Using Marker Buoys

[papajoe222]

Ask anyone that knows me to describe what type of fisherman I am and most will tell you I'm a structure fisherman (provided they know what that means). Very rarely have I gone out on a new lake and not canvased it, using marker buoys to give me a visual idea of the different breaklines I'm looking at.  Last season I purchased a Lowrance unit with chartploting/GPS and was very surprised at the accuracy of the Navonics topo maping and being able to mark waypoints.

I only fished one new body of water last year, but without using my buoys, I was able to map out a particular spot on that unit and return to it numerous times after drifting off during a battle with a nice chunk.  The other thing I do with buoys is toss one out after hooking up with a fish when working deep structure. I really don't need to do that anymore, just reach over and set a waypoint for the spot.

So, what I want to know is do you guys still keep and use buoys now that you have electronics to pinpoint spots or areas?  I knid of like being able to see the outline of a break on the surface when using them,especially early in the year before weed growth provides a similar visual.  I don't like the fact that some guys will move in and work the area. Not that I mind them fishing the same water, I just don't like it when they insist on casting along side them and catching them )the buoys}.  Most of the time, I'll get them back, but at the very least they've been moved. God forbid I want to retrieve them before these guys are ready to move on!

[zip pow]

I use them religiously. Sure you can stare at the screen and stay pretty close but I like to look up and around. If it weren't for buoys my dad wouldnt know were he caught one at or exactly how the boat was positioned. Sure some people see them and rush in but I like a visual reference.

[Fishes in trees]

I carry marker buoys, but I don't use them nearly as often as I should.

[greyleg33]

Use them always in deep water. My problem is I tend to take off and forget them.

[Fishing Rhino]

I use them often.  Yes, you can maintain your position with GPS, but, it does not provide the quick visual that one or several buoys provide.  Small humps of one or two thousand square feet, that rise up from deeper water often provide good fishing.   I use them to mark the contours of said humps, or weed beds.  I prefer to use the term transitional bottom.  That denotes changes in structure or cover.  It's easy to cast to a buoy, or between buoys, or in a particular direction.  Not so quick to look at a display, and put the boat back on a waypoint or course line.  Not for me anyway.

 

Think of it this way.  It's very easy to fish a shoreline, casting to docks, rock piles, beds, or patches of lily pads.  Do you use the GPS display to fish those, or do you use your eyes?   For me, buoys provide a much quicker, precise visual reference than a display on an electronic screen.

[JellyMan]

Ive done it once in a new pong when locating a deep sand bar. 

[Sam]

Unless you know the mathematical formula and how to read your electroncis to find the exact location of underwater objects a marker buoy is a great way to mark your spot.

 

If you ever have the opportunity to either go to a Wilson Fraizer seminar or watch his DVDs on sonar and GPS you will understand that marking an exact spot with your electronics is not as simple as one would think.

 

I throw two marker buoys so that I can come back to the exact spot like an airplane landing on a runway.

 

You also have to understand that your transducer is to your rear by "X" feet behind you, depending on the feet between where you have your monitor and the exact place you have your transducer mounted on the rear of the boat. And that by the time most of us see some structure or fish on the monitor you have actually passed by the location by "X" feet, depending on your unit's settings.

 

And a lot of guys do not undersand that the actual location of the object is when it appears on the right side of the screen. You need to know the footage of your screen's view so that when you actually see the object on the screen you will know how many feet you have traveled after the boat has moved away from the object.

 

The Professor explains all of this to you and his DVDs are excelent. Only problem is that they are for Lowrance units but the information should work for other brands.

[J Francho]

I use them.  Imagine fishing a mile or so off shore, and nothing along the northern horizon but water.  Electronics wil get you there, but it's tough to get pinpoint without a visual aid.

[wnybassman]

I use them.  Imagine fishing a mile or so off shore, and nothing along the northern horizon but water.  Electronics wil get you there, but it's tough to get pinpoint without a visual aid.

 

I still use them on offshore structure as well, even with GPS at the console and bow.  It is nice to have that visual aid to tell you exactly where you are.   Unless your buoy string doesn't unwind all the way, and you find yourself trying to figure out where the fish went and all of a sudden you are a 1/2 mile away from where you thought you were.   Don't ask me how I know about that scenario   

[J Francho]

On windy days, I use them to mark beds as well.  I try to drop it about a foot behind the nest.

[grampa1114]

I like to find it with GPS and fish it with Bouys.........that's what works for me.

 

Grampa

[roadwarrior]

 I don't like the fact that some guys will move in and work the area. 

 

Not around here...If bouys are abandoned, the area is "free game", but when someone

puts them out and is fishing the marked area, the message is loud and clear: Stay away!

Nobody "owns" a spot, but they are entitled to claim a spot. Just to makes it clear, most

guys anchor and re-anchor as they move around their claim.

 

Note too, if you have a super special spot you should NEVER put out a buoy. Nowadays

nearly everyone has GPS and will always mark other peoples buoys...always.

 

 

[J Francho]

Paint your buoys black.

[slonezp]

Paint your buoys black.

Empty water bottles

 

I use them but normaly not bass fishing. If I find a school of crappies or perch and need a reference point on unfamiliar water, I'll drop them in

[roadwarrior]

Great tip! 

 

I hadn't thought of that.

[WRB]

Black bouy markers are available. Attaching a glow stick for night fishing is also helpful.

If it's not too windy I relay on my GPS during the day, when windy I toss 1 marker off to the side of the structure element to keep oriented without looking down at the sonar unit. The most markers that I have ever used is 2, 1 on each end of the structure, then follow my sonar unit signals to fish.

Tom

[Ratherbfishing]

Use them always in deep water. My problem is I tend to take off and forget them.

Ditto.  Or at least I'll have to turn back around to go retrieve them once it dawns on me what i've done.

 

Depending upon how precise one has to be in a particular location, i like to use marker buoys because you can more easily pin point and cast to a spot thattaway.  It's kinda hard to watch a little gps screen or fishfinder and cast to an exact spot at the same time.

 

As far as someone muscling in and casting to my marker buoys is concerned, fortunately it's never happened but they would get an ear full if someone ever did  Especailly if they were to snag my buoys.

[quanjig]

I once marked a great school of fish with a marker, caught them up real good and decided to let it cool off and recharge. Came back 30 minutes later and my bouy was gone! Needless to say, I was a bit irate. Small trolling motored only lake, bouy was out of sight for about 5 minutes. Only other guy around denied he took it! I explained that I didn't care if he happened to think is was abandoned, I just wanted my marker back!

[papajoe222]

Paint your buoys black.

I have a har enough time finding my orange ones!!! If I painted 'em black, I'd need to add a beacon.

Thanks for the replies guys.  I rely on what I see as much as anyone, but watch my electronics like a hawk when fishing off shore structure. Didn't plan on disposing of the buoys, just moving them off the deck and back near the counsel (sp?)

[papajoe222]

A little side note about my using them. Last April I was fishing a breakline that went from about 6ft. to 15ft. and had marked the shallow side of a sharp bend in the drop off. When I went to retrieve them, I approached them on the shallow side and ended up hitting a humungus boulder with the t/m. My momentum threw me overboard into the deep water.  Thank God because the water on the shallow side was only 2ft. deep and I went under at least 6ft.  No life vest on, water temp was in the low 50's, it was raining and there wasn't a soul on the lake besides me. 

I learned two lessons that day.  Always wear a vest when fishing alone and DON'T KEEP YOUR I-PHONE IN YOUR POCKET when fishing. I've had to replace two of them in less than two years because I can't seem to keep my fat rear inside the boat!

[Traveler2586]

I have a har enough time finding my orange ones!!! If I painted 'em black, I'd need to add a beacon.

Thanks for the replies guys.  I rely on what I see as much as anyone, but watch my electronics like a hawk when fishing off shore structure. Didn't plan on disposing of the buoys, just moving them off the deck and back near the counsel (sp?)

I'm the same way; I use the flat square ones that don't stick up much and that can make them hard to find at times.

 

I only use my GPS way-points to record the location after the buoys are out; I only use the way-points to return to the spot on my next fishing trip.

 

Tip: The strap weight that comes with the buoys isn't that heavy, and takes time to unwind the string as it settles to the bottom.  If your fishing in windy conditions with wave action, the waves can lift the buoy and pick the weight off the bottom, that action can move the buoy down wind.  So I replace the strap weights with the 3 or 4 oz tear drop weights; they will actually pull the buoy under the water until the buoy unwinds to reach the surface.  The trade off is wave action can unwind more string, but the weight doesn't move.

[jhoffman]

black is actually a very easy color to see in all lighting conditions on the surface, you would be surprised. The nice thing about black also is it doesnt blend in with foam, bubbles and other stuff. I fish a lot of black strike indicators while nymphing.