To Be Seen Or Not....??

[LonnieP]

If I'm bank fishing a small pond I try to blend in and go into stealth mode. In my boat I'd rather be seen that way I dont get run over. 

[IgotWood]

I’ve got mixed feelings. I am a super secretive fisherman. It’s just the way I was taught. I don’t like to draw attention on the water. Most of the lakes I fish don’t have boat traffic, so stealth is good. However, on an area with traffic, o want to stick out as best I can. I have come so close to being run over in my kayak quite a few times. It’s very scary. 

 

Additionally, I do t feel like the color of my kayak has any effect on the fishing. I have hooked fish plenty of times right under my bright yellow kayak. No worries there. 

[LadiMopar]

My first yak was desert camo. I picked it to be less noticeable, I love the idea of blending in to the scenery... THEN I discovered that I was so well concealed that almost no one could see me, even with the Orange flag and bright yellow blades on my paddle.

 

New yak this year is screaming orange fire camo....safe is better than sorry.

[J.Vincent]

On February 6, 2019 at 5:52 PM, IgotWood said:

Additionally, I do t feel like the color of my kayak has any effect on the fishing. I have hooked fish plenty of times right under my bright yellow kayak. No worries there. 

I agree completely.....I've never noticed the color of my hull affecting the bite, even in water clarity from 1 ft to 8ft visibility. 

[Crow Horse]

We fish mostly quiet waters so visibility to others isn't an issue. For others who do frequent busy waters, maybe a flare gun aimed directly at oncoming vessels will get their attention. Or maybe a Phalanx weapons system........

 

[Sam]

On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 10:47 AM, Crow Horse said:

When I fish, not only am I looking to "blend in" visually, but on another level, which might be difficult for many to understand, I'm looking to be a "part of" not "apart from".......

So to expand on your statement, you don't want to be like a fish in the water looking up and seeing you or your boat/kayak and thinking "what the heck is that?" which will increase their defense mechanisms.

 

If you "blend into your surroundings" when the bass looks up it will not see you and therefore not be alerted to your presence and the bass will act normally, enjoying sunning itself, swimming around, and looking for a meal. The bass will not "hear or feel" you via noise or vibrations and therefore you will not alter their behavior.

 

Good thinking.

 

That is why I preach being quiet in the boat; walking 50-feet from the bank when changing locations; casting back from the bank when possible; wearing darker clothes; and doing what the pros do, turn off your trolling motor as you approach your next place to fish by floating into the area without power.

 

This is better than the alternative.

 

 

[Crow Horse]

For me, it goes far beyond "not being seen". I recognize that many will think that I've lost the plot and I'm a charter member of the lunatic fringe. I accept and understand that. Moving with stealth is only the first step in establishing a deeper connection with Creation (read-nature). It becomes a form of a dynamic meditation where I can function efficiently and be hyper aware of everything. Animals (and hopefully bass) seem far less concerned of my presence and don't regard me as a threat in this "mindset". I tend to see much more than the average Joe. Call it "being mindful" or "living in the moment"......

Birds seem to be far more friendly when I'm in the "mode" as seen below with 2 friends.....

[Paul Roberts]

On 2/9/2019 at 9:34 AM, Crow Horse said:

For me, it goes far beyond "not being seen". I recognize that many will think that I've lost the plot and I'm a charter member of the lunatic fringe. I accept and understand that. Moving with stealth is only the first step in establishing a deeper connection with Creation (read-nature). It becomes a form of a dynamic meditation where I can function efficiently and be hyper aware of everything. Animals (and hopefully bass) seem far less concerned of my presence and don't regard me as a threat in this "mindset". I tend to see much more than the average Joe. Call it "being mindful" or "living in the moment"......

Birds seem to be far more friendly when I'm in the "mode" as seen below with 2 friends.....

I agree with your mind-set. If we are aware of what our bodies are doing, we are less apt to alarm other creatures. But, the reasons animals behave the way they do when we're "in that mind-set" has less to do with any ability of theirs to read our minds, (your comment could be taken this way), than it has in their abilities at reading -or at least being hyper-aware of- what our bodies are doing. It's worthwhile, our being hyper-aware too.

 

Just for the exercise, it can be interesting to video ourself, when we think we're "hidden". Resulting video's can be pretty surprising, and can explain a ton. "How did that deer see me? He couldn't possibly! I'm going to have to get some UV blocker spray!!" Crow Horse is right that mind-set is pretty important -as long as it's still in connection with your body.  

 

We have certain potential advantages in the other direction though. I've spent a bunch of time with deer, both whitetails (back in your neck of the woods, Crow Horse), and mule deer too. It's possible to "walk among them" (It's easier with muley's). What's interesting is, if you know their body lingo, they can actually accept you almost as "one of them". I say almost, bc, the "ruse" isn't really complete. Instead, it's that they cannot help but... act like deer, and if I can succeed in ceasing to be seen as a threat, they will exercise their own social rules with me. They can't help themselves in being what I call, cervo-centric; Just like we can't help but be anthropocentric. I mean what else can they do, beyond getting nervous and move, or run, away? Allowing them the alternative to alarm takes a ton of patience, some luck (those conditions & circumstances), and then, when you're close, knowing their "lingo". Rule number one in proper deer etiquette: Never make eye contact for more than a second. Except during the heat of the rut, but just make sure you have some control of the wind. That is, you can give them a good whiff if they don't call your bluff.  I've only had one deer ever actually give me a chill. He just wouldn't back down, until I managed to give him a good whiff.

 

As to fish, I've now shot a couple thousand hours of underwater video, not counting above water observations and fishing. I can say that they too are hyper-aware of their surroundings. They have the same challenges all creatures face: Can I get my needs met? That is, can I eat, and socialize, and not be maimed, or eaten? Start by staying within those bounds, and it can be surprising what you can get away with.

[Crow Horse]

I agree with everything you've shared, with the exception of mankind being anthropocentric. Indigenous cultures universally believe that humankind is just a part of everything that is, not the core or nucleus of it. Everything that is finned, furred, or feathered are our brothers and sisters. There is no hierarchy. This belief structure is in direct conflict with modern society.

 

My belief is that mindset is critical, especially in the context of camouflaging oneself. Perhaps it's more important than physical appearance. Once while I was conducting a "hide and seek" training exercise where "searchers" were looking to find me, this point was made very clear to me. I was wearing camo BDU's (although the pattern was not appropriate for the environment, Thai Tigers in a woodland environment) and had 2 searchers actually urinate mere feet from my position. It was at this point that I started to think that this wasn't such a great idea. They left the area and then I moved to a more open area and positioned myself next to a trail which provided very little cover. I layed down, contorted my body as not to look too human, tossed a handful leaves to break up my outline a bit and had the instructors walk the searchers down the trail. One searcher called out that he had found me and ran over to me. I figured they had bagged me and the only choice I had was to "melt into the earth" and become a root system. I shifted my vision to a "wide angle vision". The searcher was less than a foot away and he declared that it wasn't me, turned and walked away. I honestly thought he HAD bagged me. When I got up he almost s*** in his pants and swore up and down that he didn't "see" me.

 

This intrigued me. My camo was substandard. He should have seen me. The difference was my mindset and I began experimenting with it.  The trigger for the shift in mindset was changing my vision to a "wide angle" vision where my visual screen was expanded to it's ultimate periphery. When I did this the mind followed and a shift occurred. People as well as animals became less aware of my presence in a variety of environments. I thought it was quite remarkable.......