How do you think you'd do without your electronics?

[mike rousseau]

So I was wondering.... How many anglers feel they can still be successful without any electronics..... I was thinking about doing a little derby with some friends and family with no electronics just to see... I think it would be very interesting and challenging...

 

I'm assuming my catch would be negatively effected... But I'm still pretty sure I could put enough fish in the boat....

 

So... Could you still do well for the species you target without electronics...?

[aplumma]

I would say to level the playing field you have to go to a body of water that no one has fished before. I am sure I would suffer for the most part trying to scout new water without electronics. I can say that I rarely use electronic in areas that I have learned very well like pond X a 40 acre impound that I have learned the ins and outs of. I use my electronics heavily in unknown water especially when navigating up North with the shoals and ledges that spring up.

 

 

Art

[landry]

Just fine likely.

[hirk]

depends how and where you fish but myself i have a 520c at the wheel i almost never turn on and a bow unit i use but could do without and would not really hurt any.

[misfish]

Amagine what they did with just depth charts? PAPER

 

 

To me it all depends what your fishing for. Bass,well,weeds,pads shallows.Nuff said.LOL

 

Good question.

Edited June 29, 2013 by Misfish

[ketchenany]

River fishing! Specs under cover. No electronics here!

[dhickey]

Well to be honest I don't like electronics and I think that people that rely on them are missing out on one of the most challenging things they can do in their spare time.

I will be going to a small lake that I have fished for over 40 years this weekend and the one thing I know for shure is I will have to work to find them and work to keep them biting.

It doesn't always work on the July long weekend but that's the challenge and it doesn't stop me from buying more lures/ bait or spending money just to test my self.

 

Keep in mind this is coming from a guy that refuses to use electronics ice fishing Simcoe.

 

So if you know the fish your looking for you should be able to figure out weather patterns water temps/conditions along with their natural tendencies and zero in on them.

It may take some time and work but its worth it.

[colin519]

It all comes down to how familiar you are with the body of water you are fishing, how much time you have to familiarize yourself with it, and you ability to adjust your tackle to the situation.

 

The electronics I think just help you find structure and stay on it, as well as help identify trends in catching depth etc. Also, trends in not catching of course.

 

Of course, gimme some white, yellow and black/purple twister tails and jig heads and you can catch something pretty much anywhere in Ontario.

[asdve23rveavwa]

Ice Fishing love them, and, would be tough to fish without. However on most of the lakes I fish I hardly use mine.

[danc]

River fishing! Specs under cover. No electronics here!

Pretty much same here. But I do use my unit for water temps which has paid off for me in the past.

[jedimaster]

Largies... no problem... pike, musky, spring time walleye, early morning small mouth, inland lake trout, river fishing, crappie in the spring also no problems. ice fishing in over 20fow smallies during the day, walleye in the summer electronics definitely help. If they don't you are doing it wrong. I have a dsi and its nice but I can do without it.

[Broker]

Don't have any, yes they'd be great for ice fishing but what I have found with a few friends is they spend too much time fiddling with electronics with less time with their rod in the water!

[OhioFisherman]

In Ohio maps are available for all the lakes i have fished, so it is a lot easier to have a general idea of a good place to start? The safety factor also, we don't have anywhere near as many rocks to hit.

 

I fished with out one or with nothing more than a flasher for years and did OK. They speed up the process of getting on likely spots, but that can be done with out one, it just takes more time.

[sauce]

Pretty much same here. But I do use my unit for water temps which has paid off for me in the past.

I have a good thermometer. Wanna trade?

Without electronics you fish more random patterns and it can be difficult to repeat. Knowing that the depth changed by a foot where you caught a fish can help you zero in on a slight transition they are holding on. Figure out a way to stay in the zone longer and repeat. Can be done with marker buoys but electronics make it faster.

[bigugli]

I grew up without electronics, and still have only limited use for them. I do admit they are a great resource for unravelling the secrets of a new body of water.

[fishindevil]

Well for bass and muskies no problem walleyes with bottom bouncers no problem !!!! But for salmon or Great Lakes trout and deep inland lakes for lakers it would be just a guess cause as noted above. By another member gotta find the temp and the thermocline and that's hard !!!! Although years ago we used to drop a glass thermometer over board and do temp checks the hard way !!! Just took longer to figure them out !!!! I did learn to fish long before I ever had a graph so I would do ok !!!!!

[Fisherpete]

As long as I have a paper map I can do without. However I do like seeing the bottom structure in various depths.

 

Pete

[GBW]

 

So... Could you still do well for the species you target without electronics...?

in one word "YES" because I do it all the time. It's always me, the gear and boat and that's about it. I do have a sonar but never use it. I MIGHT look at a chart plotter sonar combo one day... HAHA

[4x4bassin]

I could do without no problem and I do except for jigging deep water lake trout . Watching the lakers chase your bait in deep water is a blast !

 

[tb4me]

I fish the Trent and Grand rivers.. electronics are useless other then water temps

[capt_hooked]

Electronics are fun to play around with when the fish are not biting..

[Rich]

Electronics are for ice fishing.

[Joeytier]

I can think of many instances where i was without electronics and wouldve benefitted greatly from it, and conversely can think of just as many trips where i was equipped and didnt have a use for it.

 

Itll certainly help you figure out a new body of water much quicker

[danc]

I have a good thermometer. Wanna trade?

Without electronics you fish more random patterns and it can be difficult to repeat. Knowing that the depth changed by a foot where you caught a fish can help you zero in on a slight transition they are holding on. Figure out a way to stay in the zone longer and repeat. Can be done with marker buoys but electronics make it faster.

I fish in 6 feet of crystal clear water. I can see bottom just fine without electronics. I only use depth readings when running over unknown waters, which isn't often.

[MCTFisher9120]

More of something to refer to. I've always been a visual fisherman picturing points coming out, logs, eying a weedline or edge. After using a Humminbird the other week water temp's play a big role. Used them lot's and build a pattern around them. As for finding bass not so much yet, market 1 or 2 rock piles driving around you can see your speed and cruise a little better...Guess I need Structure Scan to really get the jist of things