Who ever said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
Today's angler has learned plenty of them over the last 25
years, and there will no doubt be many, many more to come.
Some of the most intelligent people in the world enjoy the
sport of fishing (scientists, biologists, presidents ...)
It's only natural that they have applied some of their knowledge
and ingenuity to one of the country's favorite outdoor pasttimes.
Modern anglers have more efficient, effective, accurate and
versatile tools at their disposal than ever before. Those
willing to accept these changes in their fishing world are
reaping the benefits with more consistent catches and more
quality fish. I'm one old cowboy who has been riding the angling
range for a long time. It's hard to believe how much has changed
when I hit the water in pursuit of walleyes and other favorite
fish species. I probably scoffed at the first few changes
25 years ago, but then I never thought bottled water would
become a multi-million dollar industry, either. Who needed
console steering and flashy fiberglass boats? My old dented
aluminum tiller boats got me where I needed to go. Who would
spend $100 on a graphite fishing rod when the old $25 fiberglass
models caught plenty of fish? How could anyone abandon live
bait in favor of soft plastics? Back in the day … I never
imagined I'd be driving a 620 Ranger at 55 mph in all kinds
of water conditions and riding high and dry on shock-absorbing
seats. I grew up in the days of aluminum boats that rattled
your teeth, adjusted your spine and left you soaking wet in
rough water. The rivets were always loose, so we wore boots
in cold weather to keep our feet dry and we were often nauseous
after a day of fishing in a cloud of exhaust smoke and fumes.
Power tilt and trim? The only power back then was supplied
by whomever was driving the boat. I remember when the first
electric trolling motors hit the market. They were transom-mount
models, and we’d lug an extra battery to the boat, which would
keep them going for five or six hours if it wasn’t too windy.
Bow-mounts followed shortly thereafter and were a blessing
as our boats grew larger and heavier. Still, they didn’t always
go where you pointed them. If you took your foot off the pedal
for just a few seconds to land a fish or deal with a snag,
you were likely to be out of control. These days, I’m hooked
on a 36-volt PinPoint bow-mount model manufactured by Motorguide.
Not only does it run all day in almost any conditions, but
it has an electronic "brain." I input the depth I want to
run and it makes adjustments on its own to follow the contour
and remain on course. Another of my favorite advances in angling
technology involves our ability to see what’s going on under
the water. I remember the days when we would find our favorite
rockpile by lining up the bow of the boat with the silo on
the south shore of the lake with the motor in line with the
second red farmhouse on the north shore. Then, we dropped
down a long cord with a heavy weight to find exactly the right
depth and bottom composition. Lowrance revolutionized fishing
with the Green Box. It eliminated most of the guesswork once
we reached the area we wanted to fish. Since then, sonar units
have become so sophisticated and detailed that we can tell
the size of the fish below us, the presence of even the smallest
baitfish and even the different temperature layers in the
water column. Top end models paint this picture in vivid color
and many are combination sonar-global positioning units. GPS
is another major advancement that takes us to the exact locations
we want to fish, gives us the ability to map trolling routes
around irregular structure and helps us navigate in the fog
and in the dark. The map chips we can insert in many of today’s
GPS units add incredible detail, showing everything from contours
to weeds, reefs, humps and boat launches. Many anglers have
been known to pull over while trying to find their way to
a boat ramp or a certain street so they can pinpoint the location
on their GPS. Underwater cameras offer an even better picture
of what’s going on beneath the surface.
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What only a diver could know for certain before can
now be determined by sending down the camera element of
an Aqua-Vu. I can watch some of the most entertaining
and educational video there is from the comfort of my
Ranger. Planer boards are another innovation that has
changed the way we fish. Off-Shore boards have expanded
my trolling applications and presentations ten-fold. I
can fish multiple depths on the same breakline or vary
the depth of my lures over open water by getting them
out away from the boat and apart from each other. I can
target shallow-water fish that might be spooked by the
noise of my boat by sending my boards over that water
with my Ranger safely out of range. Speaking of trolling,
I’ve come to rely on the Precision Trolling handbook to
give me accurate running depths of various crankbaits
with various line lengths. Line-counter reels and color-coded
lead core line make it a simple task to get all my lures
running at the same depth. Mother Nature hasn’t done much
to make leeches, crawlers, shiners, chubs or minnows any
better today than they’ve been for years. On the other
hand, however, science has given us more reasons than
ever to limit our use of live bait. |
Why torture your fingers fishing around in an icy minnow
bucket in April when there are lifelike soft plastic substitutes
that work as well, and even better in some situations. Berkley’s
scented Power Baits and new Gulp! products have reduced my
use of live bait by at least 50 percent. They look like the
real thing, smell like the real thing and although I can’t
speak from personal experience, they must taste like the real
thing judging by the way fish react to them. What’s more,
they last longer than live bait in adverse weather, when the
situation calls for casting to the fish and when pesky bait
thieves like perch, bluegill, small bass or small walleyes
are in the area. Back in my youth, there wasn’t much of a
choice when it came to fishing line. It was monofilament,
period. I used to complain that I couldn’t see my clear mono
when I was jigging. Then Berkley came up with Solar, a bright
green, low-stretch mono that was ideal for stained water conditions.
From there, Berkley has taken fishing line to a level I never
would have imagined with its Fireline and Vanish Transition,
which absorbs light and glows above the water, but disappears
under the surface. Never again will I be able to complain
about not having the right line for whatever conditions or
structure I’m fishing. Sometimes, I feel like today’s anglers
have a dangerous advantage with all the advancements that
have made our angling efforts easier and more productive.
Then I have one of those inevitable days when all the high-tech
equipment in the world doesn’t help me boat a fish. Still,
more anglers are able to catch more fish than ever. It’s up
to us as anglers to help manage the resource by taking only
what we can use, using what we take and releasing the female
fish that are in the prime of their reproductive lives. Personally,
I’m enjoying the comforts provided to today’s angler. The
good old days are the here and now. I can’t wait to see what
the industry comes up with next
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