"It's Just Getting Scary"

[hdhntr]

Too many in industry worry about this silliness but that's what it is. In truth I have a 7 inch lowrance SI which I am sure would work fine if I could hook it up right but I havn't bothered. Catch a ton of fish without even a boat, just fishing off dock or bank. when I am on with one of my friends fishing boats we don't use electronics much at all, simply dip docks or banks that look promising from past experiences.

So relax dudes, most of us are too cheap or hate technology anyway and don't use them properly. besides as Todd huckabee said in his seminar last week, livescope has showed him that colors don't matter that much and watching fish live, sometimes they are ready to bite and others times not. Seen plenty of guys with latest 12 inch screens and 360 degree stuff who couldn't catch a cold, just had more money than brains. It's still about the skill of the fisherman so that makes the fish safe most of the time.

[Cray]

Well im now 83 years old. In 1970 I went along with 2 friends on a fishing trip to Quebec.
They had been there before, one of them many times. We had an Indian guide to get us around, but he actually knew very little about fishing. We trolled mostly, using lures like Rebels or other swimming type lures.
Problem was the water being sort of coffee colored (like Florida) you couldn't tell how deep it was.
So we couldn't keep the boats in the proper depth to keep the lures from snagging the bottom.
We only fished 3 days, and probably wasted a day of it getting lures unsnagged. So on my wish list was a green square box portable fish finder made by Lowrance. It worked the same as all the others back then you might see even on offshore boats.
Simply a flasher type that showed depth, and static lines that could be caused by almost anything, but the most important thing was knowing the depth.
Anyway there was an outdoor writer at the time who wrote articles in as I recall Outdoor Life, but maybe another, and it makes no difference anyway under the heading, (Starns At Large).
The main issue imop was that people like him were running around at large to begin with, because he was a total idiot.
In one of his monthly articles, he predicted that the day would soon come when the fish would be in his exact words (wiped out) due to jazzbos like me, using these modern box type devices to locate fish, then catch all they wanted.
I guess ive never been smart enough to learn how to really use these things. lol

I remember some of that stuff going on. If I’m not mistaken he and a few others got so bad that Minnesota actually banned or tried to ban the use of depth finders back in those days.

[crappiewisdom]

I remember learning to fish with my grandpa back in the early '60's. I was around 7 years old. He had a Sears 12 foot aluminum boat that he pulled behind his ford falcon on a home made trailer. No motor, just oars. A piece of chain for an anchor. A stringer to keep the fish we caught. We fished with cane poles. We would find night crawlers the night before we went fishing or pluck worms from catalpa trees on the way to the lake for our bait. Fished small lakes in NE Indiana. We always caught huge gills every time we went out. No electronics, no gimmicks. Those days seem magical in my memory. I'd trade my fancy boat with all it's bells and whistles to do that again with him.

[Lonnie84]

besides as Todd huckabee said in his seminar last week, livescope has showed him that colors don't matter that much and watching fish live, sometimes they are ready to bite and others times not.

Which is exactly my point.

[jay the baptist]

"Competition." Everybody that makes something is in competition with a competitor. You must stay 1 step ahead of your nearest competitor for survival. I've been in sales for over 30 years. The fishing product industry as a whole would die quickly without new innovations because it is crowded with new comers and it is a seasonal sport. Just my opinion. Don't know where it's going but those manufacturers are not looking at next season, they are looking 5 & 10 years down the road. But, I like simple, practical & fun. That's what I like so much about Richard Gene. HB 160, 50 hp motor, hand operated tm, about 3 rods and about 5 colors of jigs. And he makes it fun. Fun, fishing and fellowship. Ya'll can have the competition end of it.

[gatoloco]

that is why i think that pro fishing is not what it used to be. they have state of the art and unless you are sponsored can you really afford it. 85k for a boat, 10k for rod and reels, 20k for electronics.

[chaunc]

Anybody got a problem with fishing 8 poles at a time? How about 16 with 2 guys in the boat? Is that okay but using the latest electronics isn’t. I had plenty of fun catching fish in the past but I’m not trying to stay there. I enjoy using my electronics because they’re fun to me. A lot of them are like playing video games out on the lake. Live scope is the latest video game going. I’m looking to have a fun time using it. And remember, you still can’t keep more than the limit allows, no matter if you have 16 poles out or livescope showing you where they are.

[wicklundrh]

Those that say colors doesn't matter have never fished in the great lakes or in other areas where depths are fished in excess of 50 feet and fish are scattered within the water column.

I laugh every time I hear someone talk about "Color Doesn't matter" or the fact that "colors are out there to attract the fisherman". If you know anything about color spectrum in the water and what colors look like as you start to lose depth, you will quickly discount the fact that "Color doesn't matter". That being said, this site talks mostly about crappie fishing. Considering that we are talking about depths less than 50 feet, fish can see the majority of colors in the color spectrum. As a result, in theory, color "shouldn't matter". Unfortunaltey, that is a perfect world with perfect conditions and perfect water clarity. That isn't always the case. One lake can have higher levels of minerals and sediment that can make a bait basically dissapear. Hence the reason why a bait might work particulary well in one body of water and very pourly in another.

So, based on my extensive knowledge of fishing Salmon in the great lakes, I'll give you the actual breakdown of colors. For years, the majority of great lakes salmon professionals (guys that do it for a living) have a certain depth pattern that they utilize in coordination with color. This is based on years of experience as well as the knowledge and understanding of the color spectrum and how it relates to seeing colors in the water.

Here is MY breakdown that I used on my boat for clients. This somewhat differs from the overal science but, this is very area specific and remember what I said about water clarity.
Fishing the top 35 feet: Chartruese, Orange, Red, Pink (or any color in the spectrum)
35-60 feet: remove Chartruese, Orange, and red. Pink is not a primary color but is used. Concentrate on Purple, blue, and green.
Below 65 feet: Green and blue, white and black. Add sound, scent, and flash.

Ever wonder why glow in the dark colors are green? that is because fish can see them down to 250 feet. If it was orange, you lose that color Somewhere between 25 and 50 feet. Red you will lose after 25 feet.
Here is the actual diving breakdown in "perfect" conditions of the colors that can be seen in the water for humans.
Colors Underwater

Now look at my above depths and you will notice that I don't use the same colors as the chart provided. Well, that is because fish in the salmon species actually see LESS color than we do at depth. So, whereas we might still see and orange hue at 40 feet, they see it simply as gray!

In the "Twelve Rules of Effective Salmon Fishing", pay close attention to rules 9 and 10
Twelve Rules for Effective Salmon Fishing – Salmon University

These are the reason why you cannot say "color doesn't matter". Sure, when we talk about crappie fishing, we are talking about depths above 50 feet so these rules don't apply, BUT, when we are talking about fishing as a whole, colors play an important part.

[wicklundrh]

As for the equipment being updated, I will say this:
You can buy the most expensive equipment in the world, load it on your boat, put the biggest motor on it with the best electronics, it still doesn't mean you will catch the most fish, the biggest fish, or any fish for that matter.

I fish in a series where the worlds best walleye anglers come to play. Majority of the boats are backed by the BEST electronics in the industry. In some instances, we are talking 10's of thousands of dollars. Couple that with the biggest motors in the game, autopilot that keeps you on a course, and the backing of some of the industry elite when it comes to tackle and, in theory, EVERYONE should be tied for first place!

The reality isn't the case however. We have other factors involved that play a very specific role. Weather. In the form of wind, waves, high pressure, low pressure, clouds, full sun, overcast, shade, tempurature ect...
We also have fishing pressure. Simply put, you can have the best equipment in the world and you still have to find the fish!

During speaking engagements, the most often asked question is not what you would think. In fact, it is the question that most people should ask instead of what bait to use, what fish finder to buy, ect...
The most often asked question is: How do you determine where to start?

If we are in a tournament and our defined area is 100 miles by 100miles, how do you pick where to go? Well, the answer actually shocks most people. You can take the most expensive electronics in the world and they simply are NOT BIG ENOUGH! Yup, I said it. They are not big enough to give you the complete picture of an area. Whether it is 100 miles by 100 miles, or 40 acres. The area on the screen associated with your GPS isn't big enough to show you the full picture! So, if your 5k electronics don't work, what do you use? A good old fashioned MAP!

The guys in these big tournaments that arrive to a lake and rely on their electronics alone to "guide" them to the fish are usually the ones that come across the stage with their hands in their pockets. Why? They didn't have a starting point! The majority of us do a great deal of research combined with our knowledge of where the fish should be at relating to the time of year, tempurature... the weather I talked about earlier. The big picture (MAP) allows us to find those areas (starting points). From there, we can use the 10k worth of electronics to hone in on the fish. Can we make them bite? Well, that is why we compete!

Basically put, you can have all the high end gadgets in the world to help you located the fish BUT, if you cannot make the fish bite, it doesn't matter!

[wicklundrh]

that is why i think that pro fishing is not what it used to be. they have state of the art and unless you are sponsored can you really afford it. 85k for a boat, 10k for rod and reels, 20k for electronics.

Yes, you have no problems competing with these so called "pro's". Just ask the 20 year old that won the National Walleye Tour event last year in North Dakota! Or my partner and I in 2016 when we finished the MWT with a combined score that put us in 13th out of nearly 300 competitors fishing from the smallest boat with the smallest motor in the fleet! Or the top 15 finishes we had in 2017 out of two different boats. In many cases, we were one fish away from winning events.

I took 3rd place in an event 6 years ago out of a boat that the big motor wouldn't even start! Everyone took their big motors and ran 10 miles to the holy grail. My partner and I fished within 400 yards of the dock. My dad an I won a steelhead tournament one year fishing from the bank.

In other words, don't be intimidated by someone just because they appear to have the money. The reality is that many of these so called "pro's" are what we like to call BOAT POOR! They might "appear" to be making all kinds of money however, that really isn't the case. Yes, they might get a discount on a boat but they have to purchase a new one every two years! They get discounts on equipment but they still have to purchase them. Many of the sell out and will promote a product they don't even utilize. They have Yeti on the side of their boats but actually use an igloo cooler. They promote berkley but are running Rapala baits. Trust me when I tell you that the vast majority of the guys you see that you think are getting all this stuff for nothing are blowing smoke. There are a select few that do but the vast majority of them do not.