Depth Finder Advice - From 1973

Stop Fishing Blindly! …Get a depth sounder

Back in 1973, your typical angler couldn’t afford a depth finder. 

According to the government’s inflation calculator, $175 for an average flasher unit back then is the equivalent of nearly $1,400 today. Tackle shops had to offer payment plans to help anglers swing the purchase. 

But George Pazik was steadfast in his thoughts that it was a tool you could not do without if you were halfway serious about your fishing.

“Broad daylight, clear sunny day... and these men are fishing blindly."

Look at the guys in the first pic. They are not novice fishermen nor are they fools, they simply don't KNOW that they're fishing blindly. It makes for a beautiful color photograph, but that's all. No fish caught. 

The next photograph in black and white shows the depth sounder reading that indicates the drop-off is from 10 to 17 feet, which is where they OUGHT TO BE FISHING.

In the last pic, you’ll see a contour map and you will note how far out from shore that drop-off comes. The section of the contour map shown on this page has an arrow pointing to the spot along the shore where those men were fishing. 

Now, it IS on a break structure that drops to the deepest water in the area. This is a decent bar, and fish do migrate up onto this bar at times where they are sometimes caught.
And thats the problem: a few fish are caught there under the right conditons. But nobody could you why...or where the fish came from to be there.

As you can see, however, these men were not where they should have been fishing. The preferred spot would be further back where the depth break seen in the second foto connects to the deeper water at 25'.

The men were close, but no cigar. They were unaware that IF fish were going to come up into the shallows where they were casting, they would be coming from the deepest water in the area.
And they would be working up the depth breaks like a staircase to get there. But they come that shallow under the right conditions...and super-bright, sunshiny daylight isnt all that inviting to them.
So the fish may have staged at the 25' mark (their sanctuary area)....but unless conditions were right and to their liking - it is unlikely they would come further...as the men found out. 

I also see the tip of the smaller island IF the depth break there contacts the 25' depth. But because it is a shallow slope, it would have to have some intermediate break for the fish to follow it all the way in, so it falls to 2nd place in priority.

So you can see, with a depth sounder, a good map, and a working knowledge of fish behavior, you can change your "luck." 

Trolling Is Key

 

The Importance Of “Trolling”

Back in the early days, Buck promoted trolling as being your “teacher.” But trolling quickly developed a negative connotation, at least in many bass fishing circles. 

What he was really talking about though was covering water to eliminate unproductive areas, and to locate higher percentage structural features to fish more thoroughly. 

Nowadays, you might refer to the same process as “idling“ or “graphing.” It’s not unusual to hear professional bass anglers mention spending nearly all their time in practice before an event doing nothing but. Today’s pros lean heavily on their electronics to accomplish this - Buck relied on his Spoonplugs. It’s the same concept in action,  before today’s modern technology existed.

Buck Sez: “The trolling, if done correctly, is your ‘teacher’ when on the water. It is the thing that will tie all the loose ends together such as structure, movements of fish, weather and water conditions, depth and speed control, mapping, and interpretation. The trolling will tell you when, where, what, why and how to cast. If you pass up the trolling process, it is doubtful you will ever become a great fisherman. 

But, after a couple years, you may be able to talk for an hour on ‘how to fish a plastic lizard.’”

How to: Analyze A Lake

 

Breaking Down A Lake

"This diagram shows the channels and the structure situations (marked with an "X") that must be checked out. 

You notice we have placed the "X" in relation to the deepest water in the area (channels). 

Please be aware of the fact our interpretation STARTS at the deepest water, not at the shallows. 

During our presentation of lures we may start at the shallows and work toward the deepest water (channels), but our "interpretation" of a PRODUCTIVE structure situation must start at the channel (deepest water in the area). 

Study this figure very carefully."

- Buck Perry, 1983

Source: Fishing Facts