New Lake? No Clues? My Fish Finder Sure Came In Handy.

Knowing the structure that lies beneath the waters that you fish in can be the difference between catching and just fishing.

I remember back when I was a kid I took an old bucket, cut the bottom out of it and glued a piece of glass into the bottom. It took me a while to get it water proof and it looked pretty ugly but guess what. It allowed me to see below the top of the water without sticking my head in the water. I was pretty proud of it and I could see my dad was impressed too.

Way back then I called structure ‘hiding places’. I even took my bucket with me when we went to the ranch where we kept our cattle all summer. They had a lake right in the middle of their property and only one other farm on the whole lake.

I was too young to take the boat out on my own but I would put on my life jacket and sit in the boat with my bucket over the side just watching all the life and activity beneath the boat.

Today I have become a little more suffisticated and use a Hummingbird fish finder. It saves me so much time on new waters. I was sold on fish finders when five of us went on a fly-in fishing trip to northern Quebec. I was the only one with a fish finder and we had three boats.

We had 7 days with an entire lake to ourselves. There was an island in center with a beautiful cottage but no one was there all week. It was a really remote location, accessable only by plane so I imagine it took some bucks to build that cottage.

We got settled in to our cabin had a bite to eat and then it was off to the boats. None of them knew I had a fish finder and of course they all wanted a crack at it but I said no way. I did say that each day I would switch fishing partners so they could all try it out.

Well every single day my boat caught more fish and bigger fish. We eliminated so much water and found other water that we might never have bothered with because the clues were all below the surface.

My partner and I out fished the others so much that they just started following us.

The fly-in fishing trip was my first so it is special but the quality of the fishing and accomodations were less than promised. I was the only one that practice total catch and release while the others wanted trophies. The fridge freezer quite working near the end of the week and they all lost their trophies while mine were still swimming around.

But honestly I would have slept in a tent and used canoes so we had it pretty easy for being so remote.

The happy memories would not have been so happy had I not brought my Hummingbird fish finder.The fact that I out fished the others with my fish finder proved to me that we would have been crying by the end of the week.

I don’t swear by Hummingbird, not at all. I am glad to have it and it works for me but I have never tried any other kind. I think just having one for those times you are fishing new waters is worth the investment.

Tagged with: Catch and release • fish finder • fishfinder • Fishing • Outdoors • Recreation

Filed under: fishing tips

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