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I was just wondering how many people here fish without a fish finder? I have used my tube a bit in the past year and have yet to catch a fish from it. I feel like I'm just shooting blindly when I cast. I cast out where I see a fish jump, but by the time my lure gets there the fish is probably long gone. I am thinking of picking up a fish finder this weekend. But just kinda wondering if it's worth it or if I am just really terrible at fishing.
Jason
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If you see fish jumping, I don't think a fish finder will help you much more. Seems you may not have found the right color, or size or lure/fly, or maybe your speed is to fast or to slow. Keep trying and change things up.
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I have to agree with PRVRT. You are where the fish are, you just need to zero in on what they want.
The bad thing about sonar is the same thing can happen. You read fish, but you can't figure out what they want. That can be frustrating.
However, I fished last Saturday without sonar. I used a a clip on weight to find out how deep it was as I was fishing a nymph deep. I HATED IT!!!! I am totally spoiled by sonar! I caught fish, but I HAD TO WORK HARD!!!! LOL
Sonar lets you know what zone the fish are in but it also lets you see the bottom structure. That is really important, specially if you are out IN the water. From shore it doesn't much matter, but cruising a lake from a tube or toon, it can make all the difference.
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My experience is finders not useful in rivers, unless there are very deep and large dammed up sections. Plenty of fish are caught in shallow water around structure where you can't use a finder. It was a contradiction that at one time I had a large high overhead outfitted boat that was used mostly to catch fish in the shallows, which you could almost do from the bank- If you had access. Pontoons now let me go to the virgin places, inaccessible by any other means where my big boat couldn't go in most cases. But once you know a lake and the patterns of how fish gather, you can use a finder to quickly confirm where they are for deep jigging, locating deep structure and such. Is most fly fishing done for fish in deep enough water to utilize a finder is a question that some of the pros here can answer... I do have a finder for my pontoon but haven't used it in years, yet do well on most trips anyway.
Pon
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I'd also have to say the lure and/or presentation are the culprits to your not catching fish. I have a Fishing Buddy 130 and while it is useful for determining water temp, depth, and fish location, I don't believe that having one is all that critical once the fish are located. I'd say that I've caught just as many fish once the batteries in my finder have expired as when it's functioning normally. However, ONE thing that should be said, I already know where the bass "hang out" in the lake I fish based on previous catches. Good luck with your fishing!!!
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[cool][#0000ff]There are a lot of variables in the type of fishing you do and the species you are after that will help determine whether or not sonar is a good investment for you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Casting at jumping fish is not a good example. Many fish jump for reasons other than feeding. And, if you are fishing for trout and see a carp jump...welllll.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have been using sonar on my tubes for over 20 years. During that time there have only been a very few times when I fished without sonar...and felt like I was blind. You don't use sonar only for seeing fish. In fact that is only a small part of the use of sonar. You need it to determine depth, bottom contour and bottom composition. Those things can be far more vital info than whether or not there are fish below. you.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are fishing for trout, crappies or other "suspending" fish, it is good to know at what depth they are cruising, so you can put your lure, fly or bait at the right depth. But, in reality, a high percentage of the fish you catch will never show up on your screen...if you are casting out to catch the fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fish for perch, walleyes, bass and other bottom structure oriented fish. In those cases I DO use the sonar to find the fish and to keep me over them while I send down something for vertical jigging. But, more often, I pick up a fish while fishing at a certain depth, over a certain type of bottom, and then I use sonar to keep myself fishing in the "zone", rather than just fishing for something I see on the screen below me.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The good news is that you don't have to spend a fortune for a sonar that will work well on a tube or toon. There are many decent low-wattage units that will do the job for around $100...plus or minus. You don't need color, speedometers, GPS, fish alarms or other fancy bells and whistles. However, having a temperature guage is invaluable.[/#0000ff]
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Having a fishfinder can be helpful, especially on tough days, but if you can't catch fish without one your problem probably won't be solved by getting one.
It also depends on what type of fish you target and what they orient to. My fishfinder can't see bass deep in the tules, which is where I fish a lot. But it is nice to know which tules are sitting in 6 feet of water as opposed to 3.
You should definitely be able to catch fish without a fishfinder, I almost recommend learning how before fishing with one. After that, adding sonar just makes you that much better. I fished from my tube without a fishfinder for almost 20 years and just picked one up about a year ago.
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Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to go with the humminbird 565. It has the best resolution and has temp and dual beam. I hope that's a good choice. I looked at some garmin and lowrance and this one has the best resolution and I'm hoping it will be simple to hook up to my tube.
Jason
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I can catch fish okay from the bank and when wading, it's just on the tube I don't know what structure or anything is below me. Most of the places I fish the visibility is pretty bad so I can't see down too far.
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My brother uses one and it has worked great for him both on his tube and on the ice. Take the time to play with the different screens and options for different situations.
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