Use your eyes?

[texscala]

I have heard that using a fish finder can up your chances of catching fish. With all the other expenses this year I have not been able to get one yet. What i have figured out is that with my hut up I can look through the ice hole and see alot of detail.

Last week up at strawberry I spent a lot of time peering through the hole and watching the trout swim at various depths. I could even see my jigs at 26 feet deep.

I know this seems cheap and weird but I am catching more fish and I only set the hook when I see the fish has the hook in his mouth. It is also really exciting to see the fish react to certain movements. I am sure this is not what everyone should do but I am loving this new trick.

We have some videos of it too it is pretty cool.
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[ajensen83]

thats cool.. yeah, to each his own.. I bought a flasher this year and I love it but that would be cool to see that also.. ya gotta love fishing...
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[Tarponjim]

Doesn't sound like you're being "cheap", it sounds intelligent to me! (Well, but you are ice fishing[]) But, If you can do this everywhere you fish, screw the fish-finder. The eyes win over any sonar on the planet. I wish I could do it at 80 feet at the Gorge!
Cheers to ya. If I were forced to ice fish, that's how I'd want to do it!
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[hashbaz]

Using the old-fashioned, free, manual, fish finders that God gave most of us is a blast. Unfortunately they don't seem to work very often. Most lakes are either too muddy or too deep and you need to be in a tent also. - But boy is it fun watching the fish take your bait!
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[Kent]

Been there done that, and it can be lots of fun, but very painful on the back (at least my old tired back) to do it for very long.
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[texscala]

I lay in my sled while I do it. I often fall asleep is it is slow. Nothing like waking up to some fish 10 feet below your nose
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[bkidder]

we fish by sight on the ice a lot too. (from our tents) it can get hard on the back though! i like to use my sonar and it tells me when to look down!
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