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tcoeguy
distinguished member (107)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
06/02/2017 09:03AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
I have gone to various parts of the boundary waters in years' past and have struggled without the help of a fish finder. I have invested in a portable one and I am ready to put it to the test. We are going on our annual trip next week and I have questions about how to best use my fish finder.

If I am looking for walleyes, what am I looking for? Any idea what depth I should focus on in the second week of June? I hear a lot of talk in here about structures and rock piles. How do I find these? I just have a small cheap fish finder. Thanks!
 
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TeamTuna06
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06/02/2017 09:38AM  
As most will offer, you're usually looking for structure that holds fish vs actually using it to "find" fish.

I look for humps and drop offs. These are usually visible as a "bell curve" shape (humps) or more drastic slopes (drop offs).

Additionally, if I can see submerged rock away from shore, I'll search around that and see what type of bottom is around it. Also useful to look at saddles between islands.

Tuna
 
Nomadmusky
senior member (97)senior membersenior member
  
06/02/2017 10:30AM  
I will echo the fact that you typically aren't looking for fish, but rather you are looking for what's on the bottom or a change in the bottom.

You can obviously see points extend from a land mass, but you can pick them up on your locator and follow them out into the water and actually see where they go and where the "breaks" come. A break line is a loosely defined term, typically where the depth goes from a flat or gradual depth to a rapid "break" or change in depth. Often fish will suspend off the edge of the break, where they can quickly slide back up onto the "food shelf" and eat.

Another use as stated before is for rock fields, wood/trees, or weeds off the bottom. Often the bottom of a lake is quite barren and when there are rocks, weeds, or wood, the fish congregate around them, (think of fish cribs).

Another use is actually for looking for suspended fish, baitfish etc. I use that when fishing deep water for Lake Trout, I will paddle troll around and through the bait fish schools and quite often find success with Lake Trout, Pike and Walleye. I have a set of crankbaits that I write in Sharpie the depth they go and grab one that corresponds to the depth of the suspended fish. You will also find lone fish on the screen and actually catch them a couple paddle strokes later. We always get a kick out of that when it happens.

One thing it does is give you a feel for what you are paddling over. Over time you will start being able to read the bottom and what it's made of and see those transitions as well.

A final thing is monitoring water temp. You will find correlations of active fish to water temps. In spring you may want to find the warmest temps and once summer is upon us, then a simple change from a hot to mild temp or vice versa may make a difference.

Nomad

I started with a Green box, (bonus point to those who know what that was), then went to a Clearwater Classic Ice locator, then a Pirahna, and now a newer color Pirahna. Don't get too fancy about attaching the ducer to some apparatus, simply wet it and shoot it through the hull where there is no foam.

 
tcoeguy
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06/02/2017 12:08PM  
Thank you for taking the time to post that. I will try those things. My 2 main ways I plan to fish are slip bobber and leech, and crankbaits. I am inexperienced with jigging and using plastics, so I will also take advice on that if anyone is so willing. Anyone have luck with the Gulp Alive?
 
Nomadmusky
senior member (97)senior membersenior member
  
06/02/2017 03:18PM  
Think of each method as another tool in your box.

Most fisherman have a couple of favorite "go-to" methods.

When fishing with a jig or a jig and plastic, it changes pretty significantly from the ways you've been fishing, meaning a slip bobber is a positioning method of fishing and doesn't require a "touch". A crankbait is similar in that the lure is already putting tension on the rod and line and you can often feel the vibrations of the lure, so when you get a hit it's pretty recognizable.

With a jig it's much more finesse. You want to, in most cases, use as light of a jig as possible and maintain contact with the bottom of the lake or river. The more current or wind the more weight, but don't be afraid to start with 1/8 oz. It requires feel and watching your line. You want to contact the bottom and slowly crawl or "jig" your lure along the bottom, "feeling" your way along the bottom, but also feeling terrain and subtle hits, (think of a fish slightly sucking in your lure). You can also tell a hit by watching your line, you often can see it twitch your line before you feel anything.

Give it a try, many fisherman if they could only survive on one type of lure it would be a jig. The advantage of a jig is you can also rig it or swim it with plastic, or even hook it to a hairpin spinner, like a beetle spin and retrieve it that way.

Nomad.
 
GetNorth
member (22)member
  
06/03/2017 09:57AM  
Not much to add after these thorough responses. The only thing I'll say is that while technology is getting better for portable depth finders they aren't necessarily super reliable for identifying specific fish. Structure is the key. Trolling and marking depths is great method for covering new lakes. Also it can be helpful when filling up your water. I've gone to fill the tanks before in what looks like a deep zone and it turns out to be shallower (10 ish ft) with weeds. That's when I stop with the camp chores and pull out the rod. :)
 
MagicPaddler
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06/03/2017 01:56PM  
What tuna said +
I do a lot of trolling. I use the fish finder to keep me in the correct depth of water and to keep from snagging my lure so often. If you are looking for walleye your lure should be bumping the bottom once and a while. If you are trolling and you get a strike look at the fish finder to see what the depth was 40 feet behind you. Then go find more water that depth.
I ask my dad what lure catches the most fish
He said the one that is in the water.
 
CityFisher74
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06/06/2017 11:35AM  
I use my portable fish finder more to avoid places that definitely will not carry Walleye as opposed to searching for the spots I think will carry them. I look at my maps to determine areas I think will be good then once I am there, I use the fish finder to make sure I am in the correct spot and avoid the spots that may actually be 8ft deep when my map might show I am closer to 20ft deep. I use maps to get me in correct areas, then the fish finder to make sure I am in a decent spot within that area, as opposed to searching for the perfect spot. Hope that makes sense...
 
Mad_Angler
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06/17/2017 05:56PM  
Look for unmarked humps. I caught a fish and was taking it off. I glanced down and my depth finder said 5 feet. I"knew" that i was in 25 feet of water. I dropped my anchor. It confirmed 5 feet deep. I found a submerged island.

I came back to that spot all week. It was the best fishing spot that i have found in 14 trips to the BW.
 
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