04-15-2003, 11:45 AM
[cool]So you use your nose, huh? Hope you don't fish near any sewage pipes.
A couple of good questions though. Sonar does not guarantee you will catch any more fish. The main value of sonar is to help you eliminate non productive water. You find the depths and types of bottom or structure the fish are using and keep fishing those areas. Of course, if the sonar agrees with your nose, so much the better.
The good thing about sonar is also the bad thing. It helps you find fish, but it also lets you know when you are fishing where there are fish...even if you aren't getting bit. One of my most common comments on the water is "I am seeing a lot more than I am catching." If the fish are in a negative or neutral mode...or if you just plain can't figure out the pattern to get them to hit...then you are likely to be very frustrated.
Sometimes I think I would rather not know I am being outsmarted by the fish. But then I think harder, and keep working on trying to come up with a solution. That's a big part of the enjoyment of fishing for me, is going through my mental database to figure out what it is going to take to get them to open their mouths. Having sonar provides incentive to keep changing and to fish harder when you find fish...and lets you know when to move if there are no fish. It doesn't guarantee you will catch everything you see on your screen.
About the battery. I use a small SLA (sealed lead acid) battery that does not weigh very much and only takes up a little more space than a can of soup. It does not have the liquid battery acid to worry about, so you can lay it on its side in one of your tube pockets and don't have to worry about it.
As I mentioned in the email, I have Chris's address. I'll probably finish putting a little package together in the next couple of days...and I'll tuck in a couple of BFT stickers for you. Don't stick them on your wet float tubes. Maybe on your foreheads will work.
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A couple of good questions though. Sonar does not guarantee you will catch any more fish. The main value of sonar is to help you eliminate non productive water. You find the depths and types of bottom or structure the fish are using and keep fishing those areas. Of course, if the sonar agrees with your nose, so much the better.
The good thing about sonar is also the bad thing. It helps you find fish, but it also lets you know when you are fishing where there are fish...even if you aren't getting bit. One of my most common comments on the water is "I am seeing a lot more than I am catching." If the fish are in a negative or neutral mode...or if you just plain can't figure out the pattern to get them to hit...then you are likely to be very frustrated.
Sometimes I think I would rather not know I am being outsmarted by the fish. But then I think harder, and keep working on trying to come up with a solution. That's a big part of the enjoyment of fishing for me, is going through my mental database to figure out what it is going to take to get them to open their mouths. Having sonar provides incentive to keep changing and to fish harder when you find fish...and lets you know when to move if there are no fish. It doesn't guarantee you will catch everything you see on your screen.
About the battery. I use a small SLA (sealed lead acid) battery that does not weigh very much and only takes up a little more space than a can of soup. It does not have the liquid battery acid to worry about, so you can lay it on its side in one of your tube pockets and don't have to worry about it.
As I mentioned in the email, I have Chris's address. I'll probably finish putting a little package together in the next couple of days...and I'll tuck in a couple of BFT stickers for you. Don't stick them on your wet float tubes. Maybe on your foreheads will work.
[signature]