Depth finder for lakes

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
If the fish are marking, and can't get a bite from one of the four rods with different offerings, I tie on the 'desperation fly'..if that doesn't work, it's definitely time to head home.


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THREAD DRIFT: Glass worms - if trout are keyed in on them, to quote Bruce S., "if they're on the glass, time to go home".
 

Brian Miller

Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting Cutthwoat Twout
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I understand what you're saying and you have way more experience than I do with them. And I totally agree with you that we shouldn't have our face stuck to the screen. That is exactly why I have the sound on and the fish icon on. Sure it might be debris or something besides fish. I've used mine enough to know it's usually a fish. I've sat in a clear lake with 15' vis and played around with it while fish are cruising under me. Pretty cool.
The Striker is decent at deciphering junk from fish based on my experience with it.

If there are fish on the screen then I usually give that spot a bit longer than I would if I don't see fish. That has paid off several times. And I know that when moving it won't show all the players like the fish I hooked yesterday. But when I'm anchored up in 15' or less and there's no fish on the screen that's a no go for me.

I really just want depth and temperature and the rest I'll mostly figure out on my own. Or not. ;)
^^^^ Sound...👍
^^^^ Fish on the screen... I fish with some friends at a spring-fed lake in a steep 240' deep bowl with just one place to access the water. On my second day there and the first time using a fish finder, the friends I fish with that have fished there for years but don't use fish finders would kick over to the end opposite of the launch site and hang out there pretty much the whole time. Soon after leaving the launch and trolling a fly I saw a school of over a dozen fish as a long procession in an area fairly close to the launch site. I stopped and started casting, counting down to their depth, and strip in. I missed a strike or two, and hooked-landed one. No fish were painted for a few minutes then I'd see it happen again, and I'd get strikes and land a fish. That pattern repeated for an hour or so. Then I wandered over near my friends to be sociable and saw only one or two fish on the scope over the next 30-45 minutes. After blind casting to structure and trolling around the area with zero results, I went back to the first area, and the pattern was still happening. On subsequent trips to that lake when I see fish in that vicinity near the launch site, it's been a recurring pattern so I'll park there and usually have some success.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
Sometimes the mighty blob can trick a few during glass mode.
Interesting thought, would you vary the colour from orange-ish which is most common (at least from my box)?
 

Bambooflyguy

Life of the Party
And I hate clown’s driving and texting……only electronics on my pram is the motor! I’ll watch the bobber….my .02
 
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Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
The string guys when they see me video game fishingView attachment 103258😁😁😁
I thought you were going float tubing this morning, maybe a little too cold for you? Those cavemen have some fine furs to keep them warm! Are you suggesting Dean, Roper, Steve and I are Neanderthals? ;-) (That's hitting pretty close to home, good luck fishing today).
 

Shawn Seeger

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
I use my finder most often at new lakes. At familiar lakes it is turned on for pace to place movement, looking for fish congregation, water temp, structural changes. Then it is turned off.

So mime is off and on all day, and no beeps. With ADD/ADHD I already have to really focus on the indicator.

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SurfnFish

Legend
Forum Supporter
fave way to introduce newbies (which includes my grandkids) to fly fishing is on a lake...sit them in front in the swivel chair, casting to one side so no chance of hooking me, easy to work with their backcast with no tree branches to tangle...find a peak or slot marking fish, set them up with an indicator rig with a single fly, catch them a few bows, sometimes a really nice one...they almost always want to do it again, and usually soon.
 

FishyJere

Nee Jerry Metcalf
Forum Supporter
I'm a pontoon guy and this technology stuff sounds interesting. Has anyone worked out a not-too-intrusive for mounting one of these Strykers on a toon?

For years and years, I have been using a handheld depth (only) finder. Basically a high tech string and nut. Invaluable but there is a lot more information that I would like,
 

iveofione

Life of the Party
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Not-too-intrusive is hard to define. There has to be a transducer in the water and a visible screen on the boat somewhere. There are some nice ways to do it with only minimal impact. Go to Fish Finder Mounts.com and see the selection, some designed exclusively for the Stryker. Also check out the Nocqua Pro power pack as the simplest and easiest way to power up the Stryker.
 

Haggis57

Steelhead
Forum Supporter
Has anyone worked out a not-too-intrusive for mounting one of these Strykers on a toon?
I'll second Ive's suggestion to look at the options FishFinderMounts.com has to offer. I have a Fish Cat Scout frameless pontoon and am using this strap-on mount of theirs. The display is mounted low and it keeps the display and transducer together on one strap. This strap-on mount would work equally well on framed pontoon. I'm using a small jump-start type battery, similar to the Nocqua in size, that I keep in one of my cargo bags.

If you've got a framed pontoon, you could also look at a Scotty rail mount in conjunction with a Scotty 140 kayak mounting arm.

Ken

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