Blacking out marker buoys

[BaitMonkey1984]

Ok, so I was on the other bass fishing website and they have an article about Elite Series Pro Justin Lucas and his season from last year along with pictures of his boat, his rods, aka typical boring boat tour stuff. Its winter in NE so i read even the boring articles during the week, then ice fish on the weekends. So I am clicking through this boring slideshow and...., their is a picture of his battery compartment and he has a marker buoy stored back there. Pretty typical, I have a few in my boat at all times. However his buoy, was completely blackened by what appears to be a sharpie. At first blush, I thought it was nothing more than the effect of boredom at a fog delay. Then, it dawned on me. He colored his marker buoy to hide the sweet spot. Black is harder to see the orange, and this could prevent someone passing by at a decent clip to even see the buoy altogether. 

 

I wonder if you all agree that this was done intentional and for the reasons listed above. And  part B,for all of you who do tournament fish what other techniques do you employ to keep your spots/lures secret? 

 

 

[Team9nine]

Absolutely done intentionally - been doing it for years and years myself. Black sharpie, or spray paint specially formulated for plastics; even make our own out of black closed cell foam. We refer to them as "stealth buoys." Orange or yellow buoys are only good if you want to make friends and meet new people...

Quote

What other techniques do you employ to keep your spots/lures secret? 

I keep my mouth shut

-T9

[A-Jay]

Yup ~ No tournaments for me,  just like to be stealth.

Additionally, I've been known to leave them out over night to use in the morning - these usually go unnoticed.

My weapon of choice ~

A-Jay

 

[ww2farmer]

I have been known to play marker buoy games.....................I will toss one out randomly in the middle of no where, and then keep an eye on it from a distance to see what idiots come over and fish them. I also like to screw with a buddy of mine, on our home lake he will leave a buoy out over night or for a few hours when he goes back into the house for lunch, I'll pick it up and move it 50 yards just to be a jerk.

I don't bother trying to hide mine, if I have one out marking something, it's been well established over the years that if I like you, your more than welcome to join me at the spot, and if I don't.................well those people don't get within 100 yards of me anyways.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I don't paint mine black, but I do paint them a muddled green color. I turn my own marker buoys on a lathe and make them about 3" long and 1.25" in diameter, so they're small and hard to spot. 

[WRB]

Black is easy to see on open water areas, plus others anglers aren't looking for them.

With GPS/sonar units today maker physical buoys are less common, although I still prefer using them, also use my GPS markers when real buoys draw attention.

Tom

 

 

 

[CJ]

I really blacked out my marker buoys. The need for marker buoys is soon to be a thing of the past. New technology of GPS, linked graphs, and a function called the "go to" button has really eliminated the need for a marker buoy.

But that's something that has been going on for years. Marker buoys have hurt guys, they've hurt me from different angles. I've stayed off of spots because one was there even though the boat who threw it out was 200 yards away and I've had boats come in on mine when I got too far away.

Side note: WRB, you posted while I was typing. Beat me to it. LOL

[tbone1993]

5 minutes ago, CJ said:

I really blacked out my marker buoys. The need for marker buoys is soon to be a thing of the past. New technology of GPS, linked graphs, and a function called the "go to" button has really eliminated the need for a marker buoy.

But that's something that has been going on for years. Marker buoys have hurt guys, they've hurt me from different angles. I've stayed off of spots because one was there even though the boat who threw it out was 200 yards away and I've had boats come in on mine when I got too far away.

Side note: WRB, you posted while I was typing. Beat me to it. LOL

I use them when ledge fishing or when I need to keep making a specific cast to a piece of cover. Aside from that I use the gps.

[scaleface]

I like my Manns yellow buoys . Believe me , they are hard to see when I get twenty yards away . Theres been a lot of times when I would zigzag back and forth trying to find it . I think it would be difficult for others to see it unless they are right on it . Especially if they are zooming down the lake .

 

Marker buoys will never be a thing of the past for me . Last year I had one set out . A cast to one side of it caught approximately 60 bass . The other side zero . 

[Catt]

If I know what boat ya fishing put I know where ya fishing!

I use buoys where fishing huge grass flats. When I catch a bass I'll kick one over board & then fish that area in an ever increasing circle, when I'm done I idle over Mark with GPS.

[BaitMonkey1984]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

I like my Manns yellow buoys . Believe me , they are hard to see when I get twenty yards away . Theres been a lot of times when I would zigzag back and forth trying to find it . I think it would be difficult for others to see it unless they are right on it . Especially if they are zooming down the lake .

 

Marker buoys will never be a thing of the past for me . Last year I had one set out . A cast to one side of it caught approximately 60 bass . The other side zero . 

I agree. I use my depth finder and GPS a lot, but once I find the juice, or if the wind is kicking that marker buoy gives me a focal point that I don't get with my GPS. Maybe its because I'm old school and didn't always have a GPS, or maybe its because I like a visual target rather than keeping my eye on the GPS. In any event, theres a reason the elites all carry these. They flat out help. 

[Firefish Alumacraft]

12 hours ago, ww2farmer said:

I have been known to play marker buoy games.....................I will toss one out randomly in the middle of no where, and then keep an eye on it from a distance to see what idiots come over and fish them.

 

Now. I would be stopping to pick up your marker thinking, " some jerk left his marker out here, its going to get sucked up in someones prop, or some jerk is littering." Now sweet I have an extra marker!

[BaitMonkey1984]

I never fish deep. Im just not good at it. I need to improve on that this year. Anyhow, I was fishing this drop off and it wasn't a straight line. I had three marker buoys out along this 500 yard stretch to keep me where I needed to be. I am down at one end about done with a pass and turning around and some dumb wakeboard boat was over on top of the buoy at the far end investigating it. Spooked all my fish. I don't know who is worse-wakeboarder or jet skiers.

[Airman4754]

On 2/19/2016 at 7:42 AM, BaitMonkey1984 said:

I never fish deep. Im just not good at it. I need to improve on that this year. Anyhow, I was fishing this drop off and it wasn't a straight line. I had three marker buoys out along this 500 yard stretch to keep me where I needed to be. I am down at one end about done with a pass and turning around and some dumb wakeboard boat was over on top of the buoy at the far end investigating it. Spooked all my fish. I don't know who is worse-wakeboarder or jet skiers.

Jet skiers. They literally come find you. 

The annoying thing with every wake board boat now is they all play music at a deafening level once they start pulling. So, you have twenty boats blaring different songs all at once. It's a cacophony of awful.