Pro Fishing
Tips & Tales
Cameras & Sonar
on Open Water
This time,
we may need forgiveness ahead of time for getting a bit technology
heavy in our search for fish. The open water of lake basins is
still underfished by most anglers, probably because it feels so
much like a needle-in-the-haystack proposition to track down fish,
especially the particular species you like to catch.
There’s
that, and also the intimidation factor most anglers feel when it
comes to accurately presenting a bait to fish that are suspended
somewhere between the surface and bottom.
Let’s look
at how modern fishing tools and methods are helping cutting-edge
anglers find and catch fish on even the most expansive of basins.
Using
Electronics
Just a
generation removed from the heady days when sonar first came to
small-boat fishing, we now have mature products in several
space-age categories that can help us find fish no matter where
they roam.
Rapala pros
Al and Ron Lindner, true fishing pioneers and legends, continue to
break ground on their new ‘Angling Edge’ television series. Their
complimentary use of sonar units and an underwater camera helps
them locate and identify target species.
In most
applications, you can motor along faster and search for fish
targets with sonar than with the camera. So the Lindners cruise
along in true impatient Lindner fashion, on the edge of planing
out, reading their depthfinders like seasoned submarine operators.
When they begin marking numbers of fish, they slow down and drop
the camera, now putting or drifting through the area.
The camera
will show up on the depthfinder display if it’s in the cone, so
you can accurately determine the depth of the camera. As fish
flash by on the camera’s monitor, positive species identification
is made.
In this way,
a featureless basin of monstrous size can become a relatively
small area packed with fish you want to catch. You know the depth,
you know the brand, and now it’s time to put a bait in front of
them.
Using Dive
Curves
Modern
technology to the rescue again, especially for crankbait users.
Whether you
want to troll or cast, you’ll know precisely how deep your lures
go after consulting the breakthrough Tackle Box Guide from Rapala.
The book, developed in conjunction with Precision Angling
Specialists (same folks who created Precision Trolling and
Precision Casting), gives dive curves for every lure in the line.
Whether you
favor monofilament or no-stretch superlines, you’ll find data that
corresponds to various line diameters.
Now imagine
your potential. You have the fish you want at a known depth. You
page through the charts and find several lures that will run at
that depth. Now present those lures in a variety of ways, and pay
close attention to what presentation gets the best reaction from
the fish.
Important
Considerations
Midsummer
months often feature lake stratification. This means a
‘thermocline’ develops at a specific depth, usually the same or
similar throughout that body of water. (The thermocline is a zone
where warmer water is essentially sitting on top of colder, denser
water. You can sometimes see the thermocline as a horizontal band
on quality sonar units. Or, you can determine the depth of a
thermocline by using a temperature probe, noting the depth at
which a rapid change of temperature begins. Some underwater
cameras have built-in temperature probes on them.)
If you know
the depth of the thermocline, and know your target species is not
likely to be below it, that can really help narrow your search,
depth-wise.
Even fish
that are roaming open water areas are often relatively close to a
structural element. They often relate loosely to the structure,
which makes it a short trip for them to move up and feed when they
choose to.
This can be
important, because there is sometimes so much basin water to
search that it would be impossible to look it all over. Keying on
basin water in proximity to major structural elements can also
help you narrow the search.
Shallow fish
may not show up on sonar, because they often move away as your
boat approaches. They may not even put up with a drifting boat
towing an underwater camera cable. So, even over extremely deep
water, you have to consider the strong possibility that your
target fish may be less than 10 feet down.
Because
finding them on a depthfinder or camera is difficult, the best way
to check for shallow basin fish is to run at least one lure quite
shallow, trolling it behind a long line. Often, that means letting
out 100 feet or more. Planer boards are easy to use, especially
the small in-line versions that simply snap to your line. They
walk your lure out to the side, and can make all the difference in
how many fish you catch.
The Bottom Line
The bottom
line is you may not always be best served by fishing on the
bottom. And suspended fish, even when they’re patrolling vast
basins, may not be as hard to locate as you think. It does take
boat control skills and the latest in technology. But when the rod
goes off and people are hollering “Fish on! Fish on!” it can turn
a tough day into a truly memorable one.
Note: Join
the Rapala Fishing Club, and help shape future lures! You get a
prototype lure and become a Field Evaluator! You also get 6 issues
of “Profile,” the club publication, and two different decals. Cost
is $12 in the U.S., $17 in Canada, and $25 in all other countries.
Send membership dues to: Rapala Club, Dept. SC, POB 581126,
Minneapolis, MN 55458.
