anyone have no interest in fishing with sonar, and maybe prefer the 'old wayze?'

[king fisher]

I went a year without sonar on my kayak.  I wanted one, but didn't have the money to buy one.  I caught lots of big bass, but it took me a year to find many of the spots I fish.  I had to troll crankbaits to determine depth, and type of bottom.  I did catch fish, and locate structure, but lost many crankbaits and had a hard time going back to specific spots trying to triangulate  with objects on the bank.

       When I got my fish finder, a simple Garmin without side scan, I instantly found trees rocks, and fish that would have taken me all day before to find.  I could find schools of bait, and other life first thing in the morning, and have a good idea what depth to fish the rest of the day.  I could even predict what shoreline cover would be worth trying because of bait and fish I found close by.  I created my own map of the lake, and would study the map, my tracks and waypoints when I get home.  I can even show friends my map, and where I fish, to get their opinions of where to try next time.  I can instantly tell how much the lake has risen, or dropped telling me weather a place at the other end of the lake will be a good place to fish, or high and dry without wasting my time going there to take a look.  In the past certain places have only been good at certain depths, and I can instantly tell from my sonar, and map if those places are worth trying or not.  The more I learn about the lake, the more I rely on my fish finder to save time.   

        I now know my lake like the back of my hand, but would rather restrict myself to one lure and a hand line, than not have my fish finder.

      

[fishhugger]

thanks for the great replies, guys... 

 

i was originally interested in  --- i guess finding justification for fishing without sonar. 

 

but, lemons from lemonade, now, sonar sounds amazing, as a time saver, efficient... i figure sonar on a boat is the best, most accurate sonar, and also, the just real convenient to use... (compared to castable sonar)

 

but i'm a bankbeater, and ... casting sonar --- seems like it might be a pain in the butt to use on a regular basis...  gotta carry an extra rod, which would solely be for casting this 3 oz or so ball out there.  reeling it in, and somehow getting useful information from it,. then going back to your actual fishing set up......

 

is it something that is practical to use on a regular basis, or just on a new body of water.

 

should i should post this in a new thread ?--- gotten off my original query, at this point.

[Bird]

I have it but don't need it.

I simply turn it on to get water temps, time of day and depth mainly.

Big lakes, I'll use my Garmin a little more but still can certainly live without it.......I already know Bass like structure and plenty I can see. Lol

 

 

[Way2slow]

Captain Phil, I also built my first one from Heathkit back in the late 60's.  I used that one for years because it was portable.

As for using one, until these new generation units came along with side scan/structure scan, all I mainly used one for was depth and contour.

[Captain Phil]

On 3/19/2022 at 9:34 PM, Way2slow said:

Captain Phil, I also built my first one from Heathkit back in the late 60's.  I used that one for years because it was portable.

As for using one, until these new generation units came along with side scan/structure scan, all I mainly used one for was depth and contour.

 

Depth is the most used feature of my electronics.  My boat has Lowrance units on the front and rear.  Before flashers, if you couldn't touch bottom with a pole you were in a hole!  The Harris Chain has changed much in the recent years with more fish offshore. The newer units help when locating shell bars and rock piles.  These days I fish for the pure pleasure of being on the water.  How many fish I catch does not make my day.  

[gm4511]

For me, the 'old wayze' means a Tom Mann Humminbird Super Sixty.  IMO, the single best innovation for bass fishing.  

[TnRiver46]

On 3/19/2022 at 3:29 PM, fishhugger said:

thanks for the great replies, guys... 

 

i was originally interested in  --- i guess finding justification for fishing without sonar. 

 

but, lemons from lemonade, now, sonar sounds amazing, as a time saver, efficient... i figure sonar on a boat is the best, most accurate sonar, and also, the just real convenient to use... (compared to castable sonar)

 

but i'm a bankbeater, and ... casting sonar --- seems like it might be a pain in the butt to use on a regular basis...  gotta carry an extra rod, which would solely be for casting this 3 oz or so ball out there.  reeling it in, and somehow getting useful information from it,. then going back to your actual fishing set up......

 

is it something that is practical to use on a regular basis, or just on a new body of water.

 

should i should post this in a new thread ?--- gotten off my original query, at this point.

 Castable sonar = jigging spoon 

[BassNJake]

As soon as the topwater bite starts, I wont turn my sonar on until Octoberish

I've got a basic Garmin but it is crucial all winter

I'm fishing for suspended fish and even with sonar it's darn near impossible to locate the school, stay on top of them without spooking them, catch one from the school, relocate the school

 

you hear about firing the school up in the summer?

in the winter catching one more often than not spooks them

 

fishing from shore it would not be something I would use

[casts_by_fly]

On 3/19/2022 at 5:54 AM, Bankbeater said:

After I become familiar with a lake I find I don't need it, or if I do have it on, I don't look at it very much.  On a new lake I have never fished I will use it for temp, depth, and bottom contour. 

 

This for me too.  I prefer to fish moving baits to visible cover so doing just that on a lake I know I don't really need it or use it aside from water temp and time (its easier to look down on the display than pull my phone out to check the time).  That said, I think I have maybe 3 lakes that I know well enough to do that on.  All of the lakes here have half decent maps from the state and Navionics maps are pretty good too.  Being new to this area, I find it very help to target general areas based on a map.  But then when I get there I'll autochart the lake to really pinpoint some of the structure.  I've found things while charting that aren't on a map and you'd never know were there to fish without a good sonar.  

 

thanks

rick

 

[fishhugger]

ty all..........

i *think* people are saying boat sonar good, bank sonar...... not so good to reeks? altho, bank sonar might be good for contours, temperature... but not so good for actually locating fish and baitfish. also, the pita factor of casting out that thing, carrying extra pole, not dropping your smartphone in the drink...etc.

i guess no sonar for me. unless i get a boat to attach it to, lol. i think i'm really looking 4 something that will point out fish, baitfish....ultimately.

[TnRiver46]

11 minutes ago, fishhugger said:

ty all..........

i *think* people are saying boat sonar good, bank sonar...... not so good to reeks? altho, bank sonar might be good for contours, temperature... but not so good for actually locating fish and baitfish. also, the pita factor of casting out that thing, carrying extra pole, not dropping your smartphone in the drink...etc.

i guess no sonar for me. unless i get a boat to attach it to, lol. i think i'm really looking 4 something that will point out fish, baitfish....ultimately.

Just watch for bait, they will typically flip around on top 

[Way2slow]

You will find, the more limited you are in area you have to fish, the better fisherman it will make you.  It makes you figure things out with what you have and not just run around fishing areas that "should" be holding fish with a lure you like to fish.   

[flyfisher]

I know as a kayak fisherman Side Imaging has been an awesome addition to my fishing repertoire.  I am by no means an expert with it but it helps me not waste time paddling over an area when I can see it to the side.  I throw a waypoint on it,  and then use the castign circles to help me position myself and have at it.

 

When I'm fishing rivers, I don't bother bringing it 90% of the time.

[Bankc]

I find sonar is most helpful on unfamiliar bodies of water.  On my usual lakes, I already know where I'm going.  Most of the time, I mainly just use the thermometer and clock.  I'll also use it for finding the thermocline sometimes, or if I'm targeting a very specific depth, I'll use it to find those depths.  

 

But it most handy on unfamiliar bodies of water.  Especially ones where there is no published depth charts.  It can save a lot of time, for sure.  

 

One thing I don't use sonar for, is to find fish.  If my sonar shows fish, it's because they're not relating to cover or structure, which means they're suspending, which means they're either white bass, or sleeping and not in the mood to eat.  

 

[lo n slo]

On 3/18/2022 at 11:05 PM, Mobasser said:

Some older members here are aware of triangulation, and have used it. It can still work, though slower. Any electronics speed up the process of fish location. But, they won't catch the fish for you.

how did we ever make it without all the “help” that is out there today? same with the cell phones i suppose. 

[TnRiver46]

14 minutes ago, lo n slo said:

how did we ever make it without all the “help” that is out there today? same with the cell phones i suppose. 

Haha . This makes me laugh everyday at work, everyone tries to google their skunks away before they hire me 

[thediscochef]

I've been casting blindly this whole time, from the bank. I think if I had a real fishing boat I would absolutely have something to watch out for submerged hazards. Not sure I'd want to see my lure and all that jazz...though I have mixed feelings about that. 

While I see guys on Ray Roberts with livescopes absolutely pulling more fish than most, the guys who seem to pull the most and the heaviest appear to be balancing between locating the fish with electronics, but leaving some stones unturned so to speak

 

There's a part of me that really really wants to get one of those castable chirp units, but they're pricey. It's tough because I never really know if I'm just throwing at empty water - getting a skunk on 10 hours of fishing in an area that normally produces...bad for mental state. Knowing there's fish there, and that they're just uninterested? Potentially worse for my mental state imo.

I do study the topography of all places I fish on navionics, before I go. That alone improved my fishing massively when I started doing so.

[Way2slow]

It's a lot cheaper fishing a small area off the bank for 10 hours and getting skunked than fishing a 77,000-acre lake you've fished for 50 years and know like the back of your hand, burning 30-40 gallons of gas in a boat that has good electronics and getting skunked.  They both suck but as the old saying goes "s*** happens".

[gim]

15 hours ago, lo n slo said:

how did we ever make it without all the “help” that is out there today? same with the cell phones i suppose. 

I personally didn't.  I'm not old enough to remember doing any fishing without modern electronics.  Growing up we always had color 2D sonar and/or GPS mapping in our family boat.  Obviously advancements in marine electronics have come along since then like down scan, side scan, live scope, 360 sonar, etc.

 

Cell phones?  I could do without it sometimes.  In fact, there are times when I do go without it.

[MN Fisher]

17 hours ago, lo n slo said:

how did we ever make it without all the “help” that is out there today? same with the cell phones i suppose. 

 

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I personally didn't.  I'm not old enough to remember doing any fishing without modern electronics.

When I was a teen in Bemidji - we had a 17' Plywood runabout with a 1959 Chrysler 50HP. Friends an I would take it out to fish out of. No electronics...heck, we didn't even have a contour map of the lake...we just 'rolled dice' and picked places to try.

 

Now there were some spots we knew - the Mississippi river inflow (south end) and outflow (east side) were always pretty good. And the north end (by the State Park) could also be counted on to yield fish...but we pretty much 'fished on the fly'.

[TnRiver46]

The bass pros sure do jump a lot of sandbars and tear off lower units for having fancy navigation 

 

It’s kind of like my job, I can’t hit paydirt without thoroughly abusing my work truck 

[fishhugger]

8 hours ago, thediscochef said:

There's a part of me that really really wants to get one of those castable chirp units, but they're pricey. It's tough because I never really know if I'm just throwing at empty water -

those castable chirps cost....$429 on amzn. omg. as a pretty inexperienced fisherman, i'd love to be able to have the option of the boat sonar units. but i'm not into having a boat. i watch videos where people know where the fish are, know where the big fish are, know where the bait fish are.... that is so tempting. and maybe it would simply be terrific?

a friend of mine spear fishes. once he said, 'yeah, there's always people fishing (in some spot). there's never any fish there....' he swims past there, to get to spots where ... there are fish. 

i think the logistics of the castables seem poor. all the logistics of casting it, etc, carrying the extra gear... then, if your line ever catches or your bail ever snaps shut on a cast, or anything ever happens on a cast, then your chirp unit is a floating ball in the middle of some lake and you're out $$$.

 

[king fisher]

18 hours ago, lo n slo said:

how did we ever make it without all the “help” that is out there today? same with the cell phones i suppose. 

I could easily live without my cell phone. But I’m not going to give up my fishfinder

[thediscochef]

1 hour ago, fishhugger said:

those castable chirps cost....$429 on amzn. omg. as a pretty inexperienced fisherman, i'd love to be able to have the option of the boat sonar units. but i'm not into having a boat. i watch videos where people know where the fish are, know where the big fish are, know where the bait fish are.... that is so tempting. and maybe it would simply be terrific?

a friend of mine spear fishes. once he said, 'yeah, there's always people fishing (in some spot). there's never any fish there....' he swims past there, to get to spots where ... there are fish. 

i think the logistics of the castables seem poor. all the logistics of casting it, etc, carrying the extra gear... then, if your line ever catches or your bail ever snaps shut on a cast, or anything ever happens on a cast, then your chirp unit is a floating ball in the middle of some lake and you're out $$$.

 

I've thought about that a lot, the 'casting it and watching it sail away' bit. I think with the right lines and knots, it's less of a hazard than you'd think. Someone on this forum had the genius idea of clipping a wire leader with a float to the chirper so you can get it with a lure if it snaps. But I'd think 100lb braid with a modified Albright knot would be adequate.

 

My main concern with those is more how it could change my relationship with fishing, and the giant splash it makes as it lands. I'm still not sold on it. But it would certainly give me a wealth of information. As of right now I think my money is better spent on a second baitcasting combo tbh

[Trox]

Right or wrong, I have all the fancy gadgets and stuff that I can afford (and some that I can't)... But I do know that a majority of my best, and most enjoyable days on the water, have come from times where my fish finders and electronics were completely ignored or turned off altogether and I was truly disconnected...