Watching electronics vs. fishing

[BassKat]

@Rockhopper Me too.  While everyone else is offshore, I'm frogging and punching mats with absolutely no mercy!

[GRiver]

The pro used to come by the dock pre-fishing for a tournament. I’d go out, everyone would talk , chit chat, make jokes. Now almost everyone of them are idling by, looking down at their screens.

Times have changed , I guess.  
 

[WRB]

Started looking at my electronics (flasher) over 50 years ago and it became essential to meter around the marina to determine depth of the life zone every outing.

My sonar was my eyes underwater at depths I couldn’t see and feel blind without looking at the screen now.

Ounce I know what depth to target I check the area fished to see if anybody was home and missed the bite window to determine if returning later was in the cards.

So yes I look all day every time on the water if possible.

Tom

[Bluebasser86]

Only while I'm on the way to my next spot. 

[Standard]

Fishing my normal spots.. 0% as it's a river and I don't bring electronics.  If I'm on a lake with my sidescan setup, I'll keep an eye on it while moving spots to look out for structure.  

 

Ice fishing.. I'm staring at that thing so much I think I have livescope screen burned into my retina sometimes.

[MRQturbo]

If it's a new lake, yes I'll pay closer attention to electronics to help eliminate dead water.... 

[AlabamaSpothunter]

@OkobojiEagle  It's a mix of Threadfin and Gizzard Shad

[LrgmouthShad]

10 hours ago, OkobojiEagle said:

On your home lake

My 'home' lake is Stillhouse Hollow in Central TX. I have been in TX for about 2 years. Stillhouse is not a small lake. I spend about 20% +/- 10% of my time purely graphing on a regular trip. 

10 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I've been known to spend 100% of my time graphing.  I don't catch much but I find lots of places to fish in the future.

Time well spent. On a new lake it is the first thing I do. I often won't bring any rods

[gim]

Less than 10%. Probably closer to 5%, depending on the size of the lake. Bigger water requires more travel time which keeps me glued to my graphs. It’s a combination of safety reasons and looking for specific habitat.

 

My sonar and GPS is always on when I’m fishing too, but I do not stare at it while I’m fishing. I glance at it frequently, ensuring the boat is positioned where I want it to be, and to see the depth.