I spy .....

[Ketchn]

now some would say find your own water and or spots .
yet others will name call you for peeping
but to be sure peeping is something most do even if they do not admit it
from guides to pros to the less than experienced . so that said ....
if you decide to "peep" use a decent pair of specs so the image is clear .
to be sure it is a subject of controversy and some will cry foul .
but in the end a decent pair of Nikon's can be a helpful tool .
especially on uncharted and or unknown lakes .
tip of the week .....is the word

[DockShootinJack]

Recon Fishing

[Ketchn]

Recon Fishing

just pays well to have them , working birds , boat shows , weather coming ,and so on and so forth .
terns are my favorites to watch , they only eat small baitfish , seagulls are bad about attracting larger fish birds
terns not so much , under terns are crappie every time ....oh the things that folks don't realize
a row of herons along the bank looking into the wind ,,,,,KABOOM time ....just saying

[DockShootinJack]

Saw the wading birds in the shallows last week. Shad covered the whole bay in there. Watching the birds pays off in fishing.

[BobC]

Recon Fishing

That’s the name for it! Sometimes a “peeper” has a worse connotation just sayin…
Bob

[scrat]

Also a good pair of binoculars can be cheap fish finder.

[SunsetPoint]

just pays well to have them , working birds , boat shows , weather coming ,and so on and so forth .
terns are my favorites to watch , they only eat small baitfish , seagulls are bad about attracting larger fish birds
terns not so much , under terns are crappie every time ....oh the things that folks don't realize
a row of herons along the bank looking into the wind ,,,,,KABOOM time ....just saying

Working birds.
You just made me think of something.

Have a 4 foot open ray 6.5 KW radar on the ocean boat now for finding fish using high tech stuff above the water.
Have a Lowrance Carbon 9 with AT I'll finish up installing today for watching the fish under the water.

No one said fishing was cheap but dang its fun.

[yobuck]

Next time you use your binnocs, regardless of the quality or cost of them, look at your watch for a time check before using them.
When your arms get weary and you lower the binnocs check the time again.
The higher the power the harder to hold them steady for long periods.
Consider a small folding walking stick with a threaded top for supporting them.
I keep a small old but very good quality spotting scope in a padded case on board my boat most of the time.
It has a 10x30 power zoom eyepiece on it which is plenty for scrutinizing things on the water.
When its not on the boat it lives in my pickup along with a window mount and several pairs of binoculars.
And the walking stick support under it works very well.

[hdhntr]

do recon all the time when fishing my home lakes and others. real question is why wouldn't you look and see where others are fishing? as one who is a visual guy and doesn't pay attention much to the electronics I have and simply go to places where I ahve had success. of course my go to thing is simply going up to guys I see fishing a lot successfully and making friends with them. Most folks enjoy sharing their knowledge of what works where as long as your respectful and ask.

Have network of guys I call before going to get the 411 on what's happening. Had my best days last year when a buddy called and said they were in the shallows at a certain lake that I don't normally fish even tho it was late may and most lakes spawn was over but not there. Was on the road in a hour and over next 3 weeks caught best stringers in my life! plus shared with couple of other friends who said the same thing. Course I return the favor as well, when things are hot I call them and let em know how and where I did well.

some of these guys have become my Best friends who I talk to all the time about stuff not only fishing related and take up to my couple of lake places too and share those places with them. But as the outlaw says good observations and a pair of bino's can increase your fishing success.

[Rojo]

I just had a conversation with a friend last night and this is his plan for fishing new water. I got to say, If You "Know" how to catch or Ketch as our Texas brothers say, you can almost always find your own fish to Ketch! I try to teach these guys how to depend on themselves but I'm not getting the point through. Newbies just don't put the time in to learn, rather want someone else to show them where to fish. I caught fish on Ross Barnett 3 days in a row the week before Christmas while watching the "Regulars" run from spot to spot where they have either caught in the past but are now Out of season for that spot's recruitment or saw someone else fishing in that spot the day before. One would like to know the Ratio of Crappie Ketchn anglers to Crappie Chasin' anglers? Bet the Chasin' crew have Looking Glasses in their boats. My 2 Cents