11InchBeard

It all depends on how the boater positions the boat. If it's so both of you can reach good water it can be real fun. It then depends on bait/lure selection/technique to determine who outfishes who. If the boater hogs the water, then the back is pretty much out of luck. As an example: I once fished with a guy who was fishing a reaction pattern (spinnerbaits,cranks). He as cruising the banks moving upstream 10-15 feet from the bank and casting ahead of the boat. I had virtually no place to fish considering the current and distance from the shore. Theoretically I could have fished the other side of the boat, but that wasn't where the bite was.

I have a friend with a 5 acre pond on his property. The bass fishing there is actually pretty good. The problem is they are all in the 1-2 pound range. They appear healthy, it's just that they all appear to be clones. He's asked me why this is so and I can't give him a definitive answer. I'd like to list some of the pond's characteristics and maybe some of you out there can provide some answers. I do know that a complete re-working of the pond would be unrealistic. But if there are some steps he could take to improve it they would be welcomed. Listed below are some observations of the pond: -He thinks it was created in the 1970s long before he owned the property. It looks like it was bulldozed out in the course of a small stream and has a earthen dam and small spillway downstream. -It has a mud bottom and the depth in the middle is approximately 30 feet. -It has cattails choking the banks. The depth here is approximately 2-5 feet at the outside of the cattails. They can extend up to 5-6 feet from the actual shoreline. In the past he has removed some of these cattails. -Since it has a mud bottom there is the question of where exactly are the bass spawning. They obviously are spawning somewhere. -There is a good population of crawdads in the pond. He knows that from observing them during the removal of the cattails. So there is a good food source in that regard. -The pond has no bluegill, but the population of crappie is very strong. You can catch dozens of them in a day. -I don't know what other kinds of bait fish populate the pond. I've seen small minnows, I just don't know what they are. -He blames otters, muskrats, and raccoons for the lack of large bass. I told him I didn't think that was the problem because other food sources are plentiful. -He does not fish the center of the pond. He fishes at the tule line most of the time. He believes the big bass may be in the tules and out of reach. In the times I've fished there I haven't fished deep either. He doesn't know of any structure in the middle of the pond. -Due to the cattails it is nearly impossible to fish from the bank. You need to be in a boat. I hope this list will provide some clues as to where the big ones are, if there are any at all, and to where they actually will be found. I hope someone out there can provide some answers or give some tips on how to improve this situation. Thanks in advance.

The original question said nothing about sneaking anything. He's asking how he can use the GPS ethically. The only answer is to ask permission. Some of you are making too much of this. Thank you!

Reading the number of responses has really opened my eyes to just how sensitive this topic can be. I am in agreement with some of the arguments on both sides. When thinking about it, it boils down to ethics. Public water is open to all, you can't lawfully say "This is my spot". However, I can certainly see where a boater I fished with on day one would be a little more than p*#@ed if he were to see me with another boater on day two camped on that spot when he arrived! This is something I would not do, ethically it is wrong. Now further down the road, if I were fishing this same body of water with yet another boater and that person asked me if I had any ideas where to go, I don't think it would be wrong to give him this location. Is this a fair assumption? Like I said in a previous post my use of the GPS is mainly to log my catch. Yes, it is also to learn water, but I would hope I can use that information in a fair way.

Thanks guys for the input. I'm pretty much in agreement with what you all had to say. I can see why you tournament guys would be reluctant to have someone in the back using one. But, I don't fish organized tournaments. My fishing is restricted to the club level, and I don't own a boat and probably never will. Also, like someone mentioned above it may be that I see a body of water once or twice in 2-3 years. So, if used ethically and use restricted to the consent of the boater (afterall I'm a guest on their boat) I don't see myself as a threat to their hard earned spots. Thanks again.

I am looking into purchasing a hand held GPS to help me log my catch when fishing from the back of the boat and would like some input on the Pros and Cons of doing this. I especially would like to hear the opinions of boaters on this subject. How I intend to use the GPS would be as follows: Currently, I get home after a tournament, pull out a map, and try to find those areas on a body of water where I catch fish in order to build a log from memory. This gets pretty difficult, especially if I am unfamiliar with that body of water. I found that at times I really had no clue as to where I had been that day and it ended up being guesswork. A GPS certainly would not help as far as bait and technique were concerned, but the location would without doubt help me to remember. The waypoints would make it a lot easier to log and get to know the bodies of water that I fish. My question boils down to how I can use the GPS ethically? Can it be used as a learning tool without compromising the boater? All opinions would be appreciated.

I have the Cabelas Guidewear. It's probably just about the same as the 100 MPH. It's great stuff, have never been wet or cold in it. If anything it can be too warm at times. It is pricey though $400+. If I had it over again I'd get the bibs insulated and the jacket uninsulated. You can always layer under the jacket and the insulated bibs keep your trunk warm. The insulated jacket is also bulky.

Can't type either! What I was looking for was something I could plug the information in when I got home. It would take me forever to design one in Excel.

That is a good idea and would be cheaper too! I'm not what you'd call a spread sheet expert by any stretch of the imagination. I was looking I could plug the information into when I got home.

Would like some ideas on computerized fishing logs. Several years ago I purchased the Taysys log. I liked the format, but it was hard to navigate through it. Also the space for lure, tackle, and location descriptions was limited. Are there any other logs of this type out there that more user friendly? Thanks in advance!