My sentiments exactly. Why fish blind? The first step for me is always finding fish with the sounder then the fishing part begins. That being said, I see plenty of guys who just fish blind hoping for the best. Not surprisingly they often end up anchoring up beside me or somebody else with a sounder who has found fish.
Stillwater indicator watchers: What's your approach?
- Thread starter Matt B
- Start date
Sometimes you have too. Most of the lakes I fish are no floating devise allowed, only one allows boats. That's a good point though, my tactics are based on never having had a sounder so I do the full spectrum search at likely structure. Different flies, depths, retrieves even. I memorize bathymetric maps, or have seem them empty, or just read the shore and weeds.
Last edited:
In case the debate wasn't settled, of course trout sometimes bite swivels. They put all kinds of other, non-food items (our flies, for example) in their mouths. Their mouths are their only way to get a sense of what things are, so if they're curious about something foreign, in it goes. The biggest steelhead I ever saw and didn't catch rolled on my bright orange, dead-drifted indicator, but damned if it would so much as look twice at anything with a hook in it....
Anyway, I say use what you like. I personally hate everything about dealing with leaders longer than about 12 feet, so I don't often indicator fish in deep water. Fortunately, most of the lakes I fish are relatively shallow, so that covers most situations when I do decide to do some bobber watching. I generally use 2 flies; 1 weighted to get down, and the other unweighted, often off a dropper. I just use the same, stationary indicators I use for trout nymphing in rivers. Simple. Sometimes I do well, but I usually get bored and go back to something else. The folks who do a lot of chiro fishing usually do better than me at it, so the effort put into building and fishing these setups does seem to pay off in fish....
Anyway, I say use what you like. I personally hate everything about dealing with leaders longer than about 12 feet, so I don't often indicator fish in deep water. Fortunately, most of the lakes I fish are relatively shallow, so that covers most situations when I do decide to do some bobber watching. I generally use 2 flies; 1 weighted to get down, and the other unweighted, often off a dropper. I just use the same, stationary indicators I use for trout nymphing in rivers. Simple. Sometimes I do well, but I usually get bored and go back to something else. The folks who do a lot of chiro fishing usually do better than me at it, so the effort put into building and fishing these setups does seem to pay off in fish....
That being said why wouldn't you Bobber fish more since you can catch more fish or catching more fish is not the goal
No doubt the finders help, but people caught fish before their use became prevalent and still do without using them.
SF
Now, now... I never said my goal isn't to catch as many fish as I can; I just prefer to do it different ways, and I assure you, I've caught plenty of fish on lakes using floating lines and standard leaders (though I do like fluorocarbon polyleaders for wet fly fishing). The act of casting a fly line is an important part of what makes fly fishing enjoyable for me. It also keeps me from getting bored on slow days (which I know happen to the bobber guys, too).That being said why wouldn't you Bobber fish more since you can catch more fish or catching more fish is not the goal
I estimate that I've caught about 95% of my lake fish in the top 3 feet of the water column. As has been noted, they ain't all on the bottom (at least when sane people are fishing LOL), and indeed, I find the fish cruising higher up to be more active feeders. I enjoy watching bobbers (especially in flowing water), but given my choice, I'm sight casting to risers, every time.
On second thought, if you're wondering why I bothered to post about a technique I don't use very often or prefer (and have marginal success with), well sir, that IS a very good question. Shutting up and listening now LOL....
People talked to each other before the phone was invented and still do.
Personally, I am glad many people either don't use sounders or don't know how to use the one they have.
I recently came into possession of a Garmin Stryker 4, I’m hoping to spend some time with @Wanative this spring so he can coach me in use of the unit. It is light years more advanced than my Fishin’ Buddy 120. I do understand that I need to get rid of the fish symbol….
I have always used Lowrance sounders but all the big names are very similar in quality and features available. There are dozens if not hundreds of excellent tutorials on how to use any particular sounder. It is worth your time to watch a few videos to get the most out of your unit. If you are like me you will likely not use many of the features on your sounder but you want to get adept at using the features you want. Once you set your unit up the way you want it you will likely be able to run it without making many adjustments.
Here is a link to everything Garmin, it should help you get things sorted out.
Here is a link to everything Garmin, it should help you get things sorted out.
yes, @Buzzy .....that.
I've barely scratched the surface of the full capabilities of my Striker but always come back to that tutorial when I'm stuck....or just forget how to navigate somewhere on it.
Congrats and you will love it! From the day after I bought mine, years ago after the fishing buddy died, I have been hooked and "selling" then to others as a great choice.
My catch and success rate has increased almost doubled. One thing that is very helpful is the ability to find "suspended" fish (almost the thermocline level). An example of using it and indicator fishing (which I do most of the time); One day I was rowing across a lake I know very well. As I was heading to "my spot" I saw a lot of fish in deeper water, 17 feet, the fish were showing at 13 feet. So, I slammed on the breaks, got the 15ft leader rod out, set the indicator to 12.5 feet, and began catching almost immediately! Then had an AWESOME day! This cause several of my buddies to crash my party, and they didn't believe me and said "your fishing chironomids wrong", but they started doing the same. For the next 4 days I moved around that area paying strict attention to my new best friend the Garmin Striker 4!! Since then, 7 of my fishing friends have all switched and are very happy!!
(Example of suspended fish)
Good luck and enjoy!
(Poking the bear - Indicator fishing sucks, I can't do it... Trolling is better)
Last edited:
Thanks Mr Seeger Effect! No doubt I will continue to use my Fishin’ Buddy(’s) with my float tube but I need to get the Stryker setup for pram use. @Wanative is tough enough (and younger and stronger) to haul his Stryker, battery and transducer assembly when we hike into lakes.
Bambooflyguy
Life of the Party
Oh oh....you’re in trouble Pat.....too many buttons to push on high tech fish finders....let alone double clicking your post.... ;(
Hahaha - what double post?
. Steve - I am responding from cellphone - one of those things you don’t own? One finger at s time - old n slow.
I have a silly question to ask. Since I've never used one of these things. Does it have something that you put into the water, or does it already know that your on a lake in a float tube or a pram of some kind. Don't see anything on these things to indicate uses like that.
Bambooflyguy
Life of the Party
Some of the hand held models have a transducer on a cable, others like the fishing buddy have the transducer in the part that sticks into the water, they kinda look like an electric motor....
The lithium battery I use weighs next to nothing. I switch my Garmin back and forth between my float tube and pontoon boat.
Don't let Buzzy kid you folks he can hike circles around me.
He's usually fishing and landed a fish before I get to the edge of the lake.
I need to pack less crap along with me.
With the magic of lithium batteries and a mount from fishfindermounts.com you can equip your inflatable tube or 'toon with very little weight. I bought a mount for my Super Fat Cat that is just superb and a helluva lot better than anything I could have devised at 'Ive's Cut and Try Tool and Die'. Look into it-it is a game changer on a tube and far less cumbersome than a Fishin' Buddy. Not to mention that the Garmin Striker 4 is vastly more advanced than a Fishin' Buddy.The lithium battery I use weighs next to nothing. I switch my Garmin back and forth between my float tube and pontoon boat.
Don't let Buzzy kid you folks he can hike circles around me.
He's usually fishing and landed a fish before I get to the edge of the lake.
I need to pack less crap along with me.
