Fish finders

[Lumeymorris]

 Is there any major difference between a deeper pro plus to a bait boat fish finder?? As a friend is thinking of getting one for his boat when I suggested the deeper as you can attach it to a boat or cast it out. What do you guys think as I've never used the boat ones.

[emmcee]

Use your eyes, the only fish finder you will ever need 😉

[yonny]

1 hour ago, emmcee said:

Use your eyes, the only fish finder you will ever need 😉

That.

[salokcinnodrog]

On 15 June 2018 at 20:39, Lumeymorris said:

 Is there any major difference between a deeper pro plus to a bait boat fish finder?? As a friend is thinking of getting one for his boat when I suggested the deeper as you can attach it to a boat or cast it out. What do you guys think as I've never used the boat ones.

The honest answer is I have never used a fish finder, well with the exception of my own eyes. I have seen Guddler, an old member on here, using a finder attached to his radio control boat at Suffolk Water Park use one to work out the lakebed.

That is he got the features mapped out for him on the screen, brilliant, could save a lot of time if you are not marker float and lead orientated. However, it does not tell you where the fish will come in to feed, or even the exact feeding spots😉

I have also had the pleasure of being able to go out in a boat to find features and map a lake, rowing over fish, watching their (occasional non) reaction, even lowering baits in from the boat.

 

For years, pike anglers have been using fish finders on boats, discovering large shapes, fish in midwater, and it can give an idea where the fish are, although a pike resting midwater, it can take a lot of bait finding what it wants, or even watching it ignore everything.

 

Your eyes can tell you so much, from slight swirls, to shows like rolling, coloured water, or even real jumping. Technology is brilliant, but the Mark l eyeball is more brillianter😖😉😅🐟

 

[Lumeymorris]

Sorry I should of said not to find fish lol more for mapping out the bottom of the lake and finding the depths. My bad!

[salokcinnodrog]

6 hours ago, Lumeymorris said:

Sorry I should of said not to find fish lol more for mapping out the bottom of the lake and finding the depths. My bad!

Hence my post about using marker float and lead😉

 

Years ago, I did a basic map for Suffolk Water Park, all marker float and lead. I did a complete map of Earith Virginia syndicate, strangely enough, which I sent Guddler a copy.

[Lumeymorris]

I personally always struggle with the marker float and second guess everything I find yet I know what the signs are with the tap tap being gravel and and when it plugs in its usually silt but how do you know when your going over a bar or come across a dip in the lake bed without having to bring the float to the surface? Also what things would you look for as everyone says about finding the gravel spots but what if there is no gravel or its a mainly gravel bottom? Or is it just a case of if the lake bed is mainly soft find the harder spots and if its hard/gravel look for the soft spots? Also where would you place your rods on these spots that you've found would you fish somewhere in the middle or stick to the edges of the spot??

[yonny]

26 minutes ago, Lumeymorris said:

I personally always struggle with the marker float and second guess everything I find yet I know what the signs are with the tap tap being gravel and and when it plugs in its usually silt but how do you know when your going over a bar or come across a dip in the lake bed without having to bring the float to the surface? Also what things would you look for as everyone says about finding the gravel spots but what if there is no gravel or its a mainly gravel bottom? Or is it just a case of if the lake bed is mainly soft find the harder spots and if its hard/gravel look for the soft spots? Also where would you place your rods on these spots that you've found would you fish somewhere in the middle or stick to the edges of the spot??

I let the fish tell me what to do.

If I come across feeding fish I'll chuck a lead at them. If I get a drop i.e. if it's presentable I'll chuck a hookbait out, simple as that. Just a couple of chucks will tell you roughly the depth and type of bottom (soft/hard, clear/weedy) etc. That is all you need to know if the carp are feeding there. Depth I'm not particularly bothered about, if the carp are having it there then who cares?

If I see concentrated/prolonged activity i.e. clear evidence that something special is out there I'll have a really good mark up at the end of the session (for future reference). If it's a silt bed I'd look for seams between the softer/harder areas. If it's gravel I'd look for the edges. If it's weed I'll find the most presentable.

If I locate anything at all that seems different from the rest of the lake during a session it'll be noted. Different normally means good.

I would never fish a spot I'd found through marker work without seeing fish activity. The best spot in the world is no good if there's no fish feeding on it.

[Lumeymorris]

When a fish jumps out the water what does it mean as I notice sometimes they jump head and shoulders out the water and other times they just poke their head out. Is there a difference between the two as I herd that one is a sign to say their there feeding and another means something different I can't remember.

[yonny]

17 minutes ago, Lumeymorris said:

When a fish jumps out the water what does it mean as I notice sometimes they jump head and shoulders out the water and other times they just poke their head out. Is there a difference between the two as I herd that one is a sign to say their there feeding and another means something different I can't remember.

Those quiet shows where they just poke their heads out to the gills are the ones you're looking for imo buddy. That is more often than not feeding fish. Obviously fizzing etc tells you everything you need to know too.

That said, I'll not ignore the big boshes either.

I think the really big leaps right out of the water are just them 'playing' for lack of a better word. It still tells you where the carp are though.

[Ginger9991]

I have a deeper pro+, used it during winter to map out the lake  as my fishing is all after work so at that time of year, Was useful in the respect that it confirmed the depths i believed i was fishing in, It also showed me 1 or 2 features i had been missing. Its benefitted me more with my Zig fishing as if i turn up real late then i already know the depth in front of me and i can start working the zigs......Its probably not been out of my bag for 3 or 4 months now.

[Gazlaaar]

4 hours ago, Lumeymorris said:

When a fish jumps out the water what does it mean as I notice sometimes they jump head and shoulders out the water and other times they just poke their head out. Is there a difference between the two as I herd that one is a sign to say their there feeding and another means something different I can't remember.

These are just my observations 

When fish clearly jump out, their excited over something, not necessarily feeding. Head and shouldering, I suspect they're adjusting their swim bladder for feeding.

[B.C.]

Some of the lakes round my way change significantly from Spring into Summer with thick weed seemingly sprouting from nowhere. So even if you find a feature with a gismo, and even if you bait it regularly, you will most probably still have to cast a lead out to find the clear spot when you turn up to fish...…. Just couldn't use a fish finder myself, one lad was told in no uncertain terms what everyone thought when he started wazzing out a deeper pro in between swims that were being fished on a club lake I fished..... However, I watched a lad slaughter the same lake, during the Spring after mapping it out with a deeper pro during the Winter when no one was fishing..... Each to their own, but I don't think these kind of shortcuts will improve your fishing, you may even become reliant on them long term. I probably sound like an old fart, but, the spirit of angling for me, is watching, feeling , learning and eventually working it out for yourself with any clues you find along the way..... If you find a water that you love being at, then there's no rush imo.

[chillfactor]

9 hours ago, yonny said:

Those quiet shows where they just poke their heads out to the gills are the ones you're looking for imo buddy. That is more often than not feeding fish. Obviously fizzing etc tells you everything you need to know too.

That said, I'll not ignore the big boshes either.

I think the really big leaps right out of the water are just them 'playing' for lack of a better word. It still tells you where the carp are though.

 

4 hours ago, Gazlaaar said:

These are just my observations 

When fish clearly jump out, their excited over something, not necessarily feeding. Head and shouldering, I suspect they're adjusting their swim bladder for feeding.

So what's your preferred approach in reaction? 

I personally would be fishing zigs in deeper water , if it was under 8ft deep might start thinking bottom bait. 

[muftyboy]

5 minutes ago, chillfactor said:

 

So what's your preferred approach in reaction? 

I personally would be fishing zigs in deeper water , if it was under 8ft deep might start thinking bottom bait. 

So is 8 foot the minimum you would fish zigs in mate?.

[chillfactor]

Don't think I would ever have a complete cut off point muft , it's more about what I think would be the best chance of catching these showing fish & I lean towards zigs these days .

Nige worked for a fish at horseshoe & worked out it was a short zig needed just above the weed , so it's just about finding that perfect depth sometimes . 

[muftyboy]

I've had a little play with adjustable zigs lately. 

Had 2 takes and lost both.

Also struggling with tangles at the moment so a bit if fine tuning needed.

I'm gonna give the bigger of the 2 lakes our club has got a good go this summer.

Been visiting as much as possible after work and have realised the carp really move about in big shoals.

Think it might be the ideal place to really  commit to the zigs.

 

[Gazlaaar]

5 hours ago, chillfactor said:

 

So what's your preferred approach in reaction? 

I personally would be fishing zigs in deeper water , if it was under 8ft deep might start thinking bottom bait. 

I'd be more inclined to stick a single out over the rolling fish than the one jumping clear. If however I saw the rolling fish early morning, I'd definitely make sure I was fishing that spot the next morning if there were no major weather changes. As for the jumping fish, Id still keep an eye on that area, to see if anymore jumped out. If more did jump, I'd be on that spot too, but rolling is a definite indicator of feeding to me.

[yonny]

10 hours ago, chillfactor said:

So what's your preferred approach in reaction? 

I personally would be fishing zigs in deeper water , if it was under 8ft deep might start thinking bottom bait. 

I think you can tell by the shows if zigs are the one.

Proper head and shouldering, with those little fizzing trails as they head back down, I'd be chucking a pop up out, all day.

Slightly bigger shows/rolls, with slight flicks of the tail on re-entry, says to me to get on the zigs.

10 hours ago, muftyboy said:

So is 8 foot the minimum you would fish zigs in mate?.

 

10 hours ago, chillfactor said:

Don't think I would ever have a complete cut off point muft

I agree you couldn't put a number on it. Imo it's completely relative to lake depth, substrate, conditions etc.....

[bigtrev]

I think that when a Carp pops its head and shoulders out it is simply looking to see what my set up is. Most of the time I envisage a small shoal of carp sitting just under the water laughing their fins off....