Attachment 334929
Has anyone ever used the small Arkie buoys before? I’m trying to decide between them and the traditional rectangular ones.
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Attachment 334929
Has anyone ever used the small Arkie buoys before? I’m trying to decide between them and the traditional rectangular ones.
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Use the H one but spraypaint it flat black or flat brown first. Otherwise you are putting out a huge "FISH HERE" sign for everyone that goes past.
The small Arkies are really slow to roll up by hand with the small spindle. And if the string tangles and doesn't unroll, they will sink. Ask me how I know.....I like the rectangle ones best and as stated, paint them so they don't stand out so much.
Float off the small ones and they are tough to see . Had guy last year mark on a helix the position of the brush I had marked(with the large orange ones ) ,with a cursor from 90 ft . away . Got to where I go old school and triangle everything .
Use the H ones they won't unwind by themselves in high wind.
I never considered that. I'm going to paint mine. Thanks
The arkies were a good thought. But I went back to the H style. Lost too many.
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I like the mini’s
With the current fish finders it doesn't do any good to try to hide your brush piles by painting your markers. I just brought the Garmin Live Scope System with the Echomap Plus 93sv monitor. It shows the pvc porcupine fish attractors as a spherical ball with all the arms showing. My HB would show a few arms of a porcupine ball but not the spherical ball shape. Since my HB is a few years out of date I suspect the newer HB units will show them as the full spherical ball as well. Plus anybody who wants to mark where you are fishing will mark the spot where they see you fishing, buoy or no buoy, and come back to check it out later.
Instead of worrying about people finding my brush piles I now concentrate on finding more structure and brush piles to add to those I have. I am following SK"s advice and looking for small areas of structure that most people pass by than on finding large brush piles that everybody fishes. I am planning on dropping more brush piles but I will make them smaller and place them 10'-15' from the small structures I find.
Now to bring this back on topic and answer your question I prefer the large H shaped marker buoys. It's easier for other people to see but it is also easier for these old eyes to see.
Not everyone has an Ecomap Plus 93sv with live scope. 75% of fishermen that go past me don't even have a fishfinder on their boats, but if they see that orange marker they know instantly that there is a brush pile there when they would have just drove by and never had the slightest idea. I have SI and can find brush piles very easily, a lot of people can't and just rely on fishing where others are... im not going to make it any easier for them to find the spots I spent money and worked to find.Quote:
Originally Posted by ezgoing
Several times I've watched people anchor up close to a brush pile, obviously saw someone catching fish but didn't know why, then when they left because they didn't catch anything I fished it 15' to the side of where they were (where the brush is) and pounded the fish.
Been using this type for 3 years now, work good for me.
11-26-2006, 08:23 PM #3 Darryl Morris's Avatar Darryl Morris Darryl Morris is offline
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Jerry Blake taught me to the same thing Crappiefarmer just explained. We use about 6-8" piece of swim noodle; push a 60p nail (small spike bought at Lowes for about .25) down one side of the noodle for a counter balance (stops the unrolling when sinker hits bottom); tie 30-40' of small cord to the center (trimming the groove we don't do because after a small amount of use and rewinding the center depresses into a dumbell shape anyway); with a 2oz. bottom sinker tied to the end. If you need one for rough water, use two nails on the same side and a 4oz. sinker.
I guess each region is different. Most of the boats I see on the lake I fish and at the marina when I keep my boat all have fish finders on them. You can find some very good fish finders without the high price tag in the smaller sized screens. That is what I bought for years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin22
I have sunk a lot of brush piles over the years but lately have been using the porcupine fish attractors as they are easier for me to construct and handle. I don't mind other people fishing "my" spots as I will just go to another location if the one I was going to fish is occupied. On another board I gave a list of coordinates of brush piles that I have to anybody who asked for a copy. I will continue to do so as it has not hurt my fishing one bit. I also don't mind other people fishing my brushed out slip if I'm not fishing it. Crappie move and those that are caught today will be replaced by other crappie tomorrow if the structure is good.
When I first started crappie fishing I was given a lot of help by other crappie fishermen. So I have always felt it was only right to pass that help along to those that need it. If telling somebody a good location to fish helps them get started then that is what I should do to pay back the help I received.
And SK's advice of fishing the smaller brush piles and structure is good as most will pass them by even when they know about them.
And I still like the large H shaped markers in bright orange as I can see them better. :)
I have used the h shaped ones, but among friends we call them boat attractors. One gent came off plane, got next to the boat, never said a word, marked his gps, and drove off. He almost got to taste a fire extinguisher the third time he did it. You just can’t fix some folks, but I can always find the bigger markers when I drift off of them.
Yes, very different by region. Around here it is a $600 fine and you have to remove them or pay the DNR to remove them if caught putting any brush in the water. Only cribs or brush are natural stuff or ones the DNR/boy scouts/non prof organizations put in and are public record... but most people don't know that and don't know to look for it (not readily available, you have to look for it). So when you find a piece of brush with fish, you guard that with your life unless you want to spend the day fishing flats for roaming schools and watching the guys sitting on the brush catch fish constantly. You go telling people where the brush is here and being a nice guy, and you will never be fishing that spot again as there will be a boat on it every day all day. Nice guys always lose it seems.
The other place I fish, in Minnesota, the DNR doesn't even put brush in the lakes or allow any non profits to do it. So structure is even more guarded there, that's usually where I have guys come off of plane and drive past real slow (side imaging me to mark what I am fishing) if they see us catch a fish. You almost have to play defense if you ever want to fish the same spot twice. I wouldnt even think of tossing even a black or brown marker out up there.. although I did see a guy use a duck decoy painted into a seagull once, that was good for a few laughs. Usually up there I stick a rod in a rod holder if I have a fish on until the boat passes. Been burned before... not worth catching the fish and losing the spot for a week.
I have lost 2 from sinking and have 2 left. I will not replace them.Quote:
Originally Posted by TerryD
Just ordered some new Taylor Made H markers. Lifetime warranty :dono. Anybody used them?
Never heard of theTaylor Made H markers...show us a picture when you get them. I am hunting something between the Arkies and the big orange H for kayak fishing. I have lost several of the Arkies because the line hangs up instead of unrolling and they sink and the H are too big to carry in the kayak.
Here ya go Flintcreek…
Taylor Made Hot Spot Fishing Marker Buoy
Attachment 335309
H shape (orange)
The Lindy marker buoys are easier to store. They tend to unroll in strong wind/waves but you probably wont be in that with a kayak!!Quote:
Originally Posted by flintcreek
I use a 4 or 5 oz bank sinker after having the lead strip that is supplied with them getting tangled and lost. Haven’t lost one since, melted down the originals to make the bank sinkers I now use.
I've read several articles/posts in the past suggesting it is best to do what you did. The only problem I could see would in the storage of them. How do you keep the line tight once you wind it in to store it?
That's precisely why many of them have the flat lead bar weight ... so you can bend it around the line spool area. Mine don't have that, and I store them in the rear compartment (because I rarely use them). But, for those that have weights that are not the flat lead bar type, just wrapping a heavy rubber band around them would keep them from unraveling while stored. Then you just remove the rubber band when you intend to use them. :twocentsQuote:
Originally Posted by ezgoing
I'm using the 12" section of pool noodle with a piece of 3/4 pvc stuck through it. Using length of nylon line with the heavy weight, no problems, usually store under console. Have to use a counter balance so line doesn't keep unwinding after hitting bottom. Can buy a large spike at Lowes for 50 cents.Quote:
Originally Posted by ezgoing
I had a holder mounted to the last boat, on this one I just stick them in the bottom of a storage bin and leave it under the console if I plan to use it that day. I also switched mine out to an 8oz sinker so I don't have to mess with the strap.Quote:
Originally Posted by ezgoing
I use these. I have to set the depth and put a whip knot In them to keep them from unrolling. They cost nothing.Attachment 335444
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I use the h but it doesn’t matter what I use. If I have an anchor down, guys will come close enough to graph my spot anyway. Bouy or not. Where they see me, they will come. That’s why I have close to 200 spots marked on my homelake. I’ve actually had guys drift right into my markers before. They pretend that they don’t see it. Yeah, right.
I appreciate all of the remarks on here. I’m not worried about others marking my location. Heck, the way my luck is, once they fish it they will delete the location!! Lol I shouldn’t even need a buoy marker being that I supposedly share waypoints and I also have a heading sensor installed. But, I sorta don’t trust that hookup right now primarily since I haven’t used it enough yet to get familiar with it. I’m going to buy me two of the H style ones before we head to Pickwick this weekend and paint them.
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They sink if they don’t unroll. The weight is too much for the size of the bout!! Waste of money. Lost too many of them!!
I could care less what you use or don't use or what color you paint it to mark your fishing spot. If I fish that lake regularly, I already know the spot your on. If I don't, I will swing by once your gone and graph that spot, especially if I see you pull in big fish. There are no secret spots on the water. Just by stopping, you raise awareness of a potential spot. But, just because you choose to fish it, doesn't mean I will want to fish it. I'm not wasting my time on inactive fish, or dinks.
I throw out bright colored marker buoys to let other fishermen know I am fishing a spot. I may throw 3 or 4 out to mark a path I am following and will troll back and forth over it. I prefer the octagon round style that come three in a holder. I have a 3 pack at the bow and a 3 pack at the transom so I can toss them whenever I mark a spot I want to fish.
Some days, I will fish a spot for most of the day and never catch a fish. I do it to see who was watching me and marking my spots. I make a mental note of that boat and next time I see them, I fish another dead spot just to mess with them... I can drink beer and drown minnows all day just to mess with people. And if you hear me laughing at you when I go by, well now you know why... :biggrin
Here it is.Quote:
Originally Posted by flintcreek
Attachment 336501Attachment 336502
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