School project

[Brandon Bentley]

I am doing a school report on how the depth finder, gps and
the under water camera has changed fishing.
I am asking for your opinions becuse I need outside sources for this project. Thank you for your input.

[Hawgeye]

Brandon,

You came to the right place! There are a lot of great fishing minds on this website. I will give you my opinion on the subject.

If you want to get some information on how the depth finder works, go to the www.lowrance.com website.

First of all, the depth finder has by far had the biggest impact on sport fishing industry of the three that you mentioned. The graph provides the operator with a "view" of what is below with little effort. Traveling at speeds of over 50MPH allow anglers and boaters see the bottom and whether or not fish are in the vicinity. I was at a seminar recently where Tony Dean spoke and he asked the audience "if they were hunting, would they just shoot in all directions hoping that their game animal would just happen to be there"? He compared this to fishing when not really finding the fish. A depth finder/graph tells you where your target is.

The GPS is a great instrument. This product however does not "find" fish for an angler. It will however get you back to where the fish were. It will also help you locate your way back to your landing if you get turned around on the lake. These products are getting more advanced and more accurate as the technology allow them too. With the SA being turned off, the accuracy has been moved to I believe within 30' or so. That may not be an exact number but it is in the ballpark.

I think the least impact is the underwater camera. I cannot speak from experience. It will not find fish as easy as a fish finder, because you cannot use it at speeds over 3-5 mph effectively. It does however allow an angler to see what species that is shown on the fishfinder. It also may help in determining a presentation that is most attractive to the fish by watching their reaction to different lures. It also will allow a fisherman to see "what" the structure actually is that is on the bottom as discovered by the fishfinder.

Just my 2 cents, hope it helps!

Hawgeye

[curt quesnell]

i didnt read hawgeyes post so i maybe will give you something
different. (maybe not)

in the order of impact on fishing
1.depth finder
2.gps
3.camera

finding structure, drop offs, sunken islands, underwater weedbeds, schools of fish, schools of baitfish all became easy
for everyone when the depth finder came onto the scene. these are
the prime fishing spots...with a depth finder and a lake map
you can fish the lakes best spots everytime.

gps allows you to return to places you have fished. very good
for rock piles and humps.(stuff you could find with a lake map
and a depthfinder.) gps makes it quicker and easier, but you still need a depthfinder when you get to the spot.

cameras are fun and educational, but not huge fish catchers. one
of the things you will learn is how many fish bite your hook
that you never feel or react to, without the camera you would
never have a clue. there is more work to be done with cameras
they are difficult to be precise with.

all 3 devices are great but in order of impact and importance
this is the order i feel they belong in.

curt quesnell
now i will go read hawgeyes post

[Smitty]

The previous posts have the order of impact pegged.

The graph/depthfinder has definitely had the single biggest impact to fishing in many years. You still see anglers using bait and tactics that were common 50 years ago rather than the new flashy baits & tackle, but you will rarely find a serious fisherman that doesn't have some type of sonar equipment. Allows you to spend more time in the prime fish zones.

The GPS to me is 2 things. First a convenience as I can spend less time looking for that special spot and more time fishing it. Secondly and more importantly it is a valuable safety device especially when on larger bodies of water. From showing the way back to saftey when visibility is poor to notifying others of your location.

The cameras I have used are educational as stated before, but have a long ways to go in improving the ability to have good control over them. While they are fun, I can't say that a camera has ever significantly helped me to put more fish in the boat. On open water, I find it nearly impossible to use the camera and fish at the same time, so if anything it's more of a "scouting" device.

Good luck with your paper.

[Nofish]

Hey Brandon,

I can add little to the above posts. The most important point to me, is even after you find them on the locator, use your GPS for safety and being able to return to the spot, and use an underwater camera to make sure they are fish you are after, you still have to catch them. :-)

Have fun........R

[curt quesnell]

brandon,

one additional note...all three devices were opposed by many
as taking the "chance" out of fishing. legislation was considered
or actually drawn up to prohibit their use. i am
from minnesota and am old enough to remember the introduction
of all three.

even when using all three products somedays the skunk will not
leave the boat. so the "chance" still lives

curt

[Craig]

I'm a teacher and a coach. Don't have a lot of time right now but if you need some help I'd be willing. E-mail me at XCTYCoach@AOL.com. The guys did a great job of answering your question.

[Gunga Din]

It's a busy world and I'm a busy guy. It used to be predicted that technology would decrease the hours of work we'd need to do each day. But instead, technology changes the way we work. We're more efficient, and consequently we get many times more work done than those who don't use technology. Technology also changes our focus from doing the work to solving business problems. For example, a modern account doesn't have to worry whether they're doing the math right, but instead they're free to think of accounting tactics that best benefit their company. Technology changes our focus from the problem to the solution.

It's the same with fishing. It's not just an old-timers sport for those who have time to spend days, weeks, months, even years learning a body of water. We have maps, GPSes, sonars, even cameras to help us find fish fast. Who wants to spend days searching for where the fish are when are? I'd rather use technology to help me locate them quickly so I can spend my time fishing--not searching. Additionally, we don't just fish the small lake that happens to be near our home town anymore. Modern anglers fish all across the country for many different species.

Technology doesn't help me catch fish (directly). Rather, it helps me spend more productive time on the water (indirectly). Technology makes all this possible. God bless technology!!