Electronics

[Mark]

Much traffic on this list is about fish finders. I do not have one and I have not felt limited in my catches. Admittedly, I will ask folks I’m fishing with who have electronics how deep the water is or if there are ridges underneath. Sometimes that info is helpful.

I'll also check on-line maps before I venture to a new area to get a general sense of the water depth.

I’ve learned the locations of oyster bars and other structures in the areas I fish.

I fish primarily shallow water with lures or flies and stay relatively close to shore. I doubt I’ll ever live-line or jig at the Bay Bridge, for example.

So what advantages would electronics on board offer for my fishing style?

Many thanks,

[Jambone]

I would say that you might now gain that much if you stick to fishing areas that you are familiar with and don't necessarily fish under your boat. I tend to fish bigger bodies of water with ever changing conditions so a fish finder in my case is a must. I also fish different and unfamiliar places therefore a fishfinder/chartplotter is a must for me on my Pro Angler 14. I can plan my trips out on my computer before heading out for the day and then load the information into my unit. Another plus is that I get water temperature. Oh, and it also helps me figure out how long my paddle/peddle back will be after venturing out a long ways.

[clm]

I've just started fishing from my yak this year. I started with the paddle style. I caught fish, but wanted to cover more areas and fish longer. I transitioned to a hobie. I bought a cheap fishnbuddy. It gives me depth and temperature. Very narrow view, so actually looking at the bottom is tougher, but it will show the drops. I can catch fish without it, but I've never heard of having too much information. I am searching and reviewing FFs now. I can, and have caught fish without it, and I still do as it can be a pain to keep clamped on the side of the hobie. When I fish unknown areas or just moving around, it would be nice to know if a school is under me. Or be able to precisely mark drops and underwater structures to fish later and check back in on reliably. When I go out it I see it as relaxing, fun and some therapy. I love fishing, I love catching even more. If it helps me in the catching, even a little bit, it will be beneficial. You know how you like to fish, if you can't see it providing any benefit then don't get one. The last thing we need is more crap to load and unload on the yaks.

[docirv]

I have a humminbird side imager on my hobie outback. I do not use it all the time if I know the water. If i am fishing in new water or areas I use it to locate cover, structure, drop offs, etc.

[scorpioreno]

Mark,
I was thinking the other day that I would not have known that I was passing over certain schools of fish. When I mark fish I can now look immediately to see the size of the fish if they are mixed in with bait or a single moving school. I can see the structure they are around. with that info I can anticipate a strike when trolling over them. Also Info from a FF can tell you how active the fish are. For example On high pressure weather days I have noticed that fish will hang around half of the depth of the water no matter were I travel in the same body of water. What that has told me is that it can be a little harder to pick off those fish until later in the evening. You may not fish the Bay Bridge but fishing like a place like St indigoes the bottom structure is so radical, especially if you are new to the area, you could be in 12ft of water and all of a sudden you are in 3ft. A FF can save you a lot of time also. If you are in an area that are not marking fish move on to you next point. I hope this helps good Luck.

[Runnin]

I don't have electronics on either of my yaks. I most likely will add it to my Skimmer 128. That is the one I fish bigger water with. There have been a few occasions when they have really made a difference when fishing out of my bass boat.

I would say that 80% of the time I do just as well without them.

[Mark]

Thanks to all for your comments.

Most of my fishing prior to this year in my kayak was wading fresh water rivers. River fishing taught me to read currents and structure and what I learned there has transferred well to the Bay as long as I stay in the shallows and fish with artificial baits.

But I would indeed be lost in deep open unfamiliar water. I can see how fish finders would help there.

I also appreciate the comment about yet another thing on the deck. I consider myself a minimalist yet it takes me a while to load everything I carry now.

[Memory Maker]

It's fun to look at while you are waiting for the fish .........

People fished for EONS with out them ........ although it really shows you the terrain

[J.A. Veil]

I rarely use my electronics to find fish marks on the screen (one exception is jigging the Severn River bridge debris piles). Most of the rest of the time I am in relatively shallow water where the sonar pulse cone does not illuminate much of the water column. However, it is very helpful in knowing the actual depth (how heavy of a jighead to use) and where edges, dropoffs, lumps, and holes are located. I feel lost without it now in most places I fish.

Last year I upgraded from a black and white FF to a color FF/GPS. I really like having the GPS. It allows me to see where I have already been and double back over the sections that were productive. Knowing where underwater features are supposed to be eliminates time in searching for structures of interest. It also gives me my speed and cumulative distance, which I like to know. I think knowing the instantaneous speed has helped me to have more success in trolling.

If you do buy one, spend some time figuring out where you want to mount it. Sit in the kayak seat and make sure you can easily reach buttons. My unit does not interfere with my casting or rod storage. I do not fly fish -- that could be an issue for you.

[sparky1423]

I use my FF more than I thought I would. When I upgraded to a GPS my next trip was to Mattawoman. When I was returning to launch, all the grass and lilies disappeared with high tide. If it wasn't for my GPS dropping bread crumbs, I would have had a difficult time finding my way back through the channel.

Like scorpioreno stated, it's a blast trolling over some bait balls knowing in about 100ft you baits are going to be right on top of them....BAM.

[Memory Maker]

If you have 1 with the built in GPS, you can usually mark a spot on the DF section and come back to it exactly everytime ....... saves alot of fishing time searching for that structure .......... also lets you know if fish are on the structure like bridge pilings etc so you don't waste alot of fishing time on barren structure

[Jaspratt]

Electronics on a kayak is like big rims on a crown vic, the bigger the better. And You just aint koo with out them... Fish finders and gps help me best in open or deep water, the only thing i pay attention to the unit for when im in shallow water, is if theres a hump log or rock, channel, weeds and drops under the boat and its relation to what i can see above the water, depth if im too shallow, and water temp. Thats it. So yeah i dont use a ff much at all. Lol if you feel your as successful as you are without one, learning to read and use one can only make you better. Maybe those days like during a post spawn when the big momas are moved out the shallow water and starting there deep summer patterns will help you catch a 20lb 5 fish limit in the dead of summer, rather then rippin lips off the 12" dinks all day.