Thread: Electronics

They are as essential as the rod you catch fish with. Especially on new water!

I always say I'd rather have my depth finder than my jig pole. I don't have the side image yet but don't think it will be too long now.

I can't leave home without my 997. I spend a LOT of time looking at it for information....in fact the longer I have owned it the more time I spend with it after learning what it can do and how to use it without looking at the book. That being said.....one of the best Crappie fishermen I know (an ol'timer troller.....in fact the guy that taught both me and Blue Thunder) doesn't even use a depth finder. I guess he commercial fished for so many years that he just instinctively knows what is under the boat and what the fish are doing. Take him to any worthwhile body of water within 50 miles of here and he can draw you a topo map....knows where the channels, creeks, brushtops, ect are all at....like a photographic memory, LOL!!! I've fish beside him in another boat many times when he will tell me the depth and structure at various spots...he ain't never been wrong yet! It gives him a distinct advantage because when I am glancing at the screen for waypoints or whatever, his eyes are glued to those rod tips like a hawk!

I will say this, when I go with JW in his boat it takes us about an hour or two to cover water it would take me all day to cover in my boat. And with side and down imaging there is no speculation as to what's down there. The high end electronics are simply amazing and they maximize your time on the water.

For the infrequent times we fish structure in clearwater lakes we will drop the aquaview color camera and REALLY get a good view of what is down there. If they ain't there we just move on across to the next waypoint.....they can't hide and are bound to be at one of 'em! That's taking no chances and the closest to cheatin' I know, LOL!!! I've made videos of Crappie in Lake Monticello where you can literally count the scales on the fish! BTW, cameras (and binoculars) are outlawed in tourney's and that includes pre-fishin'.

My electronics listed in order of importance to me on my home water

1. Handheld GPS
2. Backup handheld gps that is interfaced to humminbird 718.
3. Humminbird 798
4. Humminbird 718
5. Ipilot on terrova.
6. laptop computer

Electronics in order of importance to me on strange water.

1. Laptop computer.
2. 798
3. 718
4. Ipilot
5. handeld gps #1
6. handheld gps #2

One of my most favorite experiences with the electronics was to make a side imaging recording of the local lake, playing it back on the PC and plugging waypoints into my handheld gps, then going back and catching a limit just off the new waypoints from the recording. I like to play with the electronics, but at the end of the day, you've got to go fishing to catch one. Some people just have the touch to catch fish and will catch whether they are fishing with 50k dollars worth of equipment of 5 dollars worth.

Man I am gonna learn how to do that rcc. I would love to replay the day on the puter. Only problem I would have is finding the time to look at puter. I am gonna back up my waypoints though cause I have a lotta time vested in them and would hate to repeat finding then all over.

Definately more fun to be fishing than looking at the PC. With the 798, the screen is really to small for side imaging on the fly, but it will work in a pinch. With the bigger screens like yours, I would think it may make identifiying things on the water a little easier. It is fun to mess with and it does help with the fishing. The thing that I didn't think I would use is the map screens, but I have found those extemely useful as well.

I guess as far as what has improved my crappie fishing the most is the access to this site. About a zillion years worth of crappie catching experience that a fellow has access to. A living Library of Congress of crappie fishing information. If a guy can't start at page 1 and read 10 pages of posts and not be a better crappie fisherman, he's in a world of hurt.

Originally Posted by arkansasbowhunter

Man I am gonna learn how to do that rcc. I would love to replay the day on the puter. Only problem I would have is finding the time to look at puter. I am gonna back up my waypoints though cause I have a lotta time vested in them and would hate to repeat finding then all over.