The Picture

[danno]

How many of you guys not drop a line until you see a decent picture on the screen. I went out with a plan yesterday to start in 120 fow based upon a reports. Wasted a couple of hours in 120-155 with no marks and no fish. After moving deeper, we found marks and started taking hits.

Being a beginner at this, I seem to often start where I've heard fish were yesterday and often fishing with no marks and taking no hits. So, will you guys scout until you find fish before dropping lines?

[jekyll]

I look for bait and hooks when brown fishing. I usually go where I think kings are. If I see bait and hooks in the suspected king area, I'll throttle back there.

Just one guys method.

[waterlogged]

More than once we have set up in "barren" waters with the intent of trolling to the "promised good picture" waters and taken fish. Sometimes majors (more time than not) and no bait or hooks on the screen. The thinking is the really big fish are "loners" and sometimes you have the best chance of a really big major fish when you aren't marking anything. Another thing is that a lot of fish slash in from the side to take the bait resulting in not marking anything.

What we usually do as I said is set up where the reports say it's supposed to be good and then troll to our nearest way points which usually is productive. We think if you wait to set up when you get to your previous way points and the fish are there....you've been wasting precious time down at the fish with the possibility of hooking up.

Just our $.02

Clarke, Steve, Kevin and Doug

[K Gonefishin]

I've taken big fish in screen full of bait and solid hooks but have also taken big matures with tumbleweeds rolling across my screen. Since I'm an out of towner my first day is a set up and troll down it often takes me awhile to find fish but since speeds allow you to cover water fairly quickly I find myself not wasting a whole day fishing unproductive water. I've been at it long enough to know where fish are going to be based on years prior and or recent reports. Sometimes fishing blank screens pays off sometimes it sucks. It's all part of the fishing game I will say this, if your not in marks and bait chances are your not going to smack em good but a lonely mature is a great possibility. Once I find the fish...the following morning I usually stop 2 miles short so by the time I get into the fish rods are in, temp is dialed in baits are running properly and when I hit the "promised land" all hell breaks loose.