and know the bottom contours very well, I can't know if big bass are in the area without fishing for them or seeing them by sight or using sonar.

Camping out on a spot you know big bass are using doesn't require a sonar unit, if you can locate the spot.

I meter more then 50% of the giant bass I catch. You may not catch the big bass on that outing, but you know a big fish is in nearby. I often meter the area I'm fishing when I leave to see if any big bass are suspended nearby and waiting for me to leave.

Tom

Raul reply :

Sonars are tools and it also takes time to learn how to read it and interpret what it 's telling you, I see a lot of guys that purcahse a sonear and imediately think they are going to catch more fish, it doesn 't take too long for them to learn the lesson that no matter how sophisticated your unit is, just like a rod/reel/line/lure, the pus is where it 's always beeen ---> behind the rod handle. At least for me, the sonar only helps me narrow improductive water from productive water, heck, I don 't even pay attention to the fish icons.

WRB reply :

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Sonars are tools and it also takes time to learn how to read it and interpret what it 's telling you, I see a lot of guys that purcahse a sonear and imediately think they are going to catch more fish, it doesn 't take too long for them to learn the lesson that no matter how sophisticated your unit is, just like a rod/reel/line/lure, the pus is where it 's always beeen ---> behind the rod handle. At least for me, the sonar only helps me narrow improductive water from productive water, heck, I don 't even pay attention to the fish icons.

Never trust those icons! (turn them off)

The guy who started this thread didn't know how to read his flasher, other than bottom depth and is not unusual. Most bass anglers don't know how to set up there sonar/GPS units or interpret what the see on the screen and that is whole new topic.

Tom

Fish Chris reply :

Actually guys, Intrepid pretty much hit the nail on the head, > sight fishing ! But not neccessarily bed-fishing. I have sighted big fish first, then stuck them later, about 10 months out of the year, and obviously, they don't spawn for 10 months.

One of my favorite things to do, to find big fish, is just to get out on a lake, and fish all of the obvious spots.... main lake points, humps (which are hopefully marked... most shallow ones will be, and deeper ones are often not as good anyway) ususally throwing a 9" MS Slammer > Loud and obnoxious, and even if they don't eat it, they just have to come look at it.... And once I see them, the battle is 90% won ! (always wear polarized glasses)

Senile1

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Hypothetically, do you think you can stick 14 - 19 lb'ers on a regular basis in a 50,000 acre lake without electronics and without expert knowledge of that lake?

If the lake in question has a decent number of 14-19 lb'ers in it, yes, I think within a few weeks or months, I would see enough big fish with my own two eyes to put together a solid rout. And once I had done that, I'd start sticking them regularly.

BTW, I often see guys fishing some "secret" off shore humps, or ledges or whatever..... and these are certainly spots that don't get fished too often at all.... so they should stick some good ones, right ? I almost never see it though. On the other hand, I consistently stick big ones, at the same spots that get hammered by everybody and their grandmother every day.

The biggest reason for their failure... or my success, depending on how you want to look at it, is that 1) they are usually throwing little fish / numbers types of baits, and 2) they pull up to a point, or hump, and park their boat, right where the big fish were hanging out ! By the time they make the first cast, those fish have locked their mouths tight, and are swimming away.

Heck, I will either come up right beside the point and cast out past the point of it.... even acrossed it sometimes, or even, beach my boat, and fish from the point itself !

How many guys in a flashy $50K bass boat are willing to run it up on the gravel, and hop out ? Yet I've caught many of my biggest fish this way. Just another reason a high performance bass boat would be detrimental to my success.... unless maybe it was a beater, and I just didn't care about scratching it

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But hey now, don't get me wrong, I do believe electronics could be a big help for me if I knew how to use them. I also know their are a handful of guys who know everything I know about trophy bass fishing (and more) + they are fantastic with electronics, and I know these guys will consistently kick my but ! Jerry Rago, and Mike Long to name a couple of them.

But seeing as I'm the least competitive guy on the planet, it doesn't bother me a bit to say so

Peace,

Fish

Fish Chris reply :

Hey, one thing I want to add though..... Guys typically use graphs to find nice looking structure, underwater humps, baitfish, etc. The problem with this is, LOTS of nice looking structure, underwater humps, baitfish, for whatever reason, just don't attract fish ! Conversely, I have found big fish spots that a graph would not give any indication of being a good spot to fish. Why ? I have know Idea.

And as far as a graph showing you the fish themselves how likely is it that it's big bass that your seeing ? In the lakes I fish, big catfish and carp are often more common than big bass.

But if I see a big bass with my own two eyes, their is nothing to second guess ! I'll go back again and again, until I stick those fish !

Peace,

Fish

FishinDaddy reply :

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IMO It doesn't take the fun out of the hunt, It is part of the hunt.
Personally, I fish with my eyes glued to a graph all day. I would feel naked without it. It not always about seeing fish as much as it is about staying on structure. It optimizes your time on the water by keeping you in key areas.

X2 - I fish 100,000 acres (toho, cypress, hatch, and kissimmee) and use it to eliminate water mostly, to tell how hard the bottom is and find the outside edges of the submerged grass.

WRB reply :

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Hey, one thing I want to add though..... Guys typically use graphs to find nice looking structure, underwater humps, baitfish, etc. The problem with this is, LOTS of nice looking structure, underwater humps, baitfish, for whatever reason, just don't attract fish ! Conversely, I have found big fish spots that a graph would not give any indication of being a good spot to fish. Why ? I have know Idea.
And as far as a graph showing you the fish themselves how likely is it that it's big bass that your seeing ? In the lakes I fish, big catfish and carp are often more common than big bass.

But if I see a big bass with my own two eyes, their is nothing to second guess ! I'll go back again and again, until I stick those fish !

Peace,

Fish

Chris you are a lot like Bill Murphy, except Murph knew how to read a sonar.

If you know how big bass relate to structure and bait fish it is easy to separate other big predators with large air bladders from giant bass. How you approach a spot is the difference between a good day and being blanked. Knowing where the big bass is located is golden. Good luck, it's pre spawn and time to find a few and play with them.

Tom

PS; Butch Brown is on top of his game now and wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't post a 20+ this year.

Fish Chris reply :

Butch Brown is just a big bass stud ! + he's in the best place in the world to catch the biggest bass that swim !

Fish

senile1 reply :

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Senile1

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Hypothetically, do you think you can stick 14 - 19 lb'ers on a regular basis in a 50,000 acre lake without electronics and without expert knowledge of that lake?

If the lake in question has a decent number of 14-19 lb'ers in it, yes, I think within a few weeks or months, I would see enough big fish with my own two eyes to put together a solid rout. And once I had done that, I'd start sticking them regularly.

You and I are saying pretty much the same thing then. Without aquiring expert knowledge in some form or fashion such as spending the weeks and months to locate the fish, you wouldn't be able to stick the fish. Electronics helps to shorten this period in my opinion.

bayouXpress reply :

i think if you can afford it you should have it.

in any sport.. if there is a tool that can legitimately make you better why not use it. But as said before you still need to know how to fish.

and i think they now do have deer-dar.. its called trail cams

Fishing Rhino reply :

I get a kick out of the is this sporting type of threads. Should you use a landing net, or this or that piece of equipment.

I suspect these type of questions have been around since man started fishing with a pointed stick. When we graduated to hooks and bamboo poles, I suspect there were those who wondered if they were taking the fun out of fishing.

Heck, they probably asked the same question when someone discovered a pointed stick was better than catching them hand, though probably not as much fun.

For me, the more gizmos the better, and the more fun I have, and not necessarily because they help me catch more fish.

I'm curious about what lies beneath the surface of the water, and out of sight. Fishfinders, sounders, sonar, whatever you call them, help to satisfy my natural curiosity.

They educate me, and therefore they actually increase the pleasure I get from fishing.

Are they fair and sporting? As fair and sporting as the pointed stick, the first fishing pole, the first revolving spool reel, spinning reel, composite rod, lifelike plastic bait, etc.

Fish Chris reply :

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Electronics helps to shorten this period in my opinion.

Senile1, for many fishermen, I totally agree. But with my AADD, I'd get so totally sidetracked with my electronics, that I'd forget to fish ! I guess it's just a personal issue.

Peace,

Fish

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

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I almost never use electronics. In fact, all I have is a little portable graph.... which I sometimes use for Sturgeon fishing.
Actually, I do believe a good graph can help, but I'm so clueless with using one, it would only serve as a distraction for myself.

Do you guys think if I started using more electronics (and learned how to use them better), I might finally start catching some big ones ?

Fish

Yup definitley. You'd start culling dinks like that puny smallie in your avatar ;D

CAdeltaLipRipper reply :

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i think if you can afford it you should have it.
in any sport.. if there is a tool that can legitimately make you better why not use it. But as said before you still need to know how to fish.

and i think they now do have deer-dar.. its called trail cams

Well said.You should use advantages. That's just like not using lighter, better cleats for football because it'll improve you're skills

Big Fish Rice reply :

Fishing is probability. If you can afford it, a baseline sonar can help you identify critical aspects like water temp, depth, and structure.

Why not help you, help yourself?

Fishes in trees reply :

whoever started this thread, and right now I forget who started this thread, bust out a few c-notes and get yourself some sonar and find out for yourself if it takes the fun out of the hunt or not.

If you're trying to justify not buying a fish finder by insisting that it takes some of the fun out of the hunt, well - that's just short sighted.

Either buy a sonar - or don't - either way you don't need to justify it.

Boys and toys - my 2 cents worth.

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Sonars takin the fun out the hunt? 2024

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